Armchair

Interior architecture and furniture-making of the 2nd half of the 19th c. usually evoked models from bygone eras. The inspiration for the displayed piece of furniture was the English Classicism of the 2nd half of the 18th c. when unassumingly elegant, simple in shape armchairs and sofas with rung backs and upholstered seats were commonly used in fashionable, comfortably furnished English houses. Mahogany furniture of this kind, made at the turn of the 18th and 19th c. for Izabela Lubomirska, has been preserved in Łańcut to this day. The displayed armchair is part of a set made to order at the end of the 19th c. when the Łańcut castle underwent a thorough modernisation during the time of Elżbieta and Roman Potocki. This furniture was intended for the newly arranged dressing rooms and the modern bathrooms of guest apartments, fitted with running water. The simple design, unadorned form, and bright colours allowed the furnishings to be hygienically used and maintained. The armchair with an upholstered seat owes its lightness to the openwork rungs supporting the partially enclosed upholstered headrest that creates a comfortable, relaxing back. Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967