Folding armchair (sedia a Savonarola type)

Art Historical Context

This elegant folding armchair, known as a *sedia a Savonarola*, exemplifies Italian Renaissance furniture design with its lightweight, portable X-frame structure. Crafted primarily from walnut—partly turned and intricately carved—the chair stands 98.2 cm high, with a seat cushion of lush 15th-century green velvet (35 x 46 cm) and a textile fragment (55.5 x 21 cm). While the chair frame dates to the 19th century, it incorporates various earlier components, creating a fascinating composite of Italian craftsmanship across centuries. The Savonarola type, popular from the 15th century onward, was ...