“Chairs in Society”, this is the name of the exhibition organized in Paris retracing the art of chairs in France over a few centuries. We are not pretending to compete with the exhibition, but you will find also in our Villa in Tuscany a large diversity of antique arm chairs and seats… on which you can sit!
For many centuries and indeed for thousands of years chairs were an article of state and dignity rather than an article of ordinary use and still today chairs can be a symbol of power, projecting an intriguing, if subliminal, message. It was not, in fact, until the 16th century that it became common anywhere. Seats have varied in size, shape (sofas, bergeres, wingback…) and in upholstery: the majority of the chairs of all countries until the middle of the 17th century were of timber without upholstery. When it became customary to cushion them, leather was often employed. And velvet and silk were extensively used in the 19thcentury. A lot of craftsmanship is required to make a chair: cabinet maker, gilder, varnisher, and upholster!
You will find in our Villa many authentic antique chairs and seats, of course now with new coverings: in the entrance the Renaissance leather chairs, and Renaissance arm chairs. Close to the stairs, two welcoming 19th century Napoléon III buttoned arm chairs (“fauteuils crapaud”); in the lounges, sofas, armchairs, and, close to the fire place wingbacks; in the rooms also comfortable chairs or armchairs…as Lauren Lola wrote ”Chairs could transcend time and generations. It’s all about considering what stories could be told if they had voices of their own.”
www.mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr
