1860 Australian Huon Pine Half Tester Bed

• Tester - The tester is the flat wooden canopy above a bed. A four poster bed is a full tester bed, as the canopy frame follows the perimeter of the entire bed. In a half tester bed, the frame extends only over the upper (pillow) half of the bed.
• Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
• Huon Pine - Named after the Frenchman who discovered the Huon River in Tasmania, it is an extremely slow growing and long living tree. Huon pine is native to Tasmania, and it can grow to an age of 3,000 years or more. The wood contains oil that retards the growth of fungi, hence its early popularity in ship-building in convict-era Tasmania. The timber is a warm yellow colour, finely grained, and was popular for household furniture in the Victorian era. Interestingly, much Huon pine furniture was made in South Australia. Huon pine is a protected species and only limited quantities are available nowadays, for craftsmen to manufacture small items such as platters, sculptures and other decorative objects.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• beds, material - huon pine 11
• beds, type
  • four poster, tester and canopy 59
  • half tester 8