Armchair
c. 1690–1700
Medium
Ebony, ivory, and rattan
Dimensions
105.5 × 63.5 × 71.2 cm (41 1/2 × 25 × 28 in.)
Classification
chair
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
272056
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Made by Indian craftspeople, this chair integrates Indian decoration into a European form. It was likely intended for a merchant of the English East India Company, a trading corporation with headquarters in Madras (now Chennai), India. The locally sourced ebony is carved with eagles associated with the Hindu god Garuda and dragon-like serpents and mermaids that reference Nagas, a group of Hindu deities. Wide-mouthed monkeys eat fruit at the base of Europeanstyle twisted legs. Armed English soldi...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...