A Unique Bed from France
 
Everyone likes to be comfortable while they sleep. Some people have gone to great lengths to make their beds not only the ultimate in comfort but also as beautiful as possible.

This bed was made about 250 years ago for a large and fashionable home in Paris. It was considered unusual at the time it was made. How is it different from your own?

If you slept in this bed overnight, where would you put your head? Actually, the bed was designed so that someone could lie on it in any direction they liked. The tall back panel was attached to the wall and the rest could be rolled forward when servants made the bed.

In the 1700s, wealthy French women sometimes enjoyed entertaining close friends in their bedrooms in the morning. With a fire burning in the fireplace, the owner may have sipped hot chocolate or broth in this bed while chatting with friends who sat in chairs nearby.

The bed's frame is carved out of wood and covered with a thin layer of gold using a technique called gilding. The craftsmen who gilded furnishings like this bed were masters of an ancient and difficult art.

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