#polish bed

[jakekochina]

[mybeautifulpoland]

19th-Century Wooden Manor House, Sobolew, Poland by jasna_dolina

[mynawyspie]

A Polish bed (French: Lit à la polonaise), alternatively known in English as a polonaise, is a type of canopy bed draped with a baldachin, which originated in 18th-century Poland. The curtain is topped with an elaborate crownlike centrepiece that is connected to the four corner posts of the bed frame that are usually curved. Historically, a Polish bed was placed on its side against the wall to serve as a daybed. Nowadays, any type of curtained daybed or couch is known under this term.

They were popularized in France by Polish-born queen Marie Leszczyńska, who was married to Louis XV of France.

These richly decorated rococo beds were generally designated for the wealthier upper classes and aristocracy that resided in palaces, however, canopies were also commonplace in many standard homes due to their immense popularity. The French propagated the design as lit à la polonaise, which spread worldwide and together with an earlier four-poster bed developed into a contemporary canopy bed.

The polonaise is one of Poland's cultural legacies in France and worldwide.