Dantesca armchair with lion heads and mascaron – neo-Renaissance, 19th c.

An impressive Dantesca chair (sedia dantesca), also known as a Savonarola chair and in France as a fauteuil Dagobert: an armchair with crossed X-legs after the Italian Renaissance model. This chair is richly carved: the armrests end in fierce lion heads, a winged mascaron between acanthus scrolls sits where the legs cross, and the feet end in volutes. The backrest has a pierced crest with dragons and a coat of arms, above a panel of floral brocade with brass decorative nails. The seat is also decorated with engraved scrolls. This type of chair was made in large numbers in Italy and France in the second half of the 19th century and around 1900, in the fashion of the Renaissance Revival. Bought in France. Condition: used, with clear signs of age. Some pieces of carving on the crest of the backrest have broken off or chipped, and an old repair with an inserted piece of wood is visible on the back. The lion heads have old woodworm holes. The seat has been restored: on the outside, the end rail has been replaced with a new piece of wood that is slightly lighter in colour, and the seat board has a lengthwise shrinkage gap. The finish is worn on the raised parts. The chair is sturdy.