When Odoacer, Chieftain of the Heruli, overthrew the last of the Western Roman Emperors in 476CE, it spelt the end of more than 600 years of Roman dominion over Western Europe. The ensuing territorial disputes resulted in a violent dislocation of the region's Classical inheritance, which naturally influenced the arts and, therefore, furniture. Antique furniture.
Although the Empire persisted in the East - centred on Constantinople - its Greek Hellenistic tradition was now tempered by the Christian ideals of the Roman rulers.
Christianity also informed the culture of the West, influenced by an increasingly powerful papacy. The perpetuation of the Roman Empire in Byzantium, which flourished from the end of the eighth century, created stability.
The old Classical aesthetic was fused with Eastern influences, becoming more linear and taking on abstract, geometric decoration.
In Byzantine interiors, mosaic was brighter and more colourful than its Roman precursor and was used as a wall decoration more often than on the floor.
Byzantine Furniture
The Byzantine furniture trade distinguished between the joiner, who made standard items for the general consumer, and the cabinet maker, whose more architectural designs express the aspirations of a thriving and proud culture.
The Egyptian X-frame chair abounded, complete with terminals depicting the heads and feet of animals, although it was made of heavier timber than ever before, and sometimes even fashioned from metal.
Chairs remained symbols of power and as such they were often monumental in both size and status - more akin to grand thrones than modern chairs. Sophisticated desks fitted with adjustable lectern tops for reading revealed a greater appreciation of function. Dining tables were very low in deference to the classical manner of eating while reclining, supporting the diner on one elbow - a practice which is still followed in much of Asia Minor.
The most common item of furniture was the chest. Lavish examples incorporated intarsia work or inlays of stones, ivory and precious metals. Their more humble cousins were coffers with simple, flat, hinged lids that also served as beds or benches.
Furniture In The West
The coffer, or chest, was also the most common item of furniture in Western Europe. A basic wooden box constructed from six timber boards nailed together, or even a hollowed log, it was often the only piece of furniture owned by many people. The landed gentry, on the other hand, usually owned coffers by the dozen, filled with clothes, coins and other trappings.
Many landlords had itinerant lifestyles because an often scattered population forced them to spend a lot of their time travelling between different parts of their estates. A great deal of non fitted furniture was therefore made to be portable. Tapestries, wall hangings and cushions were usually removed and taken from one house to another.
Chests designed for the safe transport of goods had curved lids to drain away rain water, and were seldom decorated except, perhaps for a leather cover. Those that doubled as home furnishings had more comfortable flat lids and some also had feet, or even legs.
Growing Construction Skills
As joiners steadily developed more sophisticated carpentry skills, chests were better made. The hutch chest, first recorded in the 13th century, used a primitive kind of dovetail joint reinforced with a dowel peg, making it much stronger and more durable than anything that had gone before.
The superior strength did away with the need for iron banding, leaving the entire surface of the chest free for carved decoration.
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