Bed Canopies History

Historical Perspective on Bed Canopies

Shrouding your sleeping self in a bed canopy can display ostentation the likes of which, nowadays, don't fare well in public. Fortunately, your bedroom is private and subject to your whims of fancy and grandeur. Go with the bed canopy and tell all police officers, judges, and even your mother that although they may call the shots, you sleep under a time-honored symbol of prosperity and nobility.

Royal sham

With origins in the Middle Ages, canopies first signified the seating place of prominent figures. A cloth canopy, called a baldachin, would cover an altar or throne to distinguish religious authorities or the emperor. Not to be outdone, kings, queens, dukes and duchesses soon began to emphasize their nobility by sitting under gilded cloths sewn with pearls, gold and assorted royal detritus. Thus was born the "canopy of state," and the thought of a bed canopy was not far behind.

Bedtime braggadocio

Also covered in a canopy, the "state bed" was never intended for sleeping, but rather served in a hall to receive important guests. In fact, the bed was actually employed before a select audience tasked with witnessing the conception of an heir - yep. Reason persevered, however, and Louis the XIV moved the show to the bedchamber, presumably to a far more select audience. This bed did include a canopy, but no longer a gallery.

Because we can

Consistent with history, the signs of nobility trickle through time and country to modern-day office serfs. From the family's coat of arms, to entertainment on demand, and finally to bed canopies; we're all walking among kings and queens. But now, with less glorious titles like CPA, Esq., Ph.D., and MBA, we can all enjoy the pleasures of covered sleeping.