Pair of Antique German Antler Chairs with Rococo Style Upholstery

Pair of Antique German Antler Chairs with Rococo Style Upholstery
German, early 20th Century
Height 108cm, width 212cm, depth 80cm

These unusual chairs, an example of 'antler-seat furniture', were likely crafted in Germany in the early 20th Century. Each chair features a backrest cushion framed with crossed antlers, with the remaining structure also formed from antlers. The cushions are upholstered in a Rococo style fabric, which features a cream background and charming figurative scenes within scrolling rocaille-like frames, surrounded by various floral details.

Using antlers for furniture is a style that dates back to the 15th Century with 'lusterweibchen' chandeliers. At the beginning of the 19th Century, however, such pieces became hugely popular amongst the European nobility to decorate their country mansions and hunting lodges. From the mid 19th Century, antler-seat suites like the present piece found popularity amongst the middle classes, particularly sparked by their inclusion in the 1851 Great Exhibition.