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‘HISTORY OF FURNITURE’
Greek couches.
The designers and craftsmen of this period
produced a well finished and 'classic ' Greek
design in the chair.
The legs were generally curved, with a "back
composed of three uprights fitted into a curved
board at shoulder level". The seats were light
in weight and could be moved about a room
as needed, providing flexibility in arrangement.
They offered a new type of support for the
back than the straight back, or slanted back
chairs of earlier times.
Greek stool.
The Classical Greek Era (475 - 370 BC)
The furniture of this period remained virtually unchanged from the 'Early Greek period'.
The stool developed in two forms. One, termed 'diphros', often had four perpendicular legs
and a rectangular seat, often with a cushion or rug for padding. The other stool became
known as 'diphros okladias' in which the legs cross, as in the modern stool. These stools,
sometimes quite elaborate in design, could fold to allow easy transport when travelling.
The material used was either wood or marble.
'diphros okladias
The use of benches on which to sit became a common
part of Greek culture, used in schools and theatres and
by philosophers and their audiences.
The benches sometimes had perpendicular backrests,
but this was not common. The Greeks were also
accustomed to sitting on the ground. Significantly
perhaps, the 'speaker' would sit in an almost throne like
chair, setting him/her apart from the audience.
Roman throne.
The Romans developed a decorative type of folding stool, often made in bronze. This was
supported by four curved legs, ornamented with scrolls. The folding stool, with cross legs
sometimes connected by stretcher bars, was used both by Roman officials and in
households.
Tables with round and rectangular tops and three and four legs were common. Another type
of smaller table is round or rectangular with only one central leg.
Pompeian wall paintings show that plain, undecorated wooden tables and benches were
used in kitchens and workshops, and some household possessions were kept in cupboards
with panelled doors.
Rectangular footstools, sometimes with claw feet, were used with the high chairs and
couches.
Clothes and money were stored in large wooden chests with panelled sides, standing on
square or claw feet.
The Middle Ages
The Byzantine Era
When the nomads plundered Rome, they found chairs
that made no more sense to them than the statues. Their
habit was to squat on the ground and so it remained.
All those lovely subtle curving shapes seen in Greek
and late Roman furniture, the rounded backs and the
sweeping sabre legs have vanished" .The chair was
severe in its form and was only used by figures of power
and authority, and for ceremonial purposes. Comfortable
support did not seem a consideration.
Chairs, stools, benches, and primitive chests were the
most common items.
Byzantine chair.
Sophisticated desks fitted with adjustable lectern tops for reading revealed a greater
appreciation of function.
Dining tables were very low in deference to the Classical manner of eating while reclining,
supporting the diner on one elbow.
The most common item was chest.
Coffers with simple, flat, hinged lids that also served as beds or benches were also used.
Coffer
Coronation chair, now in Dining Table
Westminister Abbey
Western Europe
The coffer, or chest, was the most common item of furniture.
A basic wooden box constructed from six timber boards nailed together, or even hollowed
log. It was often the only piece of furniture owned by many people.
A great deal of furniture was made portable because they spend a lot of their time travelling
between different parts of their estates.
Tapestries, wall hangings and cushions were usually removed and taken from one house to
another.
Chests designed for the safe transport of goods had curved lids to drain away rainwater,
and were seldom decorated with a leather cover.
The Gothic Era
The early Gothic period was a time without the chair
for the general population. The three legged stool
remained a part of everyday life, but sitting was a
very informal affair. People where accustomed to
seating in very close proximity to each other, often
crowded together.
People sat on the bare floor and used cushions.
They sat on stairs and steps leading up to the high
posted beds.
Romanesque chests where for sacred purposes
and much to high to have been used as seats. As
chests became lower, we find them aligned along
walls. They filled the role of chairs and couches.
Folding stools remained a useful addition to the
travellers lot.
Gothic stool.
The chest's metamorphosis to the seat came about as people became less nomadic, and
no longer required the security of a chest. As well, the chests of the time became quite
ornate and uncomfortable to sit upon, and with the addition of the drawer the chest began its
development as a 'chest of drawers'. The arrangement of chests around the walls became
replaced by a continuous 'bench skirting', sometimes the whole circumference of the room.
The chest remained one of the most important pieces of furniture until the cupboard began
to compete with it in usefulness.
Gothic chest.
Chairs remained scarce and occupation of a
chair long symbolized authority or a mark of
honour, and even a large house might possess
only chairs for the lord and his wife and perhaps
another for a distinguished visitor; the use of the
word chairman is a modern reflection of this
medieval custom. While the common man made
use of upturned buckets, stools and crude wooden
benches.
They developed sloping tables, lecterns, and
tables capable of angular adjustments to hold their
books and papers at eye level.
Horizontal tables became the principal type for
these type of activities, a period associated with
the development of libraries.
Caquetoire chair
Renaissance furniture included evolution of the throne chair, which usually had a chest
base that was supported by pillars.
Chests decorated in the new style were still widely used, although frequently replaced by
the armoire (a tall cupboard or wardrobe).
Vargueno desk
England
Strapwork, cartouches, and grotesque masks are characteristic features of this northern
Renaissance style.
Heavy oak tables, sometimes draw (extension) tables, had massive legs and solid
stretchers. Beds were heavily draped to provide privacy, as the bed might be located in any
room of the house.
Chairs became slightly more common. Folding wooden chairs and low stools, were
commonly used. From the box chair evolved a type in which the arms and legs were no
longer filled in with panelling but which had plain or turned legs, with shaped arms resting on
carved or turned supports. The backs of chairs were still panelled and decorated with carving
and inlay or surmounted with a wide and richly carved cresting. Folding chairs, X-shaped
chairs, were also used.
A new style of bed design appeared; the greater part of the frame was left exposed and was
enriched with carving and other decoration, making the frame itself an important part of the
design.
Various types of cupboards were also made.
Chairs without arms, called farthingale chairs , were
introduced to accommodate the wide skirts, called
farthingales, that were popular at the time. Farthingale
chairs had upholstered seats and a low, rectangular
upholstered back raised on short supports a little
above the seat.
Draw tables, which could be conveniently lengthened
by pulling out the two leaves concealed under the top,
were also introduced. Table legs and sides were
decorated with carving and inlay.
Farthingale chair
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