Another of Marot’s designs for a bed is reproduced in Plate XLVIII. This
is interesting on more than one account. The carving of the canopy shows
the advent of the _rocaille_ work that ran mad during the periods of the
Regency and Louis XV. The scrolls in the woodwork at the foot of the bed
are of the same form as the stretchers in tables, chairs, stands and
stools of the period. The decoration of the room is worth notice also.
The walls are covered with tapestry, and the same lambrequin that adorns
the bed is repeated all along the walls under the cornice. The same
decoration is repeated around the seat of the armchair on either side of
the bed. The low foot-posts of the bed are surmounted by “_pommes_,”
which usually hold the positions above, here occupied by carved shells.
Finally, the sconce mirror over the chair is graceful in form.
Queen Anne’s bed at Hampton Court Palace gives one a good idea of the
Marot decoration. It has a square canopy and tester, below which hang
curtains that when drawn enclose the entire bed. The head-board is
upholstered. The furnishings of this bed are entirely of stamped or cut
velvet, a white ground with formal patterns of crimson and orange. The
chairs, tabourets and long forms are also covered with this material.
A beautiful chandelier of silver decorated with glass balls hangs from
the ceiling, which was painted by Sir James Thornhill. The design
depicts Aurora rising from the ocean in her chariot, drawn by four white
horses and attended by cupids, while Night and Sleep sink away.
[Illustration:
Figs. 40, 41 and 42.—“_Sophas._” Fig. 43.—_Lower part of Chair, by
Marot._ Figs. 44 and 45.—_Lambrequins, by Marot._
]
Marot’s armchairs owe their effect almost entirely to upholstery: the
framework is certainly solid, heavy and ungainly. He prefers carved feet
of animals’ claws to the popular Dutch bulb. A typical form of the seat
and legs appears in Fig. 43. The top of the back is usually a straight
line, though, if the chair is designed for a prince or noble, the centre
sometimes rises in a carved crown or coronet. The woodwork is generally
gilded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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