Bedstead

Charles-Honoré Lannuier|Jean-Charles Cochois

ca. 1805–8 · Mahogany, ebony and rosewood (secondary woods: ash and yellow poplar), gilded gesso, die-cut and stamped brass, and iron · The American Wing

Following the Revolution, Americans took inspiration from the ancient empires of Greece and Rome in the establishment of a democratic republic. In turn, domestic interiors and furnishings began to resemble architecture and artifacts from classical antiquity. This bed’s sweeping frame echoes the form of a Roman lectus (daybed) and the bronze plaque at the base bears the profile of a Roman magistrate or military officer. The work is the only signed piece produced by Lannuier, one of New York’s leading furniture makers, and his Parisian cousin, Cochois, who worked briefly in New York between 1804 and 1808. The reproduction upholstery and hangings are based on models popularized by French designers Pierre de La Mésangère, Charles Percier, and Pierre François Léonard Fontaine.

Artist

Charles-Honoré Lannuier|Jean-Charles Cochois

Date

ca. 1805–8

Medium

Mahogany, ebony and rosewood (secondary woods: ash and yellow poplar), gilded gesso, die-cut and stamped brass, and iron

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Elizabeth Feld Herzberg and Peter A. Feld, 2007