The Armour Archive

I found one of these chairs at a yard sale this morning. Went ahead and bought it for 75 dollars just because I thought it would make a good camp chair and it was in really great shape. I thought at first this thing was a chair some scadian had built twenty years ago. However the more I look at it the older it seems. It has mother of pearl inlays and is very similar to antique folding syrian chairs i have seen online. I'll post pics in the morning but I would like to find out more about the chair age etc if i can.

Chairs like this are pretty common from Egypt - and I know that I saw some at an Egyptian importer of furniture and such in Seattle a few years ago.

You got a good price - especially if the chair is solid.

Looks like a traditional folding chair imported from the Middle East. I've been into a few Pakistani and Afghan import shops here in San Francisco and seeing these chairs with matching folding tables being sold as sets is common - including the inlay stye yours shows.

As far as authenticity for SCA events, these chairs were popular in the ancient Mediterranean world and were re-popularized in Europe during the Italian Renaissance. They'd be acceptable for most late 15th-16th century camp setups.

-Gerhard

There's also quite a few that look more or less just like that for sale in Florence and Rome. Obviously modern ones like you posted. See them in shop windows occasionally.

I saw a lot of them in Spanish museums, castles and also local imported furniture shops in the cities. A good design remains popular.

What makes them stick out as being Near/middle eastern is the inlay.

I'd use one with no problem, however. I think they would work best for Southern Europe, if you are being nit-picky.

looks really nice
and at 75 bucks seems like a good deal
(i am looking for some if anyone finds them cheaper)

ooooooh pretty....