Three-sided bed, designed to be set with its length along the wall, below a separate domed canopy that hangs from the wall. The bed is of walnut, lime and beech, gessoed and water gilded, the bed upholstered in two patterns of light blue silk, woven with designs of trellising and flowers.

A three-sided bed to be placed longitudinally along the wall, with separate, wall-hung, domed canopy, in carved and water-gilded wood, the stiles carved as quivers, with the monograms AP and AV, the crestings of the bed carved with trophies of love and marriage including bows, quivers, and myrtle wreaths. The bed is upholstered in two patterns of light blue silk woven with patterns of trellising and flowers, trimmed with silver-gilt thread gimp, fringe, tassels and cord. The counterpane is probably the original silk of the bed, the fixed upholstery and the curtains renewed with a similar silk in the period 1820-1860.

Construction
The bed is carved in walnut, with the crestings in lime, and the back rail in beech. It is made of five parts: three panels of equal height enclose the mattress area and are joined together by two rails that are tenoned between the stiles on the front and back of the bed. The two side panels are constructed in a similar manner with each panel made with two inner, undecorated stiles of beech which are attached between the top and bottom rails, forming the sides of the structural frame on which the upholstery is set. The bed is placed on four identical castors which are set across the corners and which raise it by about 2.5 cm from the floor. These are of cast iron, with wheels of plyed lignum vitae. The frame of the canopy is intended to be attached to the wall. The interior of the domed canopy is fitted with a circular mirror panel, probably an addition of the nineteenth century. Wrought iron rails within the dome for the haning of the curtains are probably original.

Decoration:
Each stile is carved as a tapering quiver; the front stiles are carved on the front with the initials AP on the right and AV on the left. The crestings on the sides are carved with trophies symbolising love and marriage. The quivers on the front stiles and also on the crestings, refers to Cupid's quiver, of which he was disarmed by love. The torch that appears on one of the crestings not only makes reference to the torch which Psyche used to identify her secret lover, Cupid, but is also a symbole of Hymen, the god of marriage.

In the nineteenth century this bed was in the hands of the dealer/decorator Charles Polycarpe Séchan (1803-1874). It was bought by the Museum from his sale in Paris (by the auctioneer Pillet) 25-27 March 1863, lot 173, at a cost of £160.

Beds designed to be placed parallel with the wall, rather than with the head to the wall, became highly fashionable in France in the second half of the 18th century, when the 'chambre de parade' or grand display bedroom (state bedroom) was giving way to more convenient and comfortable, although still luxurious bedrooms. Often such beds were set within an alcove or niche that proteted the users from draughts and offered a more private, intimate space. All sorts of names were invented for different forms of such beds and were sometimes muddled or the same name applied to slightly different variants of form. The most common name for a bed of this form, with a hanging canopy, was a lit à l'italienne or a lit à la Romaine.

The iconography and monograms on the bed suggest that it was made for a married couple, although, as yet, it has not been possible to identify the original patrons.

The design of the bed and the quality of its carving and gilding is particularly fine and represents the most luxurious level of furniture made by the workshop of Georges Jacob. Georges Jacob became a master in 1765 and soon rose to become one of the most renowned menuisiers (makers of carved furniture) of his day, producing inventive designs for chairs, beds, and screens. He is known for having made some spectacular state beds. Jacob worked extensively for the French royal family but his reputation was such that it transcended national boundaries and his patrons included the Prince of Wales (the future George IV), Gustavus III of Sweden, and several German princes. After the French Revolution, Jacob's friendship with the painter Jacques-Louis David helped him to avoid imprisonment, and he became one of the main suppliers of furniture to the revolutionary government and later to the Emperor Napoleon.

Jacob retired in 1796 and passed on his business over to his two sons. When the older son died, Jacob returned to work and watched the firm become one of the most important of the period, supplying pieces to many wealthy residences and employing more than three hundred workmen.

8459:1 to 31-1863