Bed

bed, piece of furniture upon which a person may recline or sleep, for many centuries considered the most important piece of furniture in the house and a prized status symbol. In ancient civilizations (and, indeed, in Europe until the later Middle Ages), beds were used not merely for sleeping but also, except in Egypt, for reclining when taking meals. They were either solid constructions built into the wall or lighter objects made of wood or metal, or a combination of both consisting of a couch supported on four legs with a low headboard at one end.

As shown on early medieval ivories and miniatures, even the beds of princes were remarkably simple. In 12th-century manuscripts, much richer bedsteads appear, with inlay, carving, and painting and embroidered coverlets and mattresses. To keep out drafts the bed was enclosed with curtains suspended from the ceiling. At first curtains were used only for the bed of the lord and his lady, but later they were also used for the beds of those in their immediate entourage.

Fifteenth-century western European beds had a paneled back with carved columns at the front corners, supporting a canopy, or tester, from which hung curtains that enclosed the four bedposts. A remarkable feature of these beds was their size, as large as 8 by 7 feet (240 by 210 cm); it has been supposed that several people slept in them.

During the 16th century, beds became more decorative, with much carved work on the bedhead and bedposts. A well-known English Elizabethan bed is the Great Bed of Ware (Victoria and Albert Museum, London), which is 10 feet 11 inches (3.33 m) square. In France the taste for such beds hardly survived the beginning of the 17th century, when they disappeared again behind precious fabrics; but in England the carved oak or walnut bedstead with paneled and inlaid bedhead and tester continued into the first half of the 17th century.

reproduction of early 18th-century chintz bedspread and hangings

During the first half of the 17th century, two types of beds were made, one with a heavy carved frame and the other with a light framework and elaborate hangings; by the middle of the century the latter had become prevalent in England and Europe. The second half of the 17th through the early 18th century was a period of magnificent beds. No fewer than 413, some of great splendour, were described in the inventory of Louis XIV’s palaces. In the 17th century the appearance of the bed was determined by its hangings, but in the 18th the frame became visible again, appropriately carved and gilded. The curtains became lighter, being made of taffeta or satin, for example, instead of the heavy brocades and velvets of the 17th century. (See photograph).

With the development of coiled springs, which were first fitted into mattresses in the 1820s, bed comfort was transformed. During the second half of the 19th century, metal bedsteads became common, first made of cast iron, subsequently of brass tubing. One of the main features of bed design in the 20th century was the tendency to abandon the traditional, standard-size double, or matrimonial, bed in favour of two smaller single, or twin-size, beds or a larger queen- or king-size. One popular form is the divan, or daybed, which can serve as a seat during the day and a bed at night, and another is the convertible sofa that unfolds to become a bed.

In the Middle East it was the custom to make beds simply by piling up rugs on the floor. In both Persian and Indian miniatures of the Mughal period, lovers are shown reclining on low divan beds, with carved legs at the corners and sometimes a low headboard as well. No difference is apparent in the representations of beds in miniatures dating from periods as far apart as the 15th and 19th centuries.

In China raised and canopied beds were used about 2,000 years ago. During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), or perhaps earlier, it became the custom in some areas to enclose beds with gauze or netting; later the bed was made along the back wall of a small back room with a small antechamber cut off by sliding doors. These beds were covered with matting.

Traditional Japanese bedding, the use of which persisted in the late 20th century, consisted of quilted padding and coverlets called futons arranged directly on the floor, which was covered with tatami, or resilient mats of woven fibre. During the day the futons were stored in a cupboard, and the room was used for eating and general social gatherings. During the late 20th century futons became increasingly popular in the West.

Exotic innovations in bed design in the 1960s were the inflatable air mattress and the water bed, a mattress-sized plastic or vinyl bag filled with water and supported in a wooden frame. At first popular mainly as a novelty among the young, the water bed was later more widely accepted and has been used in hospitals, infant nurseries, and convalescent homes.