STRUCTURAL FEATURES: On his first visit to India in the early 1880s, prolific American interior and furniture designer Lockwood de Forest collaborated with philanthropist Mugganbhai Hutheesing to form the Ahmedabad Wood Carving Company (AWCC). Produced at the AWCC by local craftsmen, this chair is one of de Forest’s designs, and is emblematic of the Aesthetic Movement of the late-19th century, characterised by the love of beauty, ornamentation and decoration rather than functionality.

STYLISTIC FEATURES: The chair, upholstered with richly embroidered fabric, is straight-backed with a rectilinear form. In terms of ornamentation, it combines Indian, North African and Far Eastern design motifs. Its back is delicately chiselled in a scroll-like pattern, almost akin to woven lace, and the crest is shaped in a club-like formation. The frieze overhanging the seat also has a carved floral pattern. The legs are of the cabriole style with a serpent-like creature on their ends.