Armchair (chair with armrests)

An armchair or chair with armrests reminiscent of Renaissance chairs featuring a frame construction with a vertically rising backrest, crossbars connecting the legs, and oftentimes a woven seat. This furniture design was adopted by folk furniture makers as early as the 17th century and can be found throughout Europe in France and the Netherlands, Hungary, and Poland. Over time, it also acquired specific local features in terms of shape and decoration. The armchair in the collection of the National Museum in Szczecin is a valuable object among this group of antiquities. It was produced with great care using various techniques of wood decoration, such as woodcarving, i.e. decorative carving in wood, and marquetry, which consists of arranging patterns or images on a uniform background using other types of wood. 'While the artisan who made it remains unknown, it was certainly an expensive custom-made piece. The chair was made in 1801 for Peter Buhr, though he may or may not have been the person who had commissioned it. An indirect explanation is provided by the marquetry décor bearing a symbolic message. Peacocks and tulips spell happiness, success, and wealth. The sunflower symbolises the sun and therefore, the source of life and fertility. The branches arranged to form the tree of life have a similar meaning. Metaphors found in the representations and decorative motifs adorning the armchair, alongside the inscription, suggest that Peter Buhr received the armchair as a gift on a significant occasion, probably on his wedding day in 1801, and that the gift was highly meaningful to both the bestower and the recipient. Iwona Karwowska