Why is carving on the early beds of French Provincial Style often made on one side? What are the main distinguishing features of this style?

The rural way of life in France during the 18th and 19th centuries produced a large amount of carved wooden furniture - gilded decorative French style. These country pieces were often adaptable: most farmhouses consisted of multipurpose rooms where linen and food cupboards would stand side by side and look practically identical. Small side tables for eating supper, for example, were often taken upstairs and used as bedside tables. Until the 19th century, these tables were bought as single items, rather than in pairs, because beds were pushed right up against the wall.

As a consequence, carving on early beds is often only found on one side. A wooden coronet would be attached to the wall above the bed and curtains hung from it to be drawn at night. These were often made from printed cotton fabrics. Provencal flower motifs were popular. Plain linen and hemp were also used, while upholstery and curtains were occasionally made from indigo-dyed linens, especially in the south-west.

The regional differences occurring in early 18th-century French country furniture are quite distinct. Furniture from Brittany was nearly always made from cherrywood with scallop or shell carvings - symbols that identify the region's coastal influences. Provence favoured olive branches, daisies and leaves, while the towns of Arles and Nimes were known for their carvings of large tureens. In Normandy, garlands, roses and daisies were the main form of carved decoration on furniture. Armoires were often made especially for a marriage, and the carvings on these might reflect the livelihood of the family they belonged to.

11. Complete the text with the words given: use, fashionable, joints, furniture, woodworm, veneer, provide, paint

Provenance can often be clearly distinguished by the carved motifs and the painted decoration. Period beds tend to be short, because people 1)... to sleep in a propped-up position bolstered by pillows. Pre-1850 French country 2). was generally made with pegs slotted in to keep the whole thing together. Some pieces may have dove tail 3). . The thickness of a veneer on a piece of furniture tells a similar story. Up until around 1830, 4). were cut by hand and were around 3 mm thick; it would have been impossible to achieve the wafer-thin 1 mm veneers of modern pieces.

These patterns can 5). accurate information on the provenance of a piece right up until the mid-19th century, when families began to move around more and take their furniture with them. Originally, a lot of the furniture was waxed; very few of the pieces produced in northern France were 6). (this furniture was made from rock-hard oak and did not have to be painted to protect it from 7) .). Later pieces, especially the softer, fruitwood furniture from the south of France, were often painted and they became particularly 8). during the 1920's and 1930's.

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