[Illustration:  By courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

This Gothic chair of the 16th century shows the beautiful linen-fold design in the carving on the lower panels, and also the keyhole which made the chest safe when traveling.]

The marriage of Henry II and Catherine de Medici naturally continued the strong Italian influence.  The portion of the Renaissance called after Henry II lasted about seventy-five years, and corresponds with the Elizabethan period in England.

During the regency of Marie de Medici, Flemish influence became very strong, as she invited Rubens to Paris to decorate the Luxembourg.  There were also many Italians called to do the work, and as Rubens had studied in Italy, Italian influence was not lacking.

Degeneracy began during the reign of Henry IV, as ornament became meaningless and consistency of decoration was lost in a maze of superfluous design.

It was in the reign of Louis XIII that furniture for the first time became really comfortable, and if one examines the engravings of Abraham Bosse one will see that the rooms have an air of homelikeness as well as richness.  The characteristic chair of the period was short in the back and square in shape—­it was usually covered with leather or tapestry, fastened to the chair with large brass nails, and the back and seat often had a fringe.  A set of chairs usually consisted of arm-chairs, plain chairs, folding stools and a lit-de-repos.  Many of the arm-chairs were entirely covered with velvet or tapestry, or, if the woodwork showed, it was stained to harmonize with the covering on the seat and back.

The twisted columns used in chairs, bedposts, etc., were borrowed from Italy and were very popular.  Another shape often used for chair legs was the X that shows Flemish influence.  The lit-de-repos, or chaise-longue, was a seat about six feet long, sometimes with arms and sometimes not, and with a mattress and bolster.  The beds were very elaborate and very important in the scheme of decoration, as the ladies of the time held receptions in their bedrooms and the king and nobles gave audiences to their subjects while in bed.  These latter were therefore necessarily furnished with splendor.  The woodwork was usually covered with the same material as the curtains, or stained to harmonize.  The canopy never reached to the ceiling but was, from floor to top, about 7 ft. 3 in. high, and the bed was 6-1/2 ft. square.  The curtains were arranged on rods and pulleys, and when closed this “lit en housse” looked like a huge square box.  The counterpane, or “coverture de parade,” was of the curtain material.  The four corners of the canopy were decorated with bunches of plumes or panache, or with a carved wooden ornament called pomme, or with a “bouquet” of silk.  The beds were covered with rich stuffs, like tapestry, silk, satin, velvet, cloth-of-gold and silver, etc., all of which were embroidered or trimmed with gold or silver lace.  One of the features of a Louis XIII room was the tapestry and hangings.  A certain look of dignity was given to the rooms by the general square and heavy outlines of the furniture and the huge chimney-pieces.