North-Indian Folding ‘Savonarola’ Bone-Inlaid Wood Folding Armchair c.1900

A very decorative and elaborate inlaid c1900 folding scissors ‘Savonarola’ style armchair. These pieces are usually acssociated with Hoshiapur in Northern India. The chair features a bone inlaid foliate detail and twin peacock back splat has the added openwork elements, with leopard head arms. Great detail and good patina. The Savonarola chair is a type of folding chair with an X frame when viewed from the front or back. The chair was designed to fold so it was portable and used during campaigns or other outdoor pursuits. The original basic design of this chair is very old and was known in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. In Renaissance Italy, in the 16th century, this model became popular again, known as a “Savonarola” chair. In the 19th century, this design was widely copied in the Middle East and India, it remains popular today.