Friday, 10 February 2023

A Four Poster Bed

In the Chateau Royal d'Amboise the king's room is on the second floor of the royal apartments. In addition to the famous painting by François-Guillaume Ménageot "The death of Leonardo da Vinci" (1781), there is also a four-poster bed. 

Canopied bed in the King's room, Chateau Royal d'Amboise, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Mark Playle, from Photograph France [link], doing a photoshoot with one of our clients in the King's Chamber in the Chateau Royal d'Amboise.


Canopied beds appeared at the end of the 15th century. Whilst obviously being a way of displaying gorgeous textiles and carved wood, they also have a utilitarian dimension. The curtains allow occupants to keep the heat inside the bed, despite the chill of the castle interiors. The curtains also ensured a relative intimacy and privacy to the bed's occupants. At the time, everyone, even the King, shared their room with several other people.

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