Gondola armchair, Venice 18th century

Gondola armchair, carved, painted and gilded wood
Venice, mid 18th century
This type of chair is characterised by the exclusive use of taut curves. The edges of the curves are embellished with gilded leaf, giving it a particular elegance. The wrap-around, concave seat conceals a cover under a panel with a removable cushion. Very wide legs ending in snail-shaped scrolls complete the general line of the chair.
These legs were originally fixed to a crosspiece that was lashed to the flat of the sides of a gondola during ceremonial processions. This type of seat, seggiolone da parata, was used in all Venetian churches as a ceremonial seat when the Doge visited.
The seat is decorated with festoons, acanthus leaves and a turbaned mask on the back. It has retained its iron fastenings (rear feet and rear top of the seat) used to secure it to the boat. The seat is covered in a modern plain velvet.
Backrest height: 92 cm
Width of base: 92 cm x depth: 43 cm