This Chinese bidet is from a set of 12 matching ones, probably ordered in 1733, for the French king Louis XV. It is decorated with his coat-of-arms, shown within collars of the Orders of Saint Michel and Saint Esprit. Interior and exterior are decorated with blossoming branches, bowls of fruits, and circular panels of lotus and fans. The mahogany stand, custom-made for it, is in late Louis XV-style. The bidet originated in France in the late 17th or early 18th century. It was normally fitted into a custom-made wooden seat, often with a wooden lid. It is often associated with the chamber pot and the bourdaloue, a smaller hand-held chamber pot. These items were kept in the bedroom or dressing chamber. Bidet is French for “little horse”, so named because of the straddling position adopted when using one.
