Painting of the Day: “Scene in a Bedchamber,” 1700

Scene in a Bedchamber
English, circa 1700
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This painting by an unknown British artist dates to the early Eighteenth Century and gives us a rare look into the private rooms of a noble household of the era. Clearly, however, something less than noble has been going on in the commodious room. The furniture is in disarray, overturned and scattered. Playing cards have fallen onto the floor as if the room was exited quickly.


On closer inspection, the seemingly grand room is actually in rather poor shape. While the room is draped in rich fabrics and hung with rather important-looking canvases and mirrors, we can see that the wallpaper is peeling.

Still, the room is not unattended. A shadowy figure peers through the open door—a servant perhaps. A small black dog carries a crimson slipper as he runs toward the figure. It’s both a beautiful and mysterious scene as opulent as it is sinister. Clearly, this is the setting of some strange drama.