Italian
Pair of Sgabelli Chairs, n.d.
On view
Partly gilded walnut
Dimensions39 × 13 × 17 in. (99.1 × 33 × 43.2 cm)
Gift of Viola E. Bray, 2005.132.1
Because a room during this period had several functions, it was necessary to have furniture that could be easily moved to meet the needs of the occasion. As with many pieces of Renaissance furniture and household objects, these sixteenth-century sgabelli chairs were more than just functional or even beautiful items. With such detailed carving, they would have conveyed the message that the family who owned them was both important and culturally refined, thus promoting their status. The front supports and seat backs are carved with elaborate design motifs. On the chairs’ backs, S-shaped scrolls with vines flank a grotesque mask, surmounted by a Florentine lily. The scroll shapes are repeated on the bottom, where they flank a centrally placed coat of arms.
