Design for a Canopy Bed in an Alcove

Anonymous, French, 18th century|Victor Louis

ca. 1770–90 · Pen and black ink, brush and brown and gray wash · Drawings and Prints

This drawing shows a design for a large canopy bed, placed in a neoclassical alcove. This type of design is often seen in palaces where an official ‘coucher’ and ‘lever’ ceremony (retiring to and rising from bed) was in custom. A select group of prominent people would be invited to observe and sometimes assist during this honorary occasion. The sumptuous draperies of the bed and niches played an important role in the ceremony as they allowed for the alcove to be completely closed off and therefore marked the transfer from public to private and vice versa. It is unknown for whom this stately bedroom was originally designed, but the nude sleeping figures in the friezes and the cupids adorning the bed introduce a slightly erotic theme which indicates that it may have been intended for a newly wedded couple. In the past, the design has been tentatively attributed to various well-known French architects and designers, such as Victor Louis (1731-1800), François-Joseph Bélanger (1744-1818) and Louis Gustave Taraval (1738-1794).

Artist

Anonymous, French, 18th century|Victor Louis

Date

ca. 1770–90

Medium

Pen and black ink, brush and brown and gray wash

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1971