INTRO

This rosewood chair with cane seat was produced in India or the East Indies in the early 19th century.

When the Europeans came to India, they were in need of furniture as the natives traditionally sat on the ground. So they exported their own furniture for the native carpenters as a prototype for them to copy. The natives put in some of their own taste into the furniture which led to the emergence of the Indo-European style.

There are three groups: Portuguese, Dutch, or British.

After some reading I feel that the rosewood chair may fit into the Portuguese group.

INDO PORTUGUESE STYLE

This style consists of two styles: the Northern Indian style or the Mughal and Southern style aka Goanese.

The Northern Indian Style: Involves furniture decorated with inlaid bone, ivory on ebony and other dark woods. Resembles tables and writing cabinets from the Italian Renaissance – a dominant style in Portugal at that time

The Goanese Style: Many pieces are made of rosewood (the main reason why I believe the chair comes from this style). Distinguished by small and elegant pieces, flowery design and a holy cross relating to Christian influence of the Portuguese.

I still feel iffy since the chair does not have flowery design or a cross. I think what makes this chair unique is its arm rest loop.

DAY TO DAY

Early 16th century adventurers had little need for sophisticated chairs. Any decorative chairs they brought with them were for ceremonial use and were used as thrones. They were inlaid with precious gold or silver. This shows that this rosewood chair was not used as a ceremonial chair. It might have been a more day to day chair.

THE CANE SEAT

Early versions of ebony chairs with seats of woven cane were the first examples to reach Europe. Caning was initially introduced to the East Indies by Chinese traders (suitable hard woods there and good for mass production). Rattan remained popular in the East till 19th century and is a characteristic of the dutch colonial chairs.

Sources:

De Dampierre, Florence. Chairs, A History. Harry N. Abrams; First Edition edition, 2006.

“Roots.sg.” Www.roots.sg. 2014. Accessed October 10, 2018. https://roots.sg/.

“The Past Perfect Collection.” www.pastperfect.sg. Accessed October 24, 2018. https://www.pastperfect.sg/.