Folding chair - Wood - folding chair with mother-of-pearl
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Selected by Ashley Calvert
He has 15 years of experience trading 20th century glass and antiques.
Estimate € 300 - € 400
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An antique Indian folding chair, also known as a Damascus or Moorish folding chair, crafted from walnut with mother-of-pearl inlay, dating to circa 1890–1920, featuring intricate carving and Islamic-inspired motifs, with a seating height of about 47 cm, seat depth around 36 cm, overall width about 38 cm when folded and 47 cm when in use, and a good condition with minor signs of age and small spots.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
A beautiful and highly characteristic Indian folding chair, also known as a Damascus chair or Moorish folding chair, dating from the late 19th or early 20th century. This type of furniture is worldwide renowned for its exceptional, refined craftsmanship from India and the Middle East, and is a coveted piece at international art and antique auctions.
The chair is wholly hand-crafted from a dark hardwood (walnut) and is richly adorned with detailed woodcarving featuring traditional, continuous blade-like patterns and arabesques. The backrest and seat are decorated with beautifully inlaid mother-of-pearl, forming gleaming geometric flowers and six-pointed stars that are typical of Islamic art.
The backrest curves in an elegant, ergonomic arch to the rear and is finished at the top with a richly carved crest. Just below the crest there is a diamond-shaped opening with fine, open-work Mashrabiya woodcarving. At the front of the seat slats there are also subtle, authentic markings/letters (such as "LA" and "RA"), indicating the original artisanal assembly method of the maker.
The chair features a clever folding mechanism with interlocking slats, allowing the piece to fold completely flat for transport or storage.
Condition & Report:
The chair is in an authentic antique state with a beautifully aged patina that testifies to its great age. As is customary with furniture of this age and this type of inlay work, there are a few small imperfections in the wood and a few mother-of-pearl elements are missing here and there.
For full transparency to bidders, the following specific points are noted:
Hinge axis: On one side, one of the decorative wooden knobs on the central hinge axis is missing, exposing the underlying metal threaded pin. This causes the outer slat at that spot to have play and to slide outward (see detail photo).
Wood structure: One of the curved wooden slats shows an age/drying crack along the grain (see detail photo). The wood has not broken through, but drying over the years has formed a hairline crack.
The folding mechanism is functional, but partly due to the aforementioned points this chair should primarily be regarded as a beautiful decorative collectible/display piece and is less suitable for intensive daily use. Please examine all detail photos carefully for an accurate impression of the condition; they are an integral part of the description.
Specifications & Dimensions:
Origin: India
Style: Islamic art / Moors / Ottoman
Period: circa 1890 - 1920
Material: Walnut wood, mother-of-pearl inlay
Total height (unfolded): 103 cm
Total height (folded flat): approximately 120 cm
Seat height: approximately 47 cm
Seat width: approximately 32.5 cm (overall width including knobs approximately 38 cm)
Seat depth: approximately 36 cm
Shipping:
Pickup only
A beautiful and highly characteristic Indian folding chair, also known as a Damascus chair or Moorish folding chair, dating from the late 19th or early 20th century. This type of furniture is worldwide renowned for its exceptional, refined craftsmanship from India and the Middle East, and is a coveted piece at international art and antique auctions.
The chair is wholly hand-crafted from a dark hardwood (walnut) and is richly adorned with detailed woodcarving featuring traditional, continuous blade-like patterns and arabesques. The backrest and seat are decorated with beautifully inlaid mother-of-pearl, forming gleaming geometric flowers and six-pointed stars that are typical of Islamic art.
The backrest curves in an elegant, ergonomic arch to the rear and is finished at the top with a richly carved crest. Just below the crest there is a diamond-shaped opening with fine, open-work Mashrabiya woodcarving. At the front of the seat slats there are also subtle, authentic markings/letters (such as "LA" and "RA"), indicating the original artisanal assembly method of the maker.
The chair features a clever folding mechanism with interlocking slats, allowing the piece to fold completely flat for transport or storage.
Condition & Report:
The chair is in an authentic antique state with a beautifully aged patina that testifies to its great age. As is customary with furniture of this age and this type of inlay work, there are a few small imperfections in the wood and a few mother-of-pearl elements are missing here and there.
For full transparency to bidders, the following specific points are noted:
Hinge axis: On one side, one of the decorative wooden knobs on the central hinge axis is missing, exposing the underlying metal threaded pin. This causes the outer slat at that spot to have play and to slide outward (see detail photo).
Wood structure: One of the curved wooden slats shows an age/drying crack along the grain (see detail photo). The wood has not broken through, but drying over the years has formed a hairline crack.
The folding mechanism is functional, but partly due to the aforementioned points this chair should primarily be regarded as a beautiful decorative collectible/display piece and is less suitable for intensive daily use. Please examine all detail photos carefully for an accurate impression of the condition; they are an integral part of the description.
Specifications & Dimensions:
Origin: India
Style: Islamic art / Moors / Ottoman
Period: circa 1890 - 1920
Material: Walnut wood, mother-of-pearl inlay
Total height (unfolded): 103 cm
Total height (folded flat): approximately 120 cm
Seat height: approximately 47 cm
Seat width: approximately 32.5 cm (overall width including knobs approximately 38 cm)
Seat depth: approximately 36 cm
Shipping:
Pickup only
Details
Era
1900-2000
Title additional information
folding chair with mother-of-pearl
Country of origin
India
Material
Wood
Condition
Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes
Height
120 cm
Width
47 cm
Depth
38 cm
Estimated period
1910-1920
Seating height
47 cm
