A chair is one of the most important interior items, an integral part of any room. The shape and look of the chair can help to trace the history of furniture. The cultural historian Svetlana Tevelievna Makhlina believes that “the chair is the most mobile part of the furnishings and, therefore, it is affected by the slightest changes in fashion more than other objects”.

Her article “The Chair and Armchair in the Residential Interior” says that the curule chair is considered to be the oldest prototype of the chair. It was “intended only for consuls, praetors, aediles and other officials (curules) in ancient Rome” and “represented a folding chair with crossed legs. It was made of bronze and, according to Roman custom, was carried everywhere after its owner”.

A variety of special items for sitting existed in ancient Greece and Egypt, in Mesopotamia. During the Middle Ages, a chair was an indicator of the owner’s status. In Russia, according to Svetlana Makhlina, chairs did not appear until the 17th century, when the country began to establish international relations.

In the course of history, the design of the chair did not change much. It still consists of three key elements: the seat, backrest and legs. However, no other interior object is so diverse in shape and materials. For example, there are many ways of building chairs, which determines the way the item looks. There are bent, laminated, wicker, plastic, and metal chairs, to mention a few.

The chair on display in the “Merchant’s Living Room” exhibition is made using carpentry. The bars of the back legs extend into the vertical bars of the backrests, forming one whole with them. The legs of the chair are connected by the side and central crosspieces, which hold the legs together. In the lower part of the backrest the chair is decorated with a carved pattern. The backrest and seat are upholstered in embossed leather, which also features Art Nouveau motifs.

It is not known where the chair was made. At the time when it was created, furniture in Russia could either be made to order or bought in furniture stores. At the same time, in the late 19th — early 20th century, the demand for ready-made furniture was steadily increasing.

According to the statistics for 1905, there were 11 furniture stores in Astrakhan, which sold interior items of different styles made of mahogany, gray maple, and oak. At the same time five furniture and wallpaper workshops offered their services. In 1912 there were already 16 furniture stores and one wallpaper, drapery, joinery and packing workshop, which fulfilled orders for the manufacture of all kinds of furniture.