Wooden chiar c. 1938

Clyde L. Cheney rendered this wooden chair in careful detail, capturing its simple construction. The chair, an object of everyday life, carries profound symbolic weight. Consider the ladder back, for instance. In Christian iconography, ladders often symbolize spiritual ascent, echoing Jacob's ladder from Genesis, a pathway between the earthly and the divine. We find the ladder motif throughout art history, from medieval altarpieces to Renaissance frescoes, always suggesting a connection between different realms of existence. But here, in this humble chair, the ladder is domesticated, brought into the quotidian. The woven seat, an intricate pattern of interlaced strands, mirrors the complex web of human relationships and social structures. The chair also evokes a powerful psychological reaction, a sense of stability and rest. The simple act of sitting can be a moment of contemplation. The symbolism in this object is not linear. It echoes through time, accumulating layers of meaning and emotion. The chair, a symbol of rest, ascent, and connection, reveals how our collective memory imbues everyday objects with profound significance.