Antique Ivory Louis XVI Garland Bedroom Set

A commanding Louis XVI suite in antique ivory, hand-shaded so the carving is picked out in a soft grey-gold patina. The bed is unusually complete: a broad arched headboard, crowned by a ribbon-tied crest and hung with draped garlands, is matched by a footboard of nearly the same presence, its centre filled with a deeply carved cartouche of scrolls and foliage between fluted corner posts capped with turned finials. Panelled side rails carry the frame right around, so the bed reads as one continuous piece of architecture rather than a headboard with a base. Slim bedside commodes stand to either side in the same finish.

The relief is carved into solid timber and then finished in layers - a pale ivory ground, a hand-rubbed antique glaze worked into the recesses, and a light burnish along the high points - which is what gives the surface its aged, gently silvered depth. Handcrafted by Brass & Wood in Egypt, this set was made for a formal bedroom with panelled or moulded walls and lamps at each side; give the footboard room to be seen, because it is as carved as the head.

• Bed with arched carved headboard, matching high footboard and panelled side rails
• Pair of matching bedside commodes