Great Bed of Ware

The Great Bed of Ware is a notable example of a 16th-century English bed, renowned for its immense size, measuring approximately 10 feet 11 inches square. Beds from this era, particularly in Western Europe, often featured paneled backs, carved columns, and a canopy called a tester, from which curtains hung to enclose the bedposts. These large beds suggest that multiple people may have slept in them. The tester itself, a canopy that can be made of carved or cloth-draped wood, dates back to the 14th century and was a common feature over beds, tombs, pulpits, and thrones. While early testers were often massive and elaborately carved, they became lighter and more decorative in the 18th century.12