Friday, June 4, 2010

Home Furnishings

Here is an oddball entry in my image morgue, filed under 'home furnishings'.

This rosewood bed, encrusted with silver and the figures made of bronze, was created for Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan Abbasi V of Bahawalpur in 1883. The four figures at the corners represent women of France, Spain, Italy and Greece. With clever mechanisms, the statues were able to wink and wave fans and fly whisks. No flys on this Khan.

Below, before being dispatched to India, this rendering in gouache was made of the bed. To add to its other attributes, the bed was fitted with a music box that played a thirty minute interlude from Gounod's Faust, activated by a button.


8 comments:

E.G.Palmer said...

Man, I've sold a lot of custom furniture, built to suit whatever the customer wanted, but this really drives home the fact that being rich does not equal having taste.
It's a great piece of history though. I don't think I could sleep with those wooden girls staring at me.

E.G.Palmer said...

You know, on second thought, can I borrow that image for my D&D blog? It's just such an outrageous piece of furniture, that I think I can build a magic item story around it for the game.

Thomas Haller Buchanan said...

By all means, go for it EG.

Kip W said...

E.G.: They're not wooden girls, they're brazen hussies.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, wonderful, delicious! Thank you, sir!

Mike Jackson said...

So what became of this piece of furniture?

Straight Guy said...

Also had to add a link to this from my blog. Great find.

Mamoon Rafiq said...

i belong from the same City bed belongs from, this piece of furniture has been stolen long time ago. they were three pieces made in history one for king of France, 2nd Nawab of Bahawalpur, Pakistan, and for Royal Britisher.
more you love, then visit Bahawalpur Pakistan, where 13 palaces in one city. you will love it.