Category: Furniture > furniture

Savonarola chair (Dantesca)

Savonarola chair (Dantesca)

Savonarola chair (also known as Dante chair or Dantesca chair) is foldable furniture with backrest in characteristic shape. This historical chair resembles findings currently kept in the museum in Frankfurt. These, depending on the interpretation, are dated to the 15th-16th century.

This curvilinear chair is made of wood of high quality.Dantesca chairs are easy to transport and disposing. Its well-thought construction ensures stability and comfort. This type of medieval furniture consists of a range of laths connected with ridgepole in the middle part. The laths are spread out by turns and make armrests, seat, and legs of this historical chair.

Savonarola chair in the past

Savonarola chair is a perfect choice for a medieval camp or house. It can be decorated with a pillow or blanket.

In the Late Middle Ages, previous types of historical chairs were modernized with backrests. Thus, this kind of medieval furniture became more similar to modern chairs. Previous chairs, like a curule chair or an X chair, did not have a backrest.

Despite the fact that furniture was part of house equipment, we can also find it in knights' camps. It was evidence of high social status and wealthiness of the owner. In the medieval camp one could also find items like: buckets, baskets, pots, tables, stools, chests, and even beds. Early Gothic furniture was made of massive planks. The most numerous group of the saved originals are chests, often characterized by rich adornments like emblems or carvings.

Savonarola chair — meaning and origin of the name

It is not clear how and why exactly historical chairs of this type gained their names. However, we can be sure that Savonarola chairs or Dante chairs are names given by the furniture collectors from the 19th century. Both of these figures are divided by time, but also connected by the city of Florence.

Some historians believe that both of these are actually one chair. Still, some think that these are different furnishings. This group says that a Dantesca chair should have a leather seat and leather backrest. What is more, according to this group Savonarola is a foldable chair, while Dante chair is not.

Girolamo Savonarola was a 15th century thinker and religious reformer from Ferrara. After an eventful life, he was accused of heresy, sentenced to death by hanging, and later burnt at the stake. On the other hand, Dante Alighieri was a poet from Florence, active at the turn of the 13th and 14th century. His most recognizable work is the “Divine Comedy”.

How to customize a Dante chair?

The Dantesca chair is a copy made of ash wood. There is an option of getting this curvilinear chair with adornments, for example on the backrest. We can also paint a Dante chair for you. If you are interested, please send us an email with an illustrative picture. Custom orders are priced individually.

NOTE! There is also an option of impregnating the furniture with linen oil. If you are interested, please let us know in the “additional information” field when placing an order. The cost of impregnation is 6% of additional payment from the price of the product.

We do not ship the furniture with glass in one pack.

Due to the fact that our furniture is a result of craftsman's work, the measurements provided here might differ from the real ones by maximum +/- 1.5 cm.

Our medieval furniture is finished with sandpaper of 60-level grit. Therefore, in some softer spots of a piece of furniture, you may find some slight, natural wood nap which is a result of polishing. It practically disappears after impregnating the furniture with the use of natural methods such as linen oil or wax. If you plan to varnish the furniture in a more contemporary way and want us to make the furniture’s surface smoother (i.e. use sandpaper of higher grit), please contact us and we will tell you the price of the option

ATTENTION! You can order impregnation of furniture with linen oil for a surcharge. To choose this option, write your wish in "additional information" box during placing the order. The price of impregnation is 6% of the value of the product.

Although furniture was home equipment, we can also find furniture in knight camps, where they spoke of the status and wealth of the owner. In camps we can find such equipment as: buckets, baskets, pots, tables, stools, chairs, chests and even beds. The early gothic furniture was made from massive boards. Out of the survived originals the most common are chests, which particularly stand out because of the richness of the form (there often appear on them carves and emblems of the owners).

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