Incredible Shakespeare Wooden Artifact From His Bed! CAG Encapsulated.

Wood swatch, .50" x 1.25". Wood taken from William Shakespeare's bed.  Encapsulated by CAG, measuring 2.375'' x 3.375''.

The larger swatch, from which this swatch originated, was originally offered in the sale of the A.E. Brooks collection of antique guns, pistols, etc., held in 1899, which included a number of relics and artifacts. The relic was listed as lot 1835, as indicated on the card which housed the original relic (see provenance and photo). The provenance includes a photocopy of the original catalog page listing the lot and a photocopy of a letter from Bruce Gimelson, dated July 10th, 1997. It reads, in part,“Here is the Shakespeare relic. It is indeed a piece of his bedstead with contemporary? (1860) authentication”.

Besides serving as inspiration for some of his more amorous scenes, Shakespeare’s bed has interesting significance with regard to the theories of dissent in his marriage to Anne Hathaway. In his last will and testament, Shakespeare only made one bequest to his wife, that being his “second-best bed with the furniture.” While there is no reference to the “best” bed and to whom that should belong, this line sparked many theories – such as it being meant to spite Hathaway, insinuating that Anne was only the “second-best” person in his life, which has led to whispers of a secret paramour. However, a more accepted opinion is that in Elizabethan England it was custom to save the best bed of the house for guests, in which case Shakespeare was bequeathing their marital bed to her, and not insulting her at all.

Accompanied by an additional packet of provenance used to authenticate the relic.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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