Ancient Furniture (part 1 of 12)

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian Furniture is better documented than that of other ancient civilizations, and it was obviously very well regarded in its day. Indeed, excavations at sites in Mesopotamia and further afield have shown that furniture of Egyptian origin was also exported and given in tribute to foreign dignitaries.

The ancient Egyptian world view included a complex set of beliefs regarding the afterlife. The Egyptians believed that one aspect of the eternal soul, 'Ka', was the double of the physical body, freed at the moment of death but able to return to the corpse at will.

This aspect of the soul required sustenance in order to continue to exist and this is why the burial chambers of Egyptian dignitaries were filled not only with food, but also with ceremonial and household handmade furniture that represented the highest achievements of Egyptian craftsmen.

Being perishable, wooden frames did not always survive interment. However, gold casings and ivory inlays, found on tomb floors, have enabled Egyptologists to recreate the furniture.

Secrets From The Tombs

Reconstructions of artefacts found in the tomb of Queen Hetepheres have revealed an elaborate canopy bed, a carrying chair, and other items including numerous boxes.

The tomb of Tutankhamen, who was born c.1340bce and died more than 1,000 years after Hetepheres, contained artefacts designed specifically for the burial site: his funerary couch, for example, is carved in the form of Ammit, the eater of the dead, a god with the head of a crocodile, the body of a leopard and the hindquarters of a hippopotamous.

Tutankhamen ruled for less than ten years, and much speculation surrounds the circumstances of his death. When Howard Carter discovered Tutenkhamen's tomb in 1922, there were immediate consequences for the decorative arts. Art Deco furniture, in particular, reflected the influence of ancient Egyptian forms and decorative motifs, just as furniture of the French Empire period had done following Napoleon's triumphant entry into Egypt in 1798.

Domestic Furniture

Depictions of items in everyday use by the more affluent members of society have been preserved in paintings and carvings. The most common item of furniture documented was the stool, both three and four legged types, with varying degrees of decoration.

The folding stool, constructed from a pair of wooden frames and a slung leather seat, originated in the Middle Kingdom and became a staple of ancient interior design, from Aqua Sulis to Constantinople.

Another kind of stool in common use had a concave seat, supported by four upright legs linked with stretchers and reinforced with diagonal braces.