Featured 17th CENTURY (?) PHALLIC BED

I've found this interesting bed in Rio de Janeiro. The owner told me that his father bought it in the 1960's, in Lisbon, from a portuguese antique dealer. It's all he knows about it.

I've found many furniture around internet with the same carving, they generally call it spanish colonial style, and dates it from around 1680 to 1760. Example: https://fineart.ha.com/itm/furnitur...-2083-x-1118-cm-total-6-items-/a/5017-63166.s

But this bed is so confusing! It seems that it was adapted and reformed many times in different eras. I would guess that the last great changes were done at the 1890's or 1900's. I can't understand how the bed frame works and the woods are clearly from different times.

Another interesting detail is a great phallic symbol ate the top of the headboard. The wood is reddish and it seems younger. I would say everything is oak.

 

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

 

I do believe you are correct Bronwen.

 

I think I see the "article of interest" pressed into the center-most decorative "member," underneath the spindle. You have to click the picture open.

Not sure what questions Breno has here. He's clearly thought about this bed frame, which BTW I think is super cool. Yes, the alterations are the work of centuries, which makes sense in a bed frame that has seen a lot of life but was also valued by the folks who owned it, valued enough to repair rather than throw out. Does it date back to the 17th century? I was thinking early 19th, although some of the decorative elements make me think 17th. I'm no expert in Spanish or Portuguese beds from that era. Is it oak? Likely.

Very cool to see something like this. No idea on it's value, but that's almost secondary at this stage of the game.

 

Think I see a centipede curled up below that. Still think it's a cigar.

 

the beds with phallus have ball feet...

 

Great find, Breno.
The "article of interest" (thank you for that stylish description @Ghopper1924 ) looks to me like just an abstract decoration made of random elements, none of which add up to the, uhm, cigar.
In fact the two elements on either side of the central dotted line look like ear pendants to me, this type:

 

How much confidence do you have in the seller's story? It doesn't look Portuguese to me but colonial (Brazilian) hence very late for its style but not 19th century either, more like in between. The carving is too crude. If indeed Old World, it would be a provincial piece (and then why would one bring it across the ocean in the 60s when this style was abhorred by the masses). Bahia?
And no, I don't think it is a, uh, well, I don't think so. Just a very bad idea.

 

Any time, AJ!

In the face of all this opposition, I'll stick with the opinion of the one person who's actually been in the same room with the bed

Regardless, very cool bed!! I'd give "thanks" if I had it! (American joke).

 

Oh! Why so rude? First of all I'm not a totally ignorant, ok? I'm entirely sure this is not a Brazilian bed, if it was, it would be VERY valuable, because the first brazilian beds appear at the end of the 18th century. Till at least 1822, beds were very RARE, people used to sleep on the floor or hammocks, even the richer ones. This totally change when the portuguese royal family come across the ocean. There's nothing like this bed in the bibliography of Brazilian antique furniture. The prior owner brought it to Brazil in 1997, along another amount of antique furnitures to fill a 1000m2 duplex apartment at one of the most prestigious neighborhoods of the city, the Botanical Garden. He had pieces from the XVI century, his father was a belgium collector living in Portugal. Both worked with banks like Santander and Citibank. I don't know why he would try to lie or invent something, he just tell me that the bed was bought in the 1960's and was probably from the 17th or 18th century. He's going back to Portugal and had to empty the Brazilian apartament. He took a container with many furniture back but some bigger pieces couldn't fit, and he is trying to sell as fast as he can... Yes I think it is a provincial European furniture, because I've found many similar pieces worth this designation at auctions around internet, but I World like to know more and to be capable to date. This book from FRESS, a portuguese foundation dedicated to many local arts, show a similar style buffet described as a "18th century peasant buffet". About the taste, it varies. Don't you know Milicent Rogers?? She had many Mexican furniture like this and would pay a lot for it! Just because they are producrs of the people they become rare and very authentic, as they not last as long as the noble ones. You know, since romanticism many countries like for they origins at folklore and popular culture, I would guess that the why this bed was reformed and even loved. At least it's why I liked it!

 

I've found this very similar bed around internet but don't know certainly where this museum is...

 

Thank you for your answer! The phallic title is just too call attention haha Yes I think it has many, many, many layers of time, but I would bet in a 19th century great reform that kept the piece alive! I World like to date the bed or to know certainly which style it has...

About the bed frame, I'm not talking about the structure itself, but about the support of the mattress!!! I don't know how the ancient owners used to deal with it. The prior owner just used a contemporary wooden board to put it over. There's no way of doing a tied structure because there is no vertical bar. I would like to do something more historical and accurate than a wooden board but don't know what!

 

Interesting! All this phallic thing was to call attention for the post haha despite that, I'm sorry, but I can clearly see a penis! And I don't think it's impossible, it is an antique symbol of fertility and abundance, this bed is kind of folkloric...

 

The "bufé campesino" is a different style, imo.

It is likely to be in Europe, my guess is Spain. The photographer, Diego Blanco Araujo, lives in Hospitalet Del Llobregat, Spain, and his profile says his travels are in Europe.

This is the page the photo came from, I don't know if there is a way to contact him:
https://es.dreamstime.com/muebles-del-siglo-xvii-image159234728
Main page:
https://es.dreamstime.com/diegoblancoaraujo_info

 

Do you get that often?

 

Wow, slow down. People will say lots of things about what they're selling. Sometimes they're misrepresenting the item, sometimes they're just confused, and sometimes they've been told the story wrong. There is no reason to take offense if you take it with a grain of salt.
The bed is wonderful, anyway, and I think we agree it is a provincial piece, probably 18th century (most of it). I think when redone at some point they might have gone for the metal springy thing so en vogue at the turn of last century, which was then changed for something more sensible, if not fancy, when redone again last.

 

And so we gain another well known member.

 

....

 

Oh no u Di' unt......................... but of course , u did !!!

 

(blink)(blink)(blink)

Oh yes. The bed. Aside from it probably having held a few phalluses in its life, I rather like it. It's funky.