Extraordinary French Daybed: Prelle Silk & Period Antiques (Decorative Arts & Fabric Sourcing)

Daybeds, "lits de repos", sometimes called "meridiennes", are some of the most enchanting pieces from the past. This one is a mahogany memory of the early 19th century when it was then romanticizing life in Ancient Rome.

This rare period piece dates to the 1820s, and presents unusual armrest scrolls which terminate in and rest upon sculpted lions claws. This exceptional treatment is something occasionally found of works by master furniture maker, Jean-Jacques Werner who is featured today in various museum collections.

The video intends to further the discussion of the difference between regular antiques and works of art. Antiques, vaguely put, are anything 100 years old or more. These earlier art quality pieces were conceived under an all but lost paradigm, and they predicate our interest in furniture from the past while making up only a small minority of it. Exposure to noteworthy works, and the fundamentals of furniture history, is the best way to improve discernment whether one is becoming a collector or hoping to casually decorate with more success.

Works of decorative art, period pieces, which are seating, also reveal how so much beauty is owed to the silk covering, masterfully designed and woven, and then masterfully applied by skilled upholsterers working under historic tradition.

Many thanks to the wonderful French silk company, Prelle, for their assistance in finding something so delightful, an early 19th century pattern, for this unusual piece of furniture.

Many thanks as well to all viewers and subscribers,

Cole Myers
Myers and Monroe, LLC