[Illustration: PLATE XXVI.—_The Sick Woman, by Jan Steen._ RIJKS MUSEUM, AMSTERDAM. Figs. 31 and 33: FOLDING CHAIRS, by CRISPIN VAN DE PASSE; Fig. 32: CHAIR, by CRISPIN VAN DE PASSE; Fig. 34; TABLE, by CRISPIN VAN DE PASSE. ] Passing from this into the _camer beneffens de trappenye_, we find a bedroom, _de camer boven de trappenye_, the most conspicuous object of which is a bed. So sumptuous is this, in fact, that no other furniture is needed to give this room distinction. To begin with, the framework is ornately carved, and it is hung with rich silken curtains and sumptuously upholstered. Undoubtedly this bed was of the same type as the beautiful Renaissance specimen reproduced in Plate XXV, from the Rijks Museum, Amsterdam. A reference to Plate X will show this is later in style than the “new” one designed by De Vries. The “linen-fold” panel has entirely disappeared, and the carved accessories are all pure late Renaissance. At the time this inventory was taken, however, these magnificent wardrobe-shaped beds with elaborate carving were already out of date and supplanted in favour by the lighter form with simple posts at the corners, the whole being entirely closed with curtains. This bed appears in Plate XXVI and Plate XXVII with both square and dome-shaped tops, and in many other pictures by the Dutch masters of the seventeenth century. The bed in which upholstery had superseded carving had been growing in favour, not only in the homes of the middle classes, but also in those of the rich. It even occurs in the inner room of the wealthy house represented in Plate XXIV. This bed, known as the _lit en housse_, is the typical bed of the seventeenth century, and is the one that appears in Abraham Bosse’s engravings, whenever a bed is introduced—in the homes of the rich, in hospitals, and in the rooms of tradesmen and school teachers. In this style of bed, the framework is of comparatively little importance. The _ciel_, or canopy, is supported on four posts which are carved or painted in harmony with the curtains, or covered with the same materials. Beneath the valance, a rod runs under the canopy for the support of the curtains, which are drawn up or down by means of cords and pulleys. When closed, the _lit en housse_ looks like a square box. The elegance of the bed depended upon its upholstery. The richest beds were draped with tapestry, silk, damask brocade and velvet, beautifully trimmed with gold and silver braid or lace, narrow silk fringe, or fringe of gold or silver threads, or decorative cords and tassels. Serge, cloth, East Indian goods, linen and cotton materials were also employed. The curtains were more or less richly lined and the four corners of the canopy above the posts were decorated with a carved or turned wooden knob called a _pomme_ (which was sometimes gilded or painted), a bunch of feathers, or a “bouquet” made of ravelled silk ornaments or inverted tassels.