Restoration-period mahogany veneered and ormolu divan bed, 19th century

Restoration-period mahogany-veneered boat-shaped sofa-bed with slightly inverted headboard. The front is soberly adorned with an ormolu plaque featuring scrolls and fleurons framing a finely chased female face with antique hairstyle in a laurel wreath. Two pairs of detached columns adorned with ormolu rings take their place on the side jambs of this boat bed forming legs. This bed can be adjusted to suit your needs, and can be placed against a wall to offer all the comfort of a sofa. It's furnished with a mattress (180x85 cm), six cushions and four small pillows, upholstered in a striped gold jacquard fabric.

The history of the alcove bed

The alcove bed, with its characteristic curvature and identical headboards, is a French invention that first appeared during the Directoire period, and was very fashionable during the Empire and Restoration. It could be placed in an alcove. The finest Restoration-era beds are characterized by the quality of the wood used, the original shapes of their structure and their atypical upholstery. In the first half of the 19th century, inspired by the Empire style, "bateau" beds still had recessed or detached columns covered with decorative bronzes such as gilded metal rings. The boat shape of the alcove bed makes it easy to transform into a sofa, in a living room for example. A bed similar to ours appears in "The Perfection of Disorder1821, Plate 114, from Observations sur les Modes et Usages de Paris to serve as explanations for the 115 cartoons published under the title of "Bon Genre depuis le commencement du dix-neuvième siècle", 1827.

Circa: 1820

Dim: W: 197cm, D: 86cm, H: 125cm.
Dim: W: 77,6in, D: 33,9in, H: 49,2in.

Condition report: Very good condition.