THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF FOLDING CHAIRS © designboom

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

ancient history folding chairs / medieval
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the folding stool as a ceremonial chair developed in two ways : one secular, and the other ecclesiastical. the makeup of the roman 'sella curulis' assumes, through the longobard 'sella plicatilis' in steel, the form of the carolingian 'faldistorium'. here we notice another typological alteration. the crossed legs are frontal instead of being placed laterally. this was to emphasize the crossing 'X' structure which became a re-inforced symbol of authority. the most emblematic example is the throne of dagobert I, king of the franconians (arm- and backrests were added later). the 'faldistorium' in time acquired arms and a back, while retaining its folding shape. the most famous, as well as the most ancient, english chair is that made at the end of the 13th century for edward I., in which most subsequent monarchs have been crowned. in spite of this, it was mostly used in ecclesiastical settings. we can assume that christianism, (the newly adopted official religion), was the factor that made this radical change, as 'sella curulis', such an official symbol, had to be altered to break with the past and the X, the cross symbol, to be shown in front view. the 'faldistorium' became also the archbishop's kneeling stool. this new function remained through the renaissance. (in oriental cultures, where the cross symbol had not such an importance, alteration from side- to front- X has never been made.) front- X became the norm untill in the renaissance the 'chair of petrarca' and the sissors chair / 'sedia a tenaglia' restored the crossed legs placed laterally. 'endowed ' bishops chairs of the mid 13th century, with crossed legs normally were not foldable, the 'X' structure had exclusively symbolic value. --- renaissance the (pre) renaissance folding stools had an interesting alteration of their front X by multiplicating the X-s on the Z axis. visually like an object in opposite mirrors or like a concertina barrier which expands on the Z axis. this was an extraordinary stylistic discovery, giving the stool - that descended from the faldistorium - the necessary depth, while making it extremely light, yet strong. the frontal X also gave the armrests. the typology of the folding 'chair' officially appeared with the renaissance. in the 16th century we find the the scissors chair / 'sedia a forbice'. there are two principal variations: the 'savonarola' and the 'dantesca', followed by the pincer chair / 'sedia a tenaglia'. this chair represents the return of the crossed legs placed laterally. both versions have been used since. the renaissance revived strongly the curved-legs shape, most probably of roman 'sella curulis' inspiration. it is to note that the 'savonarola' and the 'dantesca' had a more elaborated shape of the curved X - a kind of double curve - giving the illusion of the left/right side of the frontal X being made out of a single piece. another famous renaissance chair is the chair of the poet petrarca. the 'petrarca' chair with crossed legs was not foldable, because of its fixed joints, but it could be easily assembled. the 'X' structure had mostly symbolic value. the folding chair - its history as symbol of authority is also traceable in the following cultures. see asia	carolingan 'faldistorium' 'sella plicatilis' civic museum, pavia, italy 'hortus deliciarium', a medieval manuscript is showing herodes on his 'faldistorium' throne, a front X version chair in a biblical scene. throne of dagobert I, king of the franconians not foldable base of a medieval stool, X- structure has only a symbolic value. endowed chair, not foldable monk writing a manuscript, sitting on a 'scissors stool' folding 'scissors' armchair pope julius II and the folding kneeling stool (detail of a fresco by raphael: 'la messa di bolseno', the vatican museum, rome) english folding chair 14th century 'savonarola' chairs, 16th century, tuscany, italy 'dantesca' chairs, 16th century, tuscany, italy pincer chair / 'sedia a tenaglia', ca. 1530 casa bagatti valsecchi, milano, italy pincer chairs / 'sedie a tenaglia', 1530 palazzo davanzati, florence, italy 'sedia a tenaglia', 'modern version' ca. 1560, villa maser (andrea palladio), italy folding chair, ca. 1550, museum citta di castello, italy 'petrarca' or 'glastonbury' chair, not foldable variation of the 'faldistorium' stool, 1580

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF FOLDING CHAIRS
© designboom
(compiled by birgit lohmann - a thesis publication, july 1988, revised in june 2003)

this history timeline is provided for educational purposes only,
no reproduction, re-use or transcription for any commercial purpose or use of the content or images is permitted.  http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/medieval.html
a print-publication will soon be available, for inquieries : [e-mail]

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

history role of the folding chair
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- egyptian - ---	--- folding chairs through the ages many centuries the folding chair was considered one of the most important pieces of furniture in the house and a prized status symbol. in ancient civilizations folding stools were used not merely for sitting but also for ceremonial use. --- among the most significant examples of egyptian furniture is the folding stool, which was developed 2000-1500 b.c. as a portable chair for the commanding officer in the army. the folding chair was the symbol of the worthy divinity (see tutankhamun's throne, the foldable seat with a back support). its history as symbol of authority is also traceable in the following cultures: the egyptian folding stool and later, the greek and the etruscan form, became the prototype of the roman chair, the 'sella curulis', which was adapted to the plebeian tribunal in the roman republican period. the folding stool as a ceremonial chair developed in two ways: one secular, and the other ecclesiastical. the makeup of the roman 'sella curulis' assumes, through the longobard 'sella plicatilis' in steel, the form of the carolingian 'faldistorium'. here we notice another typological alteration. the crossed legs are frontal instead of being placed laterally. this was to emphasize the crossing 'X' - structure which became a symbol of authority. the most emblematic example is the throne of dagobert I, king of the franconians. the typology of the folding chair appeared just before the renaissance. in the 16th century we find the 'sedia della forbice' (the scissors chair) that descended from the 'faldistorium'. there are two principal variations: the 'savonarola' and the 'dantesca', followed by the 'chair of petrarca' and the 'sedia a tenaglia' (the pincer chair). they represent the return of the crossed legs placed laterally. during the baroque period chairs with crossed legs were not always foldable, especially during the period of louis XIV-XVI, the 'X' structure had exclusively symbol ic value. the field chair of napoleon I, the 'fauteuil' derived etymologically from the older french 'faldestoel', which derived from the latin 'faldistorium'. the denomination maintains the concept of dignity which was associated with the folding chair in the past. the fauteuil is a forerunner of the director's chair in the 20th century. as the folding chair itself became more common historically, so naturally did the folding variety and the technical achievements. while this reduced the status value of the object, it lead to the development of new uses and new design solutions. by the 19th century, folding chairs were a widespread utilitarian feature of public spaces where there was a regular need to rearrange or remove seating. military - the folding chair has a long history in military use. military objects respond above all to precise, immediate functionalities. from it emerges an aesthetic, anchored in thecollective memory. but it was never desgned to be beautiful. the field chair of napoleon I (fauteuil) derived etymologically from the older french 'faldestoel' which derived from the latin 'faldistorium'. the denomination maintains the concept of dignity which was associated with the folding chair in the past. the ' napoleonic fauteuil' is a forerunner of the director's chair in the 20th century. patent - novel ideas for folding chairs and stools are registered in thousands of patents all over the world. patent designers, inventors and general gadget makers turned their energies to chair design and the notion of foldability, adjustability and flexibility of design was paramount, but the prolificacy of new projects does not always coincide with a refinement. recreation - mobility / travel has increased to the point where there is a special industry producing the smallest and lightest pieces of folding furniture which can cope with every climate. folding chairs are designed for camping, sitting on the beach, attending a sporting event... chairs for every habit, need and necessity. utility - folding chairs are designed for high school assemblies, tip-up seats for theatres and cinemas ... the main goal is to create a basic seating surface that is comfortable for a short time and can be folded up (and stored) easily. 'good design' - the folding chair became an integral part of domestic furnishings. the most completed modern folding chairs were created in a period with social debates and technological progressions: the first years of the industrialization (thonet), in the ambient of the german rationalism (bauhaus), in the years of scandinavian welfare and in the years of social objection (1965-75).
- greek - ---
- etruscan - ---
- roman - ---
- medieval - ---
- renaissance - ---
- asia - ---
- 17th / 18th century europe - ---
--- MODERN HISTORY classification of folding chairs according to the location of the folding mechanism / pivot. --- FOLDING STOOLS - X-shape - ---
- sticks - ---
- sit and stay - ---
--- FOLDING CHAIRS (pivot under seat-level) - side- x chair (page 1) - ---
- side- x chair (page 2) - ---
- side- X chair with armrests - ---
- front- X / deckchair - ---
- front-X / director's chair - ---
- front-X / tripolina chair - ---
--- FOLDING CHAIRS (pivot over seat-level) - beach chair - ---
- triangle shape - ---
- triangle shape with armrests - ---
--- FOLDING CHAIRS (pivot on seat-level) - x-shape - ---
- theatre / tip-up seats - ---
- 'normal legs' - ---
- floor seat - ---
--- FOLDING CHAIRS (other) - demountable - ---

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF FOLDING CHAIRS
has been compiled by birgit lohmann
(a thesis publication, july 1988, revised in june 2003)

© designboom
this history timeline is provided for educational purposes only,
no reproduction, re-use or transcription for any commercial purpose
or use of the content or images is permitted.
a print-publication will soon be available,
for inquieries : [e-mail]

---
acknowledgement
many thanks to the participants of designboom's second
design-aerobics course - a special thanks goes to the following
people for their contributions:
art perper, takashi ifuji, radu comsa, joshua larrabee, jim nagel,
erin caruth, larry cheng, carolina jimenez, michelle brick,
kevin mc donald, stanley ruiz, joellen schilke, marcos breder,
phil clowes, beatriz crespo, peter pontano,
susana salomon, oscar riano and haral jarabek.