Zes rookstoelen 1832 - 1877

This print, titled 'Zes rookstoelen', presents a range of chair designs. The chairs are described in French as 'chaises funebres' or funerary chairs. The image creates meaning through its visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. Created in France, this image invites us to consider the relationship between commerce, design, and social custom. The chairs are presented as commodities, available for purchase, yet they also speak to the rituals surrounding death and mourning in French society. The inclusion of different designs suggests a market catering to varying tastes and budgets within a specific social class. To understand this print better, we might delve into the history of furniture design, funeral practices, and the commercial culture of 19th-century France. Research into trade catalogues and social histories would shed light on the role of design in shaping social rituals. Art, we see, is always contingent on social and institutional context.