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Today we are dealing with what is perhaps the most common object of use in every house, waiting room, meeting room, theater, restaurant, etc.. The chair, a characteristic element of our everyday life, appears to us today as an extremely popular comfort, but in history it has always had an elitist connotation.
For an overview of the history of this object just explore the site of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History or visit the theme dedicated to the sessions of Google Art and Culture. It is learned that although it is one of the first pieces of furniture to be designed and created in different forms and materials, the chair only began to be commonly used in Europe in the 16th century. Since then, its basic function has been associated with a very distinct social meaning. Just think of the simple fact that sitting when everyone else is standing implies a very clear hierarchical difference, or more simply, just look at the etymology of the verb "preside"/"president" - from the Latin prae sit, 'sit first' - to understand that chair is synonymous with authority and power.
Seats and power have always gone hand in hand and almost always the most prestigious chairs have survived their powerful owners. This is the case of the Coronation Chair, also known as St Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair, which served as the throne for the inconoration of 26 kings and queens and which is kept in the chapel of St George in Westminster Abbey.
The throne dated 1300 has recently been restored by a team of the best shipwrights in the world, including Peter Schade, who tells us that he approached this object with more awe than Queen Elizabeth herself.
Still on the subject of the value of a chair, it is worth mentioning the exhibition Seats of Power, which from 19 October to 17 February 2019 can be seen at the Vitra Design Museum, a permanent collection of the homonymous manufacturer, located in Weil am Rhein in Germany, a stone's throw from Basel. Among the objects presented to us, the eye fell on Joe Colombo's Elda Chair, the iconic futuristic seat protagonist of films such as 007 La spia che mi amava or Hunger Games, which you can also find in our catalogue. Through 20 pieces the exhibition tells how even with the advent of industrial design and the spread of seating in the homes of the bourgeoisie, some chairs have remained linked to the status of those who have chosen or adopted them on public occasions.
Since the beginning of the project intOndo we thought that the chair is the first real investment to be made for your home, with today we can add with more awareness of cause that "where you sit counts"! We encourage you to browse our catalogue and read our posts to find out more.
