Chair
1 of 5
Object Label
A carpenter manufactured this chair using wooden mortises and tenons (tongueand- groove joints) and pins called dowels. Many of the ancient wooden dowels are still visible just above the point where the legs meet the seat. The carpenter filled in the spaces surrounding the tenons on the back support with an adhesive made from animal protein (“hide glue”) mixed with powdered white minerals. Although animal-based adhesives have been used in Egypt continuously from antiquity to today, the condition of these mortises and tenons suggests that they are original. The woven fiber seat was added to the chair in 1958, but examination of fibers in the frames reveals that in antiquity four strands were laced through each opening.
Caption
Chair, ca. 1400–1292 B.C.E.. Wood, bone, modern fiber, 35 7/16 x 17 15/16 x 18 5/8 in. (90 x 45.6 x 47.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.40E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.40E_NegE_print_bw.jpg)
Title
Chair
Date
ca. 1400–1292 B.C.E.
Dynasty
second half of Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Reportedly from: Thebes, Egypt
Medium
Wood, bone, modern fiber
Classification
Dimensions
35 7/16 x 17 15/16 x 18 5/8 in. (90 x 45.6 x 47.3 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.40E
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
I'd like to know what this is.
Simply put, this is a chair. The Ancient Egyptians invented chairs like this in the 2nd Dynasty and you can see similar seating depicted in some of the reliefs in the gallery. Animal feet--in this case lion--were popular on Ancient Egyptian chairs and the protrusions below the feet were designed to secure the chair in sockets.Did Egyptian chairs not have arms?
Not usually! This style of chair was popular in Dynasty XVIII, at this time chairs were mostly armless and featured the back set into the seat just before the rear legs. A representation can be seen in this stela from the same time period.Why are the legs of the chair like this?
The legs of the chair are meant to imitate the front and hind legs of a lion. Lions were a popular symbol of power in ancient Egyptian art.What kind of wood?
A scientific test would need to be done to determine the species of wood, so we're not sure. We do know that it is a hard wood. An example of a hardwood that may have been used is cypress.ThanksI assume the chair survived by being in a tomb?
That's right! The environment of the dark, dry tombs in Egypt is what has preserved materials like wood, paper, and textiles.How is this chair so well preserved?
It is in wonderful condition, largely due to the consistently dry climate of Egypt and the darkness inside of tombs. That same dryness did shrink the wood a bit producing the gaps you see.The woven fiber seat is a modern reproduction added to the chair in 1958, but other than that, it is all original. In fact, some ancient cordage was found with the chair which gave conservators and idea for how to remake it.Fantastic! Thank you.Tell me more.
A fine chair like this was a mark of high status in ancient Egypt. Wood was rare and expensive and most people squatted on the ground. You'll notice in reliefs around the galleries that, for those who could afford them, chairs like this with lion's feet were quite popular!What do these paws represent?
These are meant to be lions' paws, most ancient Egyptian chairs included feet like this.In ancient Egypt, lions were revered for their power and were believed to be tied to royal authority. Lions often represented the horizon as the desert habitat linked them with the rising and setting sun and the eastern and western margins of the universe.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at