M. Markley Antiques
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Antique Chairs - Item 3313A
4 Gothic Dining Chairs

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Item 3313A	4 Gothic Dining Chairs in Oak
Dimensions	Width 17¼, Height  42, Depth  15 (in inches)
Wood	Oak
Country	France
Date	Circa 1890
Description	These four chairs reflect the Gothic love of things similar but not quite the same.  In accordance with belief in medieval times, craftsman were never supposed to make two identical items because that was blasphemous -- only God could make something and then a perfect copy of it. Judging by the bases of the chairs, which are all alike, we assume these four chairs are the sole survivors of a larger set with even more variations on the themes seen in the tops.  The second and fourth chairs (from the left, above) are almost the same but one has a toupie on the top of the back while the other has none.  The fenestrage or tracery pattern forming the backs of both these chairs is the same.  The third chair from the left has more elaborate tracery and a central toupie in the shape of a fleur-de-lys atop the rounded back.  The first chair on the left is the most remarkable of the set with intricately carved swans atop both sides of the back and tiny carved bears at the center.
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	These chairs would be a lovely addition to an existing dining set or paired with 3313B along with table 9451 and Gothic buffet 9452 incorporating the theme of fenestrage or tracery.