a brief pointwise, easy to study notes on the characteristics of furniture of ancient time periods.

1. Furniture characteristics of
historical periods
Azra maliha
201420058

2. EGYPT

3. CHAIRS
 Mostly made from wood and decorated
by gold inlays
 Chairs symbolized status, high backed
and taller ones were for riches.
 Were covered by cloth or leather
sometimes
 Legs were finely curved to lion’s paw
shape mostly, sometimes crocodile and
gazelle feet
 Back of the chairs were curved of painted
in different scenes or eagle’s wings.

4. BEDS & HEADREST
 Gently inclined bed for sleeper’ comfort of keeping head on
the headrest made of wood or stone
 Included footboard
 Framework was highly decorated
 Headrests were sometimes decorated and wrapped in fine
linen for user comfort
 Reeds or plaited wooden strips used as mattress
 Legs were mostly animal paw shaped

5. STORAGE
 Highly decorated chests and storage boxes
 Gold and ivory inlays
 Larger storages held household items, linen or precious
things
 Small boxes held jewelry items
STOOLS
 The most common furniture item, designed according
to class of people
 Legs were simple as well as in the shape of animal legs
 Seat made from woven mesh or leather
 Folding stool was very popular
 Rich people’s stools were decorated with gold inlays

6. GREEK

7. CHAIRS
 Sweeping curve was a prominent feature
 joints that holds the legs to the side rail are quite large
 Woven cord seat
 Backrests were curved
 Simpler designed, not so much decorated
 Example: Klismos
BEDS
 Similar to the Egyptian bed
 Girth was given for rich people’s bed to add mattress.
 Poor people’s had string mesh instead of mattress
 mattress was made of linen, wool or leather and either wool or dried
reeds
 Legs were curved like their chairs
 Sometimes the headrest was made of solid maple or box-wood
 Example: Kline

8. STOOLS & TABLES
 Highly inspired by the Egypt’s
folding stool
 Leather seat and gazelle leg
 Less ornamented
 Example: Diphros
 Low in height and mostly movable
 Three legged, designed either lion paws or half/full
body of mythical creatures.
 Round table tops
 Example: Trapeza

9. CHESTS
 Used for keeping cloths, jewelry, fruits or
food items, household items
 Made of wood, ornated with ivory inlays

10. ROME

11. CHAIRS
 Folding chair Curule is one of the most significant furniture
piece
 Curved features and ability to save space
 They used certain chairs for sitting, eating, relaxing
 Most of the chair seats were made of marble, few had cushions
 Legs were decorated with ivory and precious metals, sometimes
framed in solid silver
BEDS
 lectus was an important furniture which was a couch and bed at
the same time
 Headboard was furnished with cushion
 Highly decorated legs with ivory inlays and sometimes tortoise-shell
plates
 Upholstery was made from fine fabric

12. STOOLS & TABLES
 The same as that of Egyptians and
Greeks, but they made it out of
iron
 They made it similar to their
curule chair
 Abacus and Mensa are two types of tables
 Low, three legged
 Round table top is supported by three legs like that
of the tripod
 Made of wood or metal
 Tables were used for cooking, art, display, etc.

13. CHESTS
 Made of wood and iron and ornamented
with bronze and other inlays
 They made them strong and durable to
store household items, valuable and
jewelries
 Heavily ornamented

14. Early Christian
and byzantine

15. CHAIRS
 Seating were either throne or chair, which reflected the
architecture of the building it was in
 Materials used were wood, metal, ivory and decorated with
precious metals
 Silk velvet upholstery, sometimes animal hide
 Few had soft cushions for comfort
BEDS
 Beds used to be simple platform for sleeping
 Mattress was cord weaved on the bed frame
 Engraved designs similar to the architecture
 Sometimes it used to be simple mattress on the
ground as the bed

16. STOOLS & TABLES
 Cushioned stool for comfort,
covered in velvet
 Folding stools were extensively
used
 Legs were designed with gold
inlays
 They used folding tables so that they could
use and move them easily
 Other kinds of tables were bulky and heavily
engraved with curving

17. CHESTS
 Chests were used by every level of
people
 Made with lock and keys
 Decorated with the period motifs and
patterns
 Larger ones were bulky

18. Romanesque

19. CHAIRS
 Chair legs resembled lion paw and other animal legs
 Materials used were metal or walnut wood with animal
hide seating
 Cushions made of silk or velvet
 Ornamented and gilded
BEDS
 Beds were made of walnut wood
 They curved fine decorations on panels of
headboard and footboard
 Corinthian corbels

20. Gothic

21. CHAIRS
 Chairs had the sense of state majesty, rectangular or
circular with low backs
 Had a lot of intricate oak wood carvings along with some
details of animals
 The king’s chairs were heavier and larger with paintings
and gold decorations on the chair
CHESTS
 Heavy intricate designs, material used was wood
 Also served as seat, bed or table because of the
features

22. BEDS STOOLS