Meyer Franz. A Handbook of Ornament

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Furniture.

421

will therefore

only refer the reader to the

details

Semper:

"Der

Stil'\ and

to the highly

interesting work by Georg

Hirth:

'^'^Das

Deutsche

Zimmer der

Gothik und Renaissance, des

Barock-, Rokoko-,

und

Zopfstils" (G.

Hirth, "Munich and Leipzig). The necessary in-

formation

about the furniture of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks,

and

Eomans

will

found

Menard

Sauvacreot:

"La Tie

Prive'e

des

Andens"

;

and

about

the

Middle ages in

VioUet-le-Duc:

"Die-

tionnaire

Baisonn^

Mobilier

Frangais";

from

both of

which

works

we have taken

numerous examples for our Plates.

Besides

these,

there

is such a number

of cyclopaedic

works on this subject

that

is impossible

even

name them all here.

(I.

Seats.

regards

Seats:

the fundamental form has generally been depen-

dent

the

special

purpose,

and on

the

ever-

varying

mode of

life;

while

the

details

have

been inflrenced by the artistic taste of the

time,

and

by the

material

used. Definite fundamental

types

often

recur

by the

side

new

and arbitrary

special

forms;

and

we have

attempted

classifieation

according to these

fundamental

forms.

The

simplest

and

most primitive form, although for many pur-

poses

the

least

comfortable,

that

of the Taboret

Ottoman, which

without

back.

The Chair

is more comfortable because of the

addition

of the

back;

and

it becomes still more so, when

arms

are

added.

To this

group

belongs

the

Throne, which in view

of its pur-

pose

monumental

form,

and richer in material.

Eevolving,

folding,

and

rocking

Chairs

meet the demand for special

purposes. The

Stall,

and

the

"Prie-dieu"

also have peculiar accessories,

due

their

being

used

for

other

purposes than sitting.

The Bench and

the

Couch

oflFer

seat

or repose

for several persons

simultaneously.

spite of

the

variety

of forms,

one feature

common

to nearly

all,

namely,

the

height

of the

seat.

order

sit

comfortably,

the

feet

should

just

reach

the

ground, and the

height

of the seat is there-

fore

from

ins. to

ins.

The depth

the seat

shows greater

va-

riations,

from

ins.

24 ins.

The height

of the back varies from

ins.

and

more;

the

fact having

to be taken into

consideration tliat

the.

head,

when

it is leant

back, should

have a

proper

support The

upper

surface

of the

arms

should

be about 12

ins. above that of the

seat.

Straight,

upright

backs

are

less comfortable than

curved lines

adapted

the

vertebral

curve.

Similarly:

flat, horizontal

seats

are

not

suitable

as those

which

slope downwards

towards

the back.

The

principal

materials

are wood,

cane,

and metal;

stone, terra-

cotta,

&c., are rarer.

it is unpleasant

to rest against

a hard

422

The Chair.

material for any length of time,

recourse

had

to cane,

or flexible

seats,

skins, cushions,

and

upholstering.

In course of

time,

chairs

have

become more

comfortable

with the

progress

of comfort

in general.

It may

specially

emphasized that

the handsomest

and

most

richly-

decorated

seats

are

not

usually

the

most practical;

further remarks

are

reserved for the discussion of the diiferent

forms.

The Chair.

(Plates 241—243.)

The

Chair

a stool

with a back to it. The most usual

form

has four legs.

Sometimes the legs are connected-together by braces

ties, which are

called Foot-rails. The seat generally has the shape

oblong,

square,

trapezium. Circular

and polygonal

seats

are less common.

Hexagonal and octagonal Seats,

with a corresponding

number of

legs, begin

appear in the 13th

century; and certain

wooden chairs of

the Renascence

have

seats

in the form of regular

semi -regular

polygons (Plate 242.

6).

The legs are prismatic

turned,

frequently with

claw feet,

while

the top of the back

terminates

knobs,

animal-heads, or masks (Plates 241.

242.

243.

4, 5,

6).

Instead of

legs, the seats of

the

wooden chairs

of the

Renascence

are sometimes

supported by perforated

and carved boards,

either at the two

sides or

in front and

behind (Plate

242.

3, 5, 6).

Where the

back

carved

out

single piece,

as is the case

with

many

Renascence

and

Modern chairs,

the

two

hinder

legs have the

same

form

and height as the

front legs

(Plates 242.

7, 8;

243.

1).

Very often the

back is

treated as a

frame

(Plate

241.

5, 8,

10),

or is

bent into a

cylindrical plan, as in

the Greek

"klismos"

(Plate

241.

7),

and

its

imitation, the Empire

chair

(Plate

241.11).

Openings

for

the

hand

are made in carved

wooden

backs

for convenience in

moving (Plate 242.

1 .

9).

Where

the

top

of the back is

hori-

zontal, it is

often crowned

with

cornice

or an

ornament

(Plates

242.

243.

9).

Where the seat,

alone or

in conjunction

with the back, is

woven cane

-work

padded, the

Chair is

termed a

"cane" or an

"upholstered"

chair.

Sometimes not

only the

padding but

also the

entire

structure of

the chair is

upholstered

some

material, just as,

the

other

hand, chairs may be

made

entirely of

cane or

rushes.

The seats

and backs

upholstered

chairs are

covered

with

leather, or

textiles

(Plate

243.

6).

The*

overlaying

wood

with metal

occurs

the

Assyrian

style, and

occasionally

later

periods;

the State-

chairs of

the

Middle

Ages,

especially

the

Byzantine,

are

not infre-

quently

decorated

with coloured

stones;

similar

treatment may

observed

in the

Renascence

example

(Plate 242

figs.

and

6).

addition

to the

decoration by

carving

(which

will always

be the

chief

FURNITURE.

-12:^

The Chair.

Plate 241.

424

FURNITURE.

Plate 242.

The

Chair.

The

Chair.

—

The

Tliione,

and the Arm-chair.

425

material

of common frame.s), we find inlays

of bone,

(the socalJed

"Certosina work"

of the

th century), metal,-

&c.

Plate

241. The

Chair.

—

2. Egyptian,

(Menard et Sauvageot).

Egyptian,

mural painting, tomb of Kamses

III, Thebes,

(M6nard

Sauvageot).

Egyptian, upholstered with

patterned material, British Museum.

Egyptian,

British Museum.

G —7.

Greek,

draped with skin, "Klismos" form, (Menard

Sauvageot).

Antique,

with cushions and foot-stool, Pompeian, (Menard et

Sauvageot).

9. Greek,

vase,

painting.

10. Antique, with

statue of

Jupiter,

(Menard

Sauvageot).

11. French

Empire

period,

(Gallien).

Plate 242.

The Chair.

German,

Renascence, wood, Moreau collection, '(L'art pour tous).

Flemish,

wood, 17th century,

(L'art pour tous).

Italian,

wood, 16th century, (L'art pour tous).

Dutch,

upholstered in leather, (Crispin van den Passe,

1642).

—

6. German,

decorated with

stones,

Renascence, Museum,

Dresden.

—

German,

17th century, (Gewerbehalle).

9. German,

17 th century, Germanisches Museum,

Nuremberg.

Plate 243. The

Chair.

Modern, "Inn-chair",

Dir. Kachel, (Gewerbehalle).

—

-I. Modern, cane,

(Gewerbehalle).

—7.

Modern, (Gewerbehalle).

Renascence, (Raguenet).

Modern, (Gewerbehalle).

The

Throne,

and the

Arm-chair.

(Plates

244

—

245.")

Thrones

and Arm-chairs

have been

grouped-together,

because the

former

almost

always have the

same

form as the

latter,

and

there

essential difference since

the time

the

Renascence.

The

Throne

being

the Seat- of- honour, has

naturally, from

the

earliest

periods,'

received

attention

and decoration.

It is

planned

larger

and

monumental

scale

than the

ordinary

Chair.

For this

reason,

and

also because it does

not require to be

often

moved as

common

426

FURNITUEE.

Plate

243. The

Chair.

The

Throne, and

the

Arm-chair.

427

Chairs,

is often

made

of marble,

metal,

&c.

Very

often

raised

on a

Dais,

with

steps,

or a

Foot- stool

placed in front

of it; not

infrequently

covered by

a Baldacchino

or canopy,

with Hangings,

or a Cornice.

This

is especially

the

case with those

for royal

per-

sonages and

bishops

the Middle

Ages.

regards

the decoration:

figTires

and

symbols may

be added

to the^ other decorations of the

frame.

The

Arm-chair,

in its

simplest

form,

distinguished from

the

ordinary

Chair

by the addition

arms, which

are

generally supported

from

the

fore-legs,

and

connected

with

the back,

whereas in the case

the throne,

when

the

material

stone,

the

arms are

made in one

solid piece with the

whole.

Compared

with the

ordinary Chair, the

Arm-chair

larger,

and

conducive

repose.

Where

is in-

tended

serve

the

Seat-of-honour

for the head of the

family, or

chairman,

it corresponds

style

to other

Chairs of the set,

and

only differs from them

its size

and its richer

finish. The

furni-

ture of our modern drawing-rooms

generally consists of 4 or 6

chairs,

with 2

easy-chairs,

&c.

In addition

the

Egyptian and Assyrian thrones,

and the

Roman

State-chair, the "Sella Curulis":

we may mention as

belonging to

this

group, tbe Norwegian

stall

of the 12th century (Plate

245,

1),

and

the

polygonal chair enclosed

by a lattice, as shown

by fig. 5

the

same

Plate.

Plate

244. The

Throne, and the

Arm-chair.

1. EoTptian

Throne,

vdth lotus

ornament, the

arms formed by

the

wings

the

sacred

hawk,

(Teirich).

Ancient

Persian

Throne,

bas-relief,

Persepolis, the

decoration

represents

king

sitting on his

throne

borne-up by

slaves,

(Menard et

Sauvageot).

Assyrian

Throne,

relief,

(Menard

Sauvageot).

Greek

Priest's

-chair,

marble,

the door of

the

temple of

The-

mis, Athens,

(Raguenet).

Greek

Judge's-chair

(proedra),

marble,

found on

the site

th6

Prytaneum,

Athens.

Antique

Bath

-chair,

(sella

balnearis),

the

openings

served

admit

the

vapour,

(Menard

Sauvageot).

Greek

Arm-chair,

relief

of a

tomb,

representing

the

deceased

the

thronos.

Greek

Throne, Harpy

Monument,

from

Xanthos

Lycia,

British

Museum.

Roman

Arm-chair,

with

decoration

symbolic of

Ceres,

(Menard

Sauvageot).

428

The Throne, and

the

Arm-chair.

—

The

Stall.

10.

Roman

Arm-chair, found

in Herculaneum,

Museum

Portici,

(Raguenet).

11. Antique

terracotta, representing

Arm-chair in

the form of

the

hollowed

-out body

a sphinx,

(L'art

pour

tous).

12.

Chair

of S. Peter,

wood

with ivory

reliefs

iilustrating

the story

Hercules, S. Peter's at Rome, (Menard

et Sauvageot).

Plate 245.

The

Throne,

and the

Aem-chaik.

1. Norwegian

Stall, 12th century, from

Bo, Telemark.

2. Mediaeval

Arm-chair, with foot

-stool and draped

back, (Viollet-

le-Duc).

King

David's Arm-chair, 13th

century,

from relief,

portal

cathedral,

Auxerre, (Viollet-le-Duc).

Frame

of Mediaeval arm-chair, iron,

the drapery omitted,

(Viollet-

le-Duc).

Mediaeval

polygonal chair, painting, chapel

in Toulouse, (Viollet-

le-Duc).

Mediaeval

Arm-chair,

metal,

the drapery omitted, 13th

century,

(Viollet-le-Duc).

7. Mediaeval Arm-chair, decorated with fringe, end of the

15th cen-

tury, bas-relief,

stalls, Amiens,

(Viollet-le-Duc).

English Ai-m-chair, 16th century, wood, upholstered.

Arm-chair,

Louis

XVI style, wood

carved

and

gilded,

(Williamson).

10.

Modern

Arm-chair.

11. Modern

Arm-chair. (Raguenet).

The Stall. (Plate 24

G.)

The

rows of seats

along the north,

west,

and

south sides oi

the

Choir in

chapels,

&c.,

are

termed

Stalls. They

have a peculiar

con-

struction

corresponding

their

special use.

the earliest

period

of the

Middle Ages

the

single

seats

the right

and left of the bishop's

chair were

built into

the wall of

the chancel,

at a

later period

they

were replaced by

moveable seats;

and these

again, from about the

13th century

onwards,

were

replaced

Stalls,

strictly

so-called; the

seats

being united

in a continuous

row,

with

architectonic

character

and construction.

There are

generally two

rows, one

behind the.

other, and

the hinder

row is a

little

elevated.

Partitions

divide

the

seats from

one

another;

and serve as

arms.

Between the

partitions

are

the seats.

These

are either

fi.xed or

arranged

fold back.

In the

latter case

console-like

projection

attached to

the

underside of

the

seat, to

serve as

kind of

rest

when the seat is

folded

-back;

thus,

out

of pity

for

the

aged monks,

rendering

possible

rest

FURNITURE.

429

The

Throne,

and the Arm-chair.

Plate

244.

430

FURNITURE.

Plate

245.

The Throne,

and the

Arm-chair.