Pelham Galleries - London Four Poster Double Bed

Details

Description

THE TERPSICHORE BED A Magnificent Carved and Giltwood Louis XVI Lit d?Alcôve, the design attributed to the architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, the execution to Claude Chevigny, probably supplied to Mademoiselle Guimard for her Hôtel in the Chausée d?Antin, Paris, popularly known as the Temple de Terpsichore Circa 1772 Height: 5 ft. 3 ¾ in. (162 cm) Length: 6 ft. 11 in. (211 cm) Width: 5 ft. 4 ¼ in. (163 cm) Exceptionally refined in both its design and execution, this exquisite bed ranks among the finest surviving examples of Louis XVI menuiserie and is comparable in quality and importance to beds supplied to the royal residences, such as the bed supplied by Jean Hauré for Marie-Antoinette at Fontainebleau or the lit à la Polonaise made by Georges Jacob in The Royal Collection, Windsor Castle, illustrated in F.J.B. Watson, Louis XVI Furniture, London 1960, plate 154. What distinguishes this bed from contemporary examples, however, is the inclusion in the centre of the headboard of the figure of Terpsichore, Muse of the Dance, clearly identifiable by her attributes of a lyre and a trumpet. This specific iconographical element is seemingly unprecedented in Louis XVI furniture and thus establishes the possibility of attributing the ownership of this bed to one of the most colourful and celebrated artistic figures of Ancien Régime Paris: the dancer and courtesan Mademoiselle Guimard (1743-1816). La Jeune et Belle Damnée: A Modern Day Terpsichore Marie-Madeleine Guimard was born in Paris, the illegitimate daughter of a factory worker, and began her dancing career at the Comédie Française in 1758. In 1761 she was admitted to the Académie Royale de Musique and made her Paris Opera debut as Terpsichore in Festes Grecques et Romaines in 1762. In the ensuing three decades she became the most successful dancer of the Opera Ballet, appearing in over fifty productions and becoming equally famous for her offstage amorous and social exploits. Like many leading actresses of the day she rapidly obtained the favour and financial support of numerous wealthy protectors, including Jean-Benjamin de la Borde, a tax farmer and Premier Valet du Roi; Jarente de La Bruyère, Bishop of Orléans, and most importantly Charles de Rohan, Prince de Soubise. Her allowance from the Prince de Soubise permitted her to buy a country house in Pantin, northeast of Paris, where she installed a theatre and organised notorious private performances (

Features

• Country : UNITED KINGDOM
• Style : Louis XVI
• Designer : Claude-Nicolas Ledoux