Le vocabulaire et les typologies des lits à Paris d’après les inventaires après décès de la première moitié du xviie siècle

Abstract

The question of vocabulary is an essential one in the study of beds during the early modern period. Because of its importance, the complexity of its composition and its generalisation throughout the country, it was a piece of furniture for which there were several words in the French language. Based on an analysis of notarial deeds in Paris during the first half of the seventeenth century, this article brings to light the ‘official’ vocabulary, so to speak, used in the French capital to designate this essential item of furniture. This analysis of the relevant vocabulary indicates the existence of several types of beds and bed linen in the Paris interiors of the reign of Louis XIII and the regency of Anne of Austria. The description of the wooden frames allows a preliminary distinction to be made between four-poster beds and those without any covering, and gives an idea of the different sizes the bed might have. The examination of different elements of the bed suggests that there were no clear rules for the way bed frames, mattresses and straw were assembled to make an object in which to sleep, whether for stately occasions or daily use. Finally, there were two main ways for the bed to be garnished, with or without curtains. These distinctions all make for a broad variety in the ways of putting the bed together, a multiplication of the number of elements involved, and, consequently, of the elements of vocabulary. This analysis of the vocabulary involved allow us to draw attention to semantic evolutions between the seventeenth century and the present day, evolutions that have to be taken into account in order to understand and recreate historical beds.

Keywords

• bed
• seventeenth century
• vocabulary
• furniture
• Paris (France)
• town house