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Italian Gilt Grotto Chairs

Venetian Style Parcel-Gilt Shell Form Grotto Chairs
Located in Wichita, KS
Beautiful pair of Venetian style parcel-gilt "Grotto" chairs. The seats are carved and are
Category

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Wood, Giltwood

Venetian Style Parcel-Gilt Shell Form Grotto Chairs
Venetian Style Parcel-Gilt Shell Form Grotto Chairs
$2,750 / set
H 22 in W 21 in D 20 in
Pair of Early 20th-century Venetian Grotto Chairs
Located in San Francisco, CA
continuing into the 19th-centuries, Europe's aristocracy desired to have their very own "grottoes" built at
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Rococo Armchairs

Materials

Wood, Paint

Recent Sales

Vintage Coastal Gilt Carved Grotto Chairs - a Pair
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Grotto Chairs. Inspired by the elegance of coastal living, these chairs feature intricately carved frames
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Chairs

Materials

Wood

19th Century Venetian Gilt Swan Grotto Chair
Located in Essex, MA
Rare and complete 19th century carved and gilt Venetian swan Grotto chair. Realistically and
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Rococo Armchairs

Materials

Wood, Beech

Pair of Italian Venetian Silver Gilt 19thC Grotto Arm Chairs
Located in New York, NY
These rare early 19thC grotto arm chairs have a carved seashell back and seat. The arms are carved
Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Armchairs

Materials

Vermeil, Silver

Pair Italian Grotto Silver Parcel Gilt Wood Chairs
Located in Houston, TX
An iconic pair of 20th Century silver gold Italian giltwood grotto chairs with clamshell seat and
Category

20th Century Italian Baroque Chairs

Materials

Giltwood

Gilded Shell Grotto Chair
Located in Houston, TX
A 20th century gilded Italian shell back chair newly upholstered in a creamy Alpaca velvet. Two
Category

20th Century Italian Side Chairs

Materials

Velvet, Wood, Beech

Gilded Shell Grotto Chair
Gilded Shell Grotto Chair
H 37.38 in W 18 in D 20.25 in
Silver Gilded Shell Grotto Chair
Located in Houston, TX
A 20th century silver gilded Italian shell back chair newly upholstered in a white creamy low pile
Category

20th Century Italian Side Chairs

Materials

Velvet, Wood, Beech

Silver Gilded Shell Grotto Chair
Silver Gilded Shell Grotto Chair
H 37.38 in W 18 in D 20.25 in
Midcentury Painted and Silver Gilt Italian Grotto Chair
Located in Stamford, CT
A midcentury painted and silver gilt Grotto chair with hand carved dolphin legs and arms.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Baroque Armchairs

Materials

Wood

Italian 19th Century Grotto Chair
Located in Round Top, TX
A stunning 19th century Venetian Grotto armchair in giltwood. Hand-carved with the seat and back in
Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Armchairs

Materials

Wood

Italian 19th Century Grotto Chair
Italian 19th Century Grotto Chair
H 41.25 in W 24.25 in D 19.75 in
1930s Venetian Grotto Chair
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Hand-carved and painted, parcel gilt, Venetian grotto chair with faux drapery and tassels.
Category

Vintage 1930s Italian Stools

Materials

Wood, Paint

1930s Venetian Grotto Chair
1930s Venetian Grotto Chair
H 22 in W 18.25 in D 16.25 in
Venetian Grotto Chair
By Pauly Co.
Located in New York, NY
The so-called grotto chair, made from clusters of shell-form elements, was introduced in the 1880s
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Arts and Crafts Armchairs

Materials

Wood

Venetian Grotto Chair
Venetian Grotto Chair
H 35.5 in W 23 in D 23 in
Pair of 19th Century Italian Grotto Chairs
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of Hand Carved Italian Grotto Chairs from the Late 19th Century. Original Finish.
Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Chairs

Materials

Wood

19th Century Venetian Grotto Shell Chair, Silver Gilt, Pauly et Cie, Italian
By Pauly et Cie
Located in Totnes, GB
An exceedingly rare opportunity to own an original and exceptional Venetian grotto chair in
Category

Antique Late 19th Century Italian Chairs

Materials

Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf

Rare Venetian Silver Gilt "grotto" Fantasy Rocker
Located in Natchez, MS
Rare Pauly et Cie Rocker. See photo of Grotto suite. This rocker is included in the suite of
Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Rocking Chairs

Materials

Giltwood

19th Century Italian Silver Gilt Grotto Chair
Located in Water Mill, NY
Beautifully carved Italian silver gilt grotto chair
Category

Antique 19th Century Armchairs

19th Century Venetian Grotto Arm Chairs
Located in Toronto, ON
Pair of carved and painted grotto armchairs, hand carved dolphin form arms over silver leaf seat on
Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Armchairs

Rare Pair of Pauly et Cie. Grotto Chairs from Aileen Getty Collection
By Pauly Co.
Located in San Francisco, CA
An exceptionally rare pair of Pauly et Cie. grotto chairs with sweeping backs embellished with
Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Rococo Armchairs

Materials

Wood, Gesso, Pigment

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Japanese Carved and Lacquered Shibayama Cabinet, Meiji Period
Located in San Francisco, CA
An elaborate and finely detailed carved wood, and gold lacquered Shibayama cabinet (Chigaidansu). Having beautifully applied semi-precious stone and mother of pearl decoration of flo...
Category

Antique 19th Century Japanese Meiji Furniture

Materials

Mother-of-Pearl, Wood

Striking Art Nouveau Ceramic and Bronze-Mounted Vase in Victor Horta Style
By Victor Horta
Located in Lisse, NL
Top condition and pure elegance Art Nouveau vase. For the collectors of museum quality and condition Art Nouveau ceramics. This stunning Art Nouveau vase is decorated with the mos...
Category

Early 20th Century European Art Nouveau Vases

Materials

Bronze

Chinese Red Lacquer Writing Set with Twin Dragons, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Designed for traveling poets or scholar-artists, a collapsible writing set allowed a Chinese calligrapher to paint in nature, whether a journey to a far-off vista or an afternoon spe...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Furniture

Materials

Wood

Chinese Red Lacquer Writing Set with Twin Dragons, c. 1900
Chinese Red Lacquer Writing Set with Twin Dragons, c. 1900
$1,480 / set
H 12 in W 33.25 in D 23.25 in
Fine and Important Pair of Polychrome Decorated Giltwood Mirrors
Located in London, GB
Each with a rectangular plate within a stiff leaf, entwined vine and fleur de lis carved surround, the cresting centred by an armorial shield for the Thorold baronets surmounted by a...
Category

Antique Mid-18th Century Baroque Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors

Materials

Mirror, Giltwood

Fine and Important Pair of Polychrome Decorated Giltwood Mirrors
Fine and Important Pair of Polychrome Decorated Giltwood Mirrors
$131,357 / set
H 59.45 in W 46.07 in D 4.73 in
Mid-Century Chinese Export Style Tanzu Chest by Thomasville
By Thomasville
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a mid-century Chinese Export style Tanzu chest by Thomasville. It is two smaller drawers over two larger drawers and one cabinet. It is marked and has lite wear. The iron cor...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Chinese Export Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Iron

French Late 18th Century Louis XVI Style Settee
Located in Louisville, KY
What interesting secrets this settee must possess. Imagine this piece in a bedroom of an historic French chateau in the countryside. Petite, yet bold in character from the design to ...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Settees

Materials

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Japanese Silk kimono Beige with Floral patterns 1970s
Located in Paris, FR
This is a silk kimono for women which was made in Showa era around 1970s in Japan. The kimono is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrap...
Category

Late 20th Century Japanese Showa Antiquities

Materials

Silk

Japanese Silk kimono Beige with Floral patterns 1970s
Japanese Silk kimono Beige with Floral patterns 1970s
$215 Sale Price
25% Off
H 59.06 in W 49.22 in D 0.2 in
Victorian Nécessaire de Voyage
Located in New Orleans, LA
A work of extraordinary craftsmanship, this exquisite English vanity case is as much an item of luxury as it is of necessity. Known as a nécessaire de voyage, the case features a lux...
Category

Antique 19th Century English Victorian Jewelry Boxes

Materials

Velvet, Glass, Wood

Victorian Nécessaire de Voyage
Victorian Nécessaire de Voyage
$19,850
H 6 in W 12 in D 9 in
19th Century Chinese Day Bed
Located in New York, NY
Wonderful 19th century Canopy Top Chinese Day Bed. Worn red lacquer over Elm with having a rich spectacular patina. Inset rattan platform is removable, entire bed separates into se...
Category

Antique 19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture

Materials

Elm

19th Century Chinese Day Bed
19th Century Chinese Day Bed
$9,800
H 78 in W 81 in D 47 in
Antique Painted Memento Mori Skull, Dated 1769 Birth Year of Napoleon I
Located in Doha, QA
A truly extraordinary and evocative object: an 18th century hand-carved wooden skull, richly hand-painted and inscribed with the date 1769. This rare Memento Mori was created as a me...
Category

Antique 18th Century French Baroque Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paint

18th Century English Painted Dresser Base / Sideboard
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
18th Century English 5 drawer dresser base with later scraped green/ old white paint. 1770
Category

Antique 18th Century English Georgian Sideboards

Materials

Oak

Art Nouveau Stained Glass Panel Doors
Located in Lisbon, PT
A wonderful set of eight French stained glass windows in four doors with bronze handles. The set of eight panels is in stained glass in polychrome glass with shutters, locks, handle ...
Category

20th Century French Art Nouveau Doors and Gates

Materials

Brass

Art Nouveau Stained Glass Panel Doors
Art Nouveau Stained Glass Panel Doors
$25,030 Sale Price / set
20% Off
H 102.96 in W 107.49 in D 3.94 in
Rare Antique Austrian Gothic Two-Handed Longsword Medieval Double-Edged Blade
Located in Doha, QA
An exceptional and rare Austrian longsword, designed as a two-handed weapon with a classic cruciform hilt and straight, double-edged blade. This distinguished form bridges the morpho...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Austrian Gothic Arms, Armor and Weapons

Materials

Iron

Late 19th Century Italian Baroque Revival Gilt and Polychrome Table Top Vitrine
Located in Austin, TX
An elegant late 19th century Baroque style tabletop vitrine. The vitrine marvelously carved and richly gilt in the Baroque manner, with beautiful foliate scrollwork and polychrome de...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vitrines

Materials

Velvet, Glass, Giltwood

Japanese Kasuri Kimono navy blue with blue and red patterns
Located in Paris, FR
This is a Kasuri kimono which was made in Showa era around 1970s in Japan. The kimono is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-fron...
Category

Late 20th Century Japanese Showa Antiquities

Materials

Cotton

Japanese Kasuri Kimono navy blue with blue and red patterns
Japanese Kasuri Kimono navy blue with blue and red patterns
$268 Sale Price
20% Off
H 57.09 in W 49.22 in D 0.2 in
Monumental Han Dynasty Terracotta Horse - TL Tested - China, 206 BC–220 AD
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
A massive pottery horse with separately made head and tail, standing on all fours and striding with its right hoof forward. Extended snout ends in parted lips showing teeth beneath i...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Chinese Han Antiquities

Materials

Terracotta

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Italian Gilt Grotto Chairs For Sale on 1stDibs

An assortment of Italian gilt grotto chairs is available at 1stDibs. Each of these unique Italian gilt grotto chairs was constructed with extraordinary care, often using wood, beech and hardwood. Italian gilt grotto chairs have long been popular, with older editions for sale from the 19th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 20th Century. Italian gilt grotto chairs made by Baroque designers — as well as those associated with Arts and Crafts — are very popular at 1stDibs. Pauly Co. produced beautiful Italian gilt grotto chairs that are worth considering.

How Much are Italian Gilt Grotto Chairs?

The average selling price for at 1stDibs is $7,648, while they’re typically $1,425 on the low end and $58,000 highest priced.

Finding the Right Seating for You

With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.

Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.

Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.

The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.

Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.

With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.

Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.

No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.