Description
This movable Italian seat from the late 15th century descents from the roman curule seat. It took the name of sedia Savonarola because of its emergence during the Florentine government of friar Girolamo Savonarola between 1494 and 1498.
The elegance of this seat stands upon the contrast between virtuosity and strength. Virtuous with its curved bars made from a single piece of walnut and strong with nine slats linking the feet with the armrests thanks to small dowels.
The seat of the sedia Savonarola comprises thin bars juxtaposed. The feet, the armrests and the backrest are carved in a single piece of wood. They are opposed to the curves and assure the seat’s steadiness.
This seat is only a development of the sedia Dantesca a foldable seat articulated with four trunnions to close as scissors. The central dowel at the intersection of the X branches allow the closing while the horizontal seat carries in its center a pin holding the elements together. Where the seat and the slats interact a dowel acts as a lock while the other acts as a hinge to close back the sedia. The backrest’s bar articulated on one of the armrests maintain the chair open.
Steady, regal and comfortable the sedia Savonarola presents a contained decor, symetrically composed. Its wood backrest – and not leather – is adorned with a coat of arms.
The sedia Savonarola appears to have been the seat of the scholars. Its shape inspired by the Antiquity suits their dignity. If it is true that daily objects express the vitality, the culture and the influence of the city that has produced it the florentine sedia Savonarola manifests the power of one of the most coveted Italian cities.