Sedan Chairs in European Centres of Power

The sedan chair is a fascinating phenomenon that defies classification in many respects. On the one hand at least in its simplest form it can be classified as a piece of furniture, whereas on the other it is also a mode of transportation. Sedan chairs of a simple, robust construction were an inexpensive everyday vehicle for getting about in the city that like taxis in our time could be hired for short distances. Finished in precious materials, however, the sedan chair became a magnificent means of representation that perfectly exemplified the social differences of an estate-based society. Members of the upper class travelled around their palaces and the streets of the city in sedan chairs carried by servants dressed in elegant liveries. This not only enabled them to avoid contact with the filthy ground, but also raised them symbolically above the level of the common people. According to the latest estimates, there are currently nearly 1,100 sedan chairs of European origin in private collections and museums. The lack of interest that has hitherto been shown in research into sedan chairs stands in stark contrast to the large number of chairs still in existence today, and to their art and cultural historical significance. For the first time ever, the present anthology deals in depth with the early age of the sedan chair in Europe, in other words, the period between the late Middle Ages and the beginning of the 18th century. It comprises seven essays by international researchers describing the introduction and establishment of the sedan chair in various different European centres of power. The contributions focus on developments at the papal court, in Genoa, in the Spanish monarchy, at the Viceregal Court of Naples, at the courts of the Austrian Hapsburgs, at the Bavarian court, and in France. The authors choose a comparatively wide variety of thematic approaches to their subject. These range from an analysis of the design and décor of sedan chairs to the treatment of the artists and craftsmen responsible for their design and construction to an investigation of their use by members of princely families and the nobility. The authors also examine the use of sedan chairs at leading courts as well as in outlying cities. Several of these contributions pay special attention to the hiring of sedan chairs and to the social background and working conditions of their carriers. Whereas artistic, social, legal and ceremonial aspects are predominant in some of these contributions, others again concentrate more on terminological questions. The various approaches and questions raised not only reflect the many different interests of the authors, but also the varied nature of the object of their investigations.

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