The fifteenth century could certainly add nothing to luxury such as this; at the utmost articles suitable for the furniture of an oratory, or a study, such as chairs, benches, desks and pries-dieu, armoires to contain books, etc. Guillebert de Metz, however, in his "Description de Paris" will prove to us the slender proportions to which furniture was then reduced, even at the house of a connoisseur, by analysing what " maistre Jacques Duchie" possesses in his hotel of the rue des Prouvelles (Prouvaires).

"La premiere salle est embellie de divers tableaux et escriptures d'en-seignemens atachies et pendus aux parois. Une autre salle remplie de toutes manieres d'instrumens, harpes, orgues, vielles, guiternes, psalterions et autres, desquelz ledit maistre Jacques savoit jouer de tous. Une autre salle estoit garnie de jeux d'echez, de tables, et d'autres, diverses manieres de jeux a grand nombre. Item une belle chapelle ou il avoit des pulpitres a mettre livres dessus, de merveilleux art, lesquelz on fasoit venir a divers sieges loings et pres a destre et a senestre. . . . Item pluseurs autres chambres richement adoubez de lits, de tables engigneusement entail lees, et pares de riches draps et tapis a orfrais..".

In the sixteenth century, furniture that may be applied to our own uses, is more frequent; the necessity of transport still subsists, and everything must be made to take to pieces; the beds have their columns and other parts jointed; the tables are on trestles or made to fold down on their axles; the cabinets are numerous, and varied in materials and dimensions, so that being filled with valuables, they may find room in the chests or trunks (bahuts). The chairs with hooks or fastenings, or to fold, in a word the camp furniture is ready to be packed up together with the ornamental cushions, the carpets and moveable hangings that they attached wherever the dwelling-place of the moment was fixed. At the end of the century, furniture becomes still more abundant, and already the more cumbrous part ceases to travel; at the moment of leaving the chateau containing it it is consigned to the garrets or the wardrobe room, where it remains until the day of return. At this period the taste for curiosities becomes general; distant voyages procure objects from Yndie, caskets painted in the Turkish fashion, oriental carpets and porcelain of China, which was so easily obtainable at Cairo that Belon could not believe it really came from the far East.

Caiket with handle and fastenings of chased iron. German work of the end of the Fourteenth Century. (Collection of late M. Alt. (Gerente).

It is easy to realise at the present day what a palace of the year 1589 might contain; the "Inventaire des meubles de Catherine de Medicis," published by M. Edmond Bonnaffe is in this respect as instructive as possible, and we here borrow his description of the complicated arrangement of a state bed, drawn up by Trubart the upholsterer.

"Ung lict a doubles peutes a campanes au gros poinct de tapisserie de soye rehausse d'or et d'argent, grany de six pentes de tapisserie trois pour le haut et trois pour les soubassemens, quatre pentes de damas blanc figure d'or, sur lesquelles y a des bandes de broderie d'or et d'argent cliquant, pour servir au dedans du lict, quatre quenouilles du mesme damas, trois grandz rideaux de mesme damas garnys d'une bande d'ouvrage de soye rehaussee d'cr et d'argent par dehors, et par dedans d'une bande de broderie d'or et d'argent cliquant avec des chiffres, quatre bonnes graces de tapisserie de soye rehaussee d'or et d'argent doublee du mesme damas blanc figure d'or semblable aux rideaux, la couverte de parade de mesme damas blanc figure d'or garny de pentes de broderie d'or et d'argent cliquant au lieu de passement. Le tapis de table trainant de mesme damas, garny d'une bande de tapisserie de soye rehaussee d'or et d'argent faicte en cordeliere, le bas d'une bande de tapisserie de soye a campane rehaussee d'or et d'argent. Ung dez a doubles pentes, les pentes de dehors faictes de tapisserie de soye a gros poinct, rehaussee d'or et d'argent, de damas blanc figure d'or garny d'une bande de tapisserie de soye rehaussee d'or et d'argent facon de cordeliere, la queue et le fond moictie de damas blanc figure d'or et l'autre moictie de mesme, les pentes de dehors les dictes pentes doublees de taffetas blanc, la queue et le fond doubles de bougran blanc, sur deux aulnes en quarre".

We must not forget that it is here question of a royal bed, and to return to less exceptional things, let us go back to Cluny, where the decorations from the chateau de Villepreux belonging to Pierre de Gondy, bishop of Paris, will show the luxury of the sixteenth century in a simpler form, and allow us to compose a bed more appropriated to present use.

We must also point out this important peculiarity, that the inventory of Catherine de Medicis shows a very numerous collection of ebony cabinets inlaid with ivory marquetry and those of German fashion, that is, a marquetry, of various woods; but it passes over in silence pieces of furniture in wood-carving which must have been still in use, as may be proved by those bearing the cypher of Henry II. and the double crescent to be met with in museums, and among collectors. It is an indication of the possible mingling of these three kinds in one whole. We still keep to the genuine sixteenth century, so long as we do not see the rather cumbrous pieces of the time of Henry IV., which lead directly to the style of Louis XIII.