Cherub Throne Chairs
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Renaissance Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
Early 20th Century American Renaissance Armchairs
Leather, Wood
Recent Sales
Antique 1880s Italian Neoclassical Revival Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
Antique 19th Century Renaissance Side Chairs
Velvet, Oak
Antique Early 1900s European High Victorian Armchairs
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century European Jacobean Armchairs
Cane, Walnut
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20th Century Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Gothic Armchairs
Oak
Vintage 1930s French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Vintage 1910s Austrian Jugendstil Armchairs
Leather, Beech
Antique 17th Century French Renaissance Armchairs
Walnut
Antique 17th Century English Charles II Armchairs
Oak
Antique 17th Century European Elizabethan Armchairs
Wood, Leather
Antique 1850s French French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XV Armchairs
Wood
Antique 1760s Belgian George III Armchairs
Oak
Antique 17th Century Italian Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
Antique Early 17th Century European Renaissance Armchairs
Oak
Antique 1710s English Georgian Chairs
Oak
Antique 18th Century Chairs
Wood
Antique 19th Century Japanese Meiji Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Antique 19th Century English Jacobean Armchairs
Oak
Finding the Right Armchairs for You
Armchairs have run the gamut from prestige to ease and everything in between, and everyone has an antique or vintage armchair that they love.
Long before industrial mass production democratized seating, armchairs conveyed status and power.
In ancient Egypt, the commoners took stools, while in early Greece, ceremonial chairs of carved marble were designated for nobility. But the high-backed early thrones of yore, elevated and ornate, were merely grandiose iterations of today’s armchairs.
Modern-day armchairs, built with functionality and comfort in mind, are now central to tasks throughout your home. Formal dining armchairs support your guests at a table for a cheery feast, a good drafting chair with a deep seat is parked in front of an easel where you create art and, elsewhere, an ergonomic wonder of sorts positions you at the desk for your 9 to 5.
When placed under just the right lamp where you can lounge comfortably, both elbows resting on the padded supports on each side of you, an upholstered armchair — or a rattan armchair for your light-suffused sunroom — can be the sanctuary where you’ll read for hours.
If you’re in the mood for company, your velvet chesterfield armchair is a place to relax and be part of the conversation that swirls around you. Maybe the dialogue is about the beloved Papa Bear chair, a mid-century modern masterpiece from Danish carpenter and furniture maker Hans Wegner, and the wingback’s strong association with the concept of cozying up by the fireplace, which we can trace back to its origins in 1600s-era England, when the seat’s distinctive arm protrusions protected the sitter from the heat of the period’s large fireplaces.
If the fireside armchair chat involves spirited comparisons, your companions will likely probe the merits of antique and vintage armchairs such as Queen Anne armchairs, Victorian armchairs or even Louis XVI armchairs, as well as the pros and cons of restoration versus conservation.
Everyone seems to have a favorite armchair and most people will be all too willing to talk about their beloved design. Whether that’s the unique Favela chair by Brazilian sibling furniture designers Fernando and Humberto Campana, who repurposed everyday objects to provocative effect; or Marcel Breuer’s futuristic tubular metal Wassily lounge chair; the functionality-first LC series from Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret; or the Eames lounge chair of the mid-1950s created by Charles and Ray Eames, there is an iconic armchair for everyone and every purpose. Find yours on 1stDibs right now.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The difference between a throne and a chair is their purpose. A chair is a piece of furniture designed to seat anyone, while a throne usually is a highly decorative chair reserved for a monarch like an emperor, king or queen. On 1stDibs, find a collection of antique and vintage chairs.
- What are throne chairs called?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Throne chairs are sometimes called by the Latin word for chair, cathedra. Most often, you will simply see them referred to as thrones. Furniture makers have produced thrones for rulers and religious figures in various forms since ancient times. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of throne chairs.
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