"A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous."
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect
Chairs have been invented that swing, swivel, rock, roll, recline, fold, massage, and even electrocute. Before all of those, however, came the invention of the chair in its simplest form, about 4,800 years ago. More than a thousand years before that, man had invented a way of resting in a sitting position off the floor, on the simple backless seats known as stools.
Stools were raised to an art form by the ancient Egyptians. Beside creating beautiful and ornate stools, the Egyptian craftsmen also focused on function by fabricating stools that folded. Some examples have floor rails and crossing spindles with carved goose heads inlaid with ivory to resemble feathers and eyes. In the Third Dynasty (2650-2575 B.C.E.), Egyptians were also to give stools their greatest adornment, a back to support the seated person in an upright position. By steadily increasing the height of the back from a simple lumbar support, Egyptians soon arrived at high-back chairs.
As they had with stools, the Egyptians turned chairs into art without sacrificing function for appearance. Chairs in the Middle Kingdom (2040- 1640 B.C.E.) were padded for comfort with a cushion, or they had backs of full height. These chairs were curved and fashioned from timber slats and were supported on narrow legs. Sometimes, chairs were painted to give the appearance of animal skin. In the era of the New Kingdom (1540-1070 B.C.E.) a new feature was added to the chair: arms. Thousands of years later, with humankind becoming more sedentary than ever, retractable leg rests are a common option in the quest for the most comfortable chair ever invented.
