Curule (Folding) Chair (c. 1450–1500): Art, History and Details

Curule (Folding) Chair (c. 1450–1500) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This is a rare example of a Renaissance folding chair. It was intended to be lightweight and easily portable so that it could be folded and transported from room to room or even house to house. They were likely used in Italian homes, though they may have also been favored by scholars and clerics for use in their studies. Their portability also made them useful for extended travel. The fabric is a modern replacement.

Object facts

• Title: Curule (Folding) Chair
• Date: c. 1450–1500
• Culture: Italy, Florence?, 15th century
• Type: Furniture and woodwork
• Technique: forged iron
• Dimensions: Overall: 106.7 x 63.5 x 54.6 cm (42 x 25 x 21 1/2 in.)
• Collection: MED - Renaissance
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1949.201

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• The Brummer Gallery Records. Cloisters (Museum), n.d.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.