Armstoel van beukenhout 1750

This beech armchair was crafted by S. Canot, embodying a style that speaks volumes about power and identity. Furniture like this was more than functional; it was a declaration of status, reflecting the rigid class structures of its time. The ornate details, the curves, and the luxurious fabric all signal a life of privilege and leisure, inaccessible to most. Consider the hands that would have never touched this chair - the laborers, the servants, the working class - whose realities stood in stark contrast to the comfort it offered. The chair's design itself becomes a stage for the performance of gender roles, inviting the sitter to adopt a particular posture, a demeanor of refined elegance. It's a physical manifestation of societal expectations. How might our understanding of comfort and utility shift if we center the experiences of those historically excluded from such spaces?