Lit à la Duchesse preparé de Menuiserie
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-331-3
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Lit à la Duchesse préparée de Menuiserie** *Richard de Lalonde, French, active 1780–96, 1775–1788* Print, Smithsonian American Art Museum This elegant print by Richard de Lalonde captures the opulence of late 18th-century French design, depicting a "lit à la duchesse"—a luxurious daybed or couch-bed favored by the aristocracy. The title's "préparée de menuiserie" suggests a woodworking pattern or blueprint, ready for skilled cabinetmakers to craft. Created during the waning years of the Ancien Régime, just before the French Revolution, it reflects the Neoclassical taste for refined sy...