M. Markley Antiques
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Antique Chairs - Item 3214
Gothic Armchair

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Item 3214	Gothic Armchair or "Throne" Chair
Dimensions	Width 24, Height 73½, Depth 23 (in inches)
Wood	Walnut
Country	France
Date	Circa 1890
Price	$4,195
Description	This chair is one of the most unique we have ever encountered, both in terms of its grand size and stupendous carving.  In its overall structure, it harks back to the chayre of Medieval France:  a high-backed design whose seat doubled as the top of a box derived from the chest or coffre for securing valuables.  This design was popular in northern France in the late 15th century and incorporated standard Gothic elements such as tracery (fenestrage), finials, and linen-fold panels.  Only later models boasted highly intricate carving and were made of walnut rather than oak, with ever higher backs.  These became known as sièges d'apparat or ceremonial chairs, meaning that they signaled the importance or status of their occupant.  This chair is a 19th century, French Gothic Revival interpretation of the chayre retaining the grandeur of design but offering greater portability and versatility by having an open bottom based on an "H" shaped stretcher - an interpretation of the chayre adapted by French designers during the "Second Renaissance" of the later 16th century.  The design of the back features elongated Gothic (pointed) arches crowned by two circular motifs combining elements of the rosace or rose window and the quatre feuille or quatrefoil.  The back of the chair is crowned by a central finial, which forms part of the pointed arch that frames the entire back, and more elaborate finials on both sides.  Below the arm rests is openwork reminiscent of the elements of friezes used to decorate the backs of 15th century chayres.  At the junction of armrest and back is a tightly wound, stylized leaf resembling those incorporated into the tracery of chayres of that same era.  In keeping with Gothic design, the chair's reverse side is not decorated, owing to the expectation that it would be placed against a wall or covered in fabric.
Reference	Ader-Tajan, Collection Bruno Perrier Haute Epoque (Catalog for Sale at Auction on April 6, 1992 at the Hôtel Drouot, Paris); Boccador, Jacqueline, Le Mobilier Français du Moyen Age à la Renaissance, Editions d'Art Monelle Hayot (Saint-Just-en-Chaussée, 1988); Charles, Corinne, Visions d'Intérieurs, du Meuble au Décor (Paris-Musées, Paris, 2003); Thirion, Jacques, Le Mobilier du Moyen Age et de la Renaissance en France (Editions Faton, Dijon, 1998); Viollet-le-Duc, Eugène, Le Mobilier Médiéval (Georges Bernage, editor) (Editions Heimdal, 2003)
Uses	As used by the 19th century French novelist Victor Hugo who collected Gothic Revival furniture, such a high-backed chair is ideal for a dining room, signaling the rank of paterfamilias or otherwise elevated status.  It would also lend authority to a foyer or entryway, library, or any room inviting a bit of grandeur.