Lot 341: A FRENCH GOTHIC CARVED OAK THRONE ARMCHAIR LATE 15TH/EARLY 16TH CENTURY

A FRENCH GOTHIC CARVED OAK THRONE ARMCHAIR LATE 15TH/EARLY 16TH CENTURY with gothic arched carved panels and a hinged seat 175cm. high, 82cm. wide, 55.5cm. deep; 5ft 9in., 2ft 8¼in., 1ft 9¾in.

Comparative Literature:
Jacqueline Boccador, Le Mobilier Français du Moyen Age à la Renaissance, St.-Rémy-en-l'Eau, 1988, pp. 41-46.
E. Viollet-le-Duc, Dictionnaire raisonné du mobilier, Vol. I, Bayeux, 2003, p. 25, fig. 13, illustrates a print for a related throne armchair in the collection of Prince Soltykoff, dating from the end of the 15th century.

Furniture in Gothic times reflected the social status of its owner and this type of throne armchair developed from the Gothic models carved with tracery with very high backs into the Renaissance type. The seat and the interior of the armrests are very plain as normally they were obscured by cushions and textiles.

This type of throne armchair conveyed the exalted status of the sitter as the general population normally sat on low joint stools or simple chairs. These high backed chairs, a seat of honour, were difficult to move due to their weight and were frequently placed near the bed as can be seen in numerous contemporary engravings. The back of these armchairs were always rough hewn as they were never intended for use as a centrepiece and were always placed against a wall.

Boccador, op. cit., pp. 44, 45 and 46, illustrates various examples of these throne armchairs with tracery and describes most of them as originating in the Loire region. A throne armchair with the coat-of-arms on the back of Charles VIII, is illustrated by Boccador, op. cit., p. 41, fig. 33, and it is conceivable that the shield-shaped reserves on the offered piece, formerly contained a coat-of arms.