Joseph-Marie Benard, recorded as working in Paris from 1818-1851 together with one of his brothers, established the firm Benard Frères in 1826. He was awarded a citation for 'meubles en bois indigènes et richement décorés at the 1823 Exposition des produits de l'industrie. A virtually identical lit à l'antique in mahogany executed circa 1826 by Bernard Frères for Mademoiselle Mars is illustrated in D. Lodoux-Lebard, Le Mobilier Français du XIXe Siècle, 1984, p.67.