The lit en housse continued into the reign of Louis XIV.; but the typical bed in this period was devoid of columns, and was known as the lit d'ange. The curtains were looped back, and the canopy, which was the same width as the bed, was not so long. The bed was furnished with a headboard, but not a footboard. Squares of drapery that repeated the same trimmings as the valance around the del, or canopy, were placed around the mattress to form a lower valance. The counterpane was stretched tightly across the bed and a round bolster was placed at the headboard. Pillows were never used. Behind the headboard, a straight piece of drapery hung from the canopy, which was decorated with pommes or knobs. The lit d'ange was generally about 11 feet high, 6 feet wide and 7 feet long. The lit d'ange continued in fashion for about a hundred years.

Another variety was the lit a la duchesse, which was like the lit d'ange with one exception, - the canopy had to cover the entire bed (though occasionally we come across a lit a la duchesse with demi del). The pavilion bed and the lit a I'imperiale also continued in fashion. The King owned a superb imperiale of yellow damask, embroidered in silver in a charming design of leaves, berries and seeds. The trimming was a fringe of reddish purple chenille of the shade that was so fashionable then, called amaranth.

The bed was always vu de pied, that is to say, it stood out in the room with the head against the wall.

The Louis XIV. Style crossed the Channel as the style refugie (see page 53).

The Marot bed depended upon upholstery for its splendor. The bedstead consisted of a light frame supporting a canopy on the four corners of which the "pomme" still held its place. In this period, it not only consisted of a wooden or gilded apple, or knob, but often a bunch of ostrich feathers. The canopy, curtains, valance, and counterpane were of brocade, silk, satin, velvet, chintz, or white dimity worked in colored crewels, or worsted. Three beds of this period are still in Hampton Court Palace. William's bed, which is about fifteen feet high, and covered with crimson damask; Mary's, which is smaller, and covered with crimson velvet; and a much handsomer one called "Queen Anne's bed," which is upholstered in rich Genoa velvet of white ground, with designs of crimson and orange stamped or cut out upon it.

In the days of Louis XV. the bed was placed opposite the windows, with its head against the wall, and, in very wealthy homes, frequently stood in an alcove behind a balustrade. According to D'Aviler, white and gold was the choicest decoration, particularly if the wall behind the balustrade, where the bed stood, was covered with blue silk. The bed itself was draped with curtains of blue and white silk, richly ornamented with gold braid. (See LXXV.)

Lit-De-Camp, By Radel, 1765

Plate LXXVIII - Sixteenth Century Italian Choir Stalls - Metropolitan Museum

In smaller apartments and simpler homes, the bed was frequently placed in a niche. Sometimes the bed stood with its head to the wall (vu de pied), and sometimes it was turned sideways, in which case a false bolster was placed at the footboard for the sake of symmetry. This bed, therefore, was called the lit a deux chevets (the two-bolster bed).

The boudoir generally contained an alcove, in which stood a sofa-bed, or "lit de repos." The alcove was hung with draperies that matched the window-curtains. Beds were of many kinds. The great lit d'ange and the lit a limperiale still continued popular; but the draperies followed the fashion of the day, and were looped up in festoons and ornamented with choux, or cabbage knots. Sofa and alcove-beds were more in demand than any others; and among them was the lit d'anglaise, which appeared in 1750. The lit a la polonaise was another favorite. It had four columns and a canopy; and the latter was decorated with a bunch of feathers at each corner and in the centre. The lit en ottomane was another sofa-bed, which dates from about 1765, and which had a dome and curtains; the lit a romaine, which became popular about 1760, had a canopy and four festooned curtains; the lit a la turque, popular from about 1755 to 1780, was a sort of sofa with three backs; the lit a tulipe and lit a fleche were so called because in the one case the curtains fell from a sort of bronze, copper, or gilded tulip, and in the other, from an ornamental arrow fixed to the pavilion. Last of all, there was the lit a tombeau, called in England the single-headed couch or field-bed, with a slanting canopy that was supported on four posts, the two at the head being much taller than those at the foot. The lit a double tombeau had posts of equal height, and the curtains fell down the sides in slants of equal length. These sofa-beds were smothered in draperies, gracefully looped or cut in points and scallops. Great use was made of tassels. Colors having become lighter than in the reign of Louis XIV., pale hues of blue, yellow, rose and green supplanted the heavier reds, greens, blues and purples.

Lit-A-Tombeau, Louis XV.

Chippendale includes among his plates Dome-Beds, Canopy-Beds, Gothic Beds, Chinese Beds, Field-Beds, Tent-Beds, Couch-Beds, Sofa-Beds, as well as independent drawings for bedposts and cornices. His four-posted bedsteads are large: 7 feet 6 inches long; 6 feet 4 inches high; and 5 feet wide. A carved cornice surrounds the canopy, and contains hidden from sight an intricate arrangement of laths and pulleys by which the curtains are drawn and raised. Chippendale's pillars are always handsomely carved; his cornices are carved, gilt, painted or japanned and brightened with gold; and his draperies consist of the most elaborate festoons and curtains. A long, tightly-rolled bolster is always placed just below the headboard, and pillows are never used.