HISTORY OF FURNITURE

ININTERIOR DESIGN

SUMBITTED BY- SUBMITTED TO-

ANAS KHAN Ar. HUMA MATLOOBROLL NO - 15DPID-338 ENROLL NO- GI7996

MESOPOTAMIA:-The word mesopotamia means the land between two rivers tigris and euphrates.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MESOPOTAMIAN FURNITURE:-

A throne,kursi,takht,simhasan or an elaborate chair symbolize the divine so people only with authority were entitled to it. Only the king was seated others just stood around and therefore stools,chairs and couches are most common here. In this civilization couch was used for sleeping.

SIGNIFICANCE OF FURNITURE:- Idea of settlement of society. Level of culture and education. Indication of social status. Technological aspects. Personal statement. Attitude towards furniture. Indicator of social concepts. Item of luxury. Imitating art forms. Art form itself.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EGYPTIAN FURNITURE:-

Patrician:- Only the egyptian royalty and dignities used furniture but masses did not and for this reason even the earliest specimens of furniture are highly elaborated and luxurious.

Range Of Furniture:- The egyptian range of furniture covered all the basic items of furniture like stools,chairs,tables,beds etc.

Monumental Aspects:- The egyptian furniture was monumental by this, it is not meant that this made on large scale but it is inspired and fear of authority.

Visual Impact:- Like other egyptian art furniture and its decoration is highly usual.

Symbolic Presentation:- The egyptian furniture makers enjoyed the use of symbols in their creations.

Imitatation of Other Arts:- It seems the egyptian furniture maker love to imitate other arts in their craft.

Love of Ebony:- The egyptian liked ebony not only for its hardness but because it had to be imported at great scale and so it is a state symbol.

Ignorance of Drawers:- The egyptian never used drawers in bigger items of furniture.

Excellence Craftmenship:- The egyptian were excellent craftsmens technically. They used plain-butt joint,dove tail joint and halving joints in their work.

Folding Furniture:- They possessed light folding furniture like folding beds and stools.

Peculiarity of Bed:- The egyptians bed did not have pillows but have head rests and foot boards.

Fitted Furniture:- They were well aware of fitted furniture concept.

IMPORTANCE OF GREEK FURNITURE:-

Ancient greek and roman together are known as the antiquity. The antique style have influence western design. For Example:- the greek used klismos a type of chair which is in vary form has been divide time and again by post medieval chair makers. This form is so popular that the antiquency is even now in showroom.

Chairs:- Greek chair can be split into two basic types throne and klismos. Thrones were derive from the Egyptians and Mesopotamians and klismos from the indogeneous sources. Thrones were considered as the seats of god in the temples. Wealthy people also used thrones.

Klismos:- Nothing has influenced the posterity as much as the klismos. Revolution of klismos generally approximated that of art. Klismos is totally practical,light comfortable and contemporary design and due to these virtues if it is associated with woman and domestic ambians in greek art.

One with four straight usually turned legs. A favourite of greek gods and housewife alike and another folding X-stool, use outdoors carried by slaves or their masters. The tools usually had animal legs ending in inward facing lions paws.

Couches:- The greek couch was taken from Egyptian model and was light in weight but it was more like sofa cum bed. It was higher and a stool was used for access allowing easy surveying of food and had a head board and no foot board allowing the dinner to lean.

Tables:- A typical greek table was small portable and of a height to allow it to be pushed under a couch in instead of four, it had three legs which made it more stable on uneven surface and was mainly used in dining.

Chest:- Greek used chests boxes for storage of things some were richly decorated. Some of shelves were also decorated.

ROME:-

Romans adopted all greek furniture but due to their imperior nature. They added grandules and luxury to them. Romans used luxurious materials like gold,silver,copper and ivory with the use of precious woods in lay in various materials. Roman furniture covered a wide range and expressed a highly settled and luxurious mode of living and despite all that it lack a few facilities like upholstery.

Chairs:- Thrones from greeks continued though klismos disappeared and barrel shape tub chair became popular. This chair has been the most enduring form continuing upto a century.

Stools:- Stools were also a continuation of greek ones and ordinary folding x-stool was the symbol of roman majistrates authority.

Couches:- Couches were the seats to sit relax and sleep.

Table:- Tables were a continuation of greek rectangular and circular tripod forms with added features integrate carving and fine ornamentation.

HISTORY OF FURNITURE IN MIDDLE AGE:- Early Medieval (500-1000 A.D)

Characteristics Of Early Medieval Ages:-

After the fall of Roman Empire. Europe some into darkness. There was nothing which could be termed as civilization. As this area covers a period between the ancient and the modern period is known as the middle ages or medieval. The early medieval which spreads 5-10th century is known as the dark ages due to its ignorance.

Chairs:- Chairs was the seat of authority for princess and nobles. Common people sat on three legs stools or on boxes. Thrones of wood was very common. Chairs consist of turned members and were elaborately painted. Sometime they had arm rests and high backs.

Stools and benches:- Folding x-frame stools were used in the roman fashion. Four leg stools with turned or rectangular members were painted and benches were used as tables

.

Chest and boxes:- They were most common items. They consist of four vertical boards with the base and a lid.

Table and desks:- Benches and chest were used as tables.

ROMANESQUE (1000-1100 A.D):-

Later medieval period is divided into two periods into two periods Romanesque and gothic. This is the period when there were fights between europian Christians and Muslims. Europians learned a lot from muslims which resulted in a new spirit of arch and architecture called gothic but what we call Romanesque period was

dominated by crude and ill proportioned round archis and slightly better workmanship that influence furniture making also.

Characterstics of Romanesque furniture:-

Arcading dominated all form of furniture and painting or bright colour was practiced most of the furniture was either removable or built in classical forms continued with carved architectural decoration and the furniture was formal and splendid.

Chairs:- Chairs were the symbol of authority and its members were mostly of turned wood.

Tables:- Table of various shape is used. The majority of tables were movable and some had semi circular tops.

Cupboards:- Cupboards were made as plane shelves or in the form of planks without frame work or paneling.

Beds:- Beds had two forms one with turned members elaborately frame and another was based on chest construction and both had curtains suspended from the rod around the bed.

GOTHIC PERIOD (1200-1300 A.D):-

Gothic style began in france in 1150 and Islamic civilization was its main inspiration. Gothic is symbolized by tall slim pointed arches which came from Islamic east. Tracery was another important feature which sepped from architecture to furniture.

Various kinds of wood were used depending upon availability. Oak was a chief timber where as other woods were used such as lime,apple and pear. Many types of stools were used. X-shaped stool of antique origin was common. More common was the three legs stool with very short legs. In the 15th century a new type of stool called slab endeds stools emerged. It had a flat top of plank supported at both ends by two planks.

Chairs:- Thrones were seemed to be more common than simple chair. They did not more because they were heavy among the simple chair the most common was the tub chair.

Tables:- Gothic tables were of two types fixed and movable. The movable table were usually board tressless most writing desk were boxes with sloping top to allow convenient writing.

Chest:- Chest were the most wide spread and popular items of the gothic period. The once with the flat top were used as a bench or a table. The chest were made by hallowing out a tree trunk this is the reason the chest were also called as trunk.