Prudent Mallard Bed at auction
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Victorian Furniture thread on victorianforum.com · started August 21, 2008 by tickleus · 6 posts, 7 image attachments · discussion in 2008.
I am lookng at a bed supposedly by Prudent Mallard. I am not knowledgeable but really like this bed. Could someone look at the pictures and give me an opinion. I currently have the bid at $1200.00 Thanks Vicky
I am lookng at a bed supposedly by Prudent Mallard. I am not knowledgeable but really like this bed. Could someone look at the pictures and give me an opinion. I currently have the bid at $1200.00 Thanks Vicky
No authentic Prudent Mallard bed would knowingly be let go by a knowledgeable dealer for less than this or this.
By examining the two beds at the links above, you can see the difference in footboard height and shape (more diminutive and delicate) as well as the towering height of your bed headboard vs. the Mallard beds.
The images for some reason for your bed came out very small and didn't provide more than a thumbnail for some reason, but it was enough to see that it doesn't resemble the Mallard beds that I am familiar with.
I believe your seller labeled it Mallard due to the shape of the urn finials, which even those don't match a true Mallard.
That doesn't mean that you don't have a great bed to buy!
By examining the two beds at the links above, you can see the difference in footboard height and shape (more diminutive and delicate) as well as the towering height of your bed headboard vs. the Mallard beds.
The images for some reason for your bed came out very small and didn't provide more than a thumbnail for some reason, but it was enough to see that it doesn't resemble the Mallard beds that I am familiar with.
I believe your seller labeled it Mallard due to the shape of the urn finials, which even those don't match a true Mallard.
That doesn't mean that you don't have a great bed to buy!
I changed the pictures so you can get a better look. This is a auction place that does not deal in antiques. They auction everything from machine shop supplies to cars to anything anyone wants to sell. They are saying that it is a Prudent Mallard but I DON'T KNOW. How do I find out if it truley is. I RESPECT YOUR OPINION AND LOOK FORWARD TO MORE. Thanks again Vicky
Without a label you will not know for sure but a simple comparison to the beds that I linked to before will show you that there is virtually no resemblance to a true Mallard bed.
Go here and look at the real Mallards, ignoring the $4,600 and $1,400 which may likely not be Mallard. Pay attention to the shapes, carvings, feet, sides, height, everything.
The fact that it is an auction house that regularly deals in machinery should tell you that they don't handle these beds on a regular basis (if ever) and probably don't have the expertise to accurately attribute a Mallard bed.
You may want to ask them the basis of their attribution: label? carvings? - what about the carvings and why? Sometimes it is an attribution by the client they are selling for and they just took their word for it.
Go here and look at the real Mallards, ignoring the $4,600 and $1,400 which may likely not be Mallard. Pay attention to the shapes, carvings, feet, sides, height, everything.
The fact that it is an auction house that regularly deals in machinery should tell you that they don't handle these beds on a regular basis (if ever) and probably don't have the expertise to accurately attribute a Mallard bed.
You may want to ask them the basis of their attribution: label? carvings? - what about the carvings and why? Sometimes it is an attribution by the client they are selling for and they just took their word for it.
Thank you so much for the info. It truly does not look like the other pictures you pointed me to. Am I bidding too much on this bed? Can you identify it as anything else?
Can't identify it as anything other than a mass-produced Rococo bedstead. The price is in the middle of a range that you might expect to pay for the bed. Sometimes you could get it for $600, and sometimes higher than $1,200. See here towards the bottom for some examples.