Jacob, Georges (1739 - 1814)

This bed was sold by the Comte de Vaudreuil, its first owner, to the Crown, and placed in Versailles, in the Tuileries, then sold in England before being bought by Ernest Cognacq. Said to be designed "à la Polonaise", this bed differs from the "French" or "columned" bed, the canopy of which occupied its entire length, and which rested against the wall on its short side. Originally mounted on castors which have now disappeared, it could be easily pulled by the handles attached to its two front uprights. Among the countless plant patterns delicately carved into the wood were poppy flowers in different stages of bloom. In Greek mythology, Morpheus, god of dreams, son of Hypnos, the god of sleep and Nyx, the goddess of night, is often represented by a young man holding sleep-inducing poppies in his hand. He sent a person to sleep by touching them with his poppies. This flower is a symbol and attribute of Morpheus, appearing as a subtle echo of the functional use of this piece of furniture. The canopy, supported by four curved uprights in the form of fluted columns surmounted by antique urns, like the sumptuous decorations, which are a mixture of classical and Naturalist elements, gives it an imposing appearance and seems to justify its attribution to the carpenter Georges Jacob, in whose work we find the same abundant ornamental repertoire.