A curule seat is a design of a (usually) foldable and transportable
chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
noted for its uses in
Ancient Rome and Europe through to the 20th century. Its status in early Rome as a symbol of political or military power carried over to other civilizations, as it was also used in this regard by kings in Europe,
Napoleon, and others.
History
Ancient Rome
In the
Roman Republic and the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
, the curule chair (''sella curulis'', supposedly from ''currus'', "chariot") was the seat upon which magistrates holding ''
imperium'' were entitled to sit. This includes
dictators, ''
magistri equitum'',
consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...
s,
praetors, ''
curule aedile
''Aedile'' ( ; la, aedīlis , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enf ...
s'', and the
promagistrates, temporary or ''de facto'' holders of such offices. Additionally, the
censors and the
flamen of
Jupiter (
Flamen Dialis) were also allowed to sit on a curule seat, though these positions did not hold ''imperium''.
Livy writes that the three ''
flamines maiores
A (plural ''flamens'' or ''flamines'') was a priest of the ancient Roman religion who was assigned to one of eighteen deities with official cults during the Roman Republic. The most important of these were the three (or "major priests"), who ser ...
'' or high priests of the
Archaic Triad
The Archaic Triad is a hypothetical divine triad, consisting of the three allegedly original deities worshipped on the Capitoline Hill in Rome: Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus. This structure was no longer clearly detectable in later times, and only t ...
of major gods were each granted the honor of the curule chair. Additionally, when an
interregnum occurred in the Roman republic, the interrex was also granted a sella curulis along with the other symbols of power given to a regular magistrate. The precise name of the curule seat also varied based on the specific type and holder of the seat, such as: "sella regia (royal chair) sella ducis (general's chair), sella consularis (consular chair), sella consulis (chair of a consul), sella eburnea (an ivory seat often used a gift for foreign dignitaries), sella castrensis (the campstool, a military version of the sella curulis), and sella aurea (a gold chair)."
The curule seat was carried by public slaves when being transported from place to place. This custom further symbolized the authority of the magistrate/owner of the sella curulis. Imagery of a slave carrying a curule seat can be seen in archaic Etruscan art (''see in Gallery "Tomb of the Augurs" 530 BCE''). As seen on the Tomb of Augurs, a small slave is seen to be bearing a sella curulis on his shoulders in the lower left corner. In the Tomb of the Jugglers from 520 BCE (''see in Gallery "Tomb of the Jugglers"''), the magistrate for whom the tomb is dedicated to is also seen to be seated on his sella curulis on the far right which indicates that he is the owner and magistrate.
The curule chairs themselves indicated the authority of the magistrate as he conducted business while sitting in the chair. Therefore, the seats themselves have been symbolically viewed as political pawns for power over Rome itself.
However, this powerful symbolism appears to be limited due to incidents where the sella curulis was purposely destroyed. The destruction of the chair as a means to disrupt or attack a magistrate’s rule did not actually prevent the owner of the curule seat from exercising his power. In
Cassius Dio
Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...
’s ''Roman History'', Dio recounts the event where Glabrio destroyed Lucius Lucullus’ curule seat out of anger towards Lucullus. However, Lucullus and his attending officials still proceeded with business although the sella curulis was destroyed.
According to
Livy, the curule seat, like the
Roman toga, originated in
Etruria, and it has been used on surviving Etruscan monuments to identify magistrates. However, much earlier stools supported on a cross-frame are known from the
New Kingdom of Egypt. One of the earliest recorded examples of the curule chair proper was in 494 BC when the honour of a curule chair in the
circus maximus
The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and la ...
was awarded to the
Roman dictator Manius Valerius Maximus
Manius Valerius Maximus was Roman dictator in 494 BC during the first secession of the plebs. His brothers were Publius Valerius Publicola and Marcus Valerius Volusus. They were said to be the sons of Volesus Valerius.Livy, ''Ab urbe condita ...
as a result of his
victory over the Sabines. According to
Cassius Dio
Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...
, early in 44 BC a senate decree granted
Julius Caesar the curule seat everywhere except in the theatre, where his
gilded chair and jeweled crown were carried in, putting him on a par with the gods. The curule chair is also used on Roman medals as well as funerary monuments to express a curule magistracy; when traversed by a
hasta, it is the symbol of
Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
* ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film '' Jenny, Juno''
*Juno, in the ...
.
The curule seat was also used in funeral processions. Several pieces of
Etruscan art, urns, and tomb reliefs from the 4th century BCE portray a magistrate's funerary procession. The curule seat was one of the many symbols displayed during the procession which indicated his status and prestige, along with the
fasces, lituus-bearers, and other emblems of his office. The custom of bearing the curule chair of the magistrate at his funeral was present in Rome as well. The funerary monument from via Labicana itself is shaped like a sella curulis (''see in Gallery below''). Additionally, on the top beam of the monument, the frieze prominently features a sella curulis beside the presumed magistrate and his attendants. For example,
Dio recounts that Caesar’s golden curule seat was displayed in his funeral procession along with his golden crown and a golden image of him.
Polybus detailed that the representatives of the family would sit in the curule seats of the deceased during public ceremonies.
Additionally, the curule seat of a magistrate was also ceremonially paraded while he was living. An example of this appears when the golden sella curules of Tiberius and Sejanus were displayed at the ludi scaenici in 30 CE.
In Rome, the curule chair was traditionally made of or veneered with
ivory, with curved legs forming a wide X; it had no back, and low arms. Although often of luxurious construction, this chair was meant to be uncomfortable to sit on for long periods of time, the double symbolism being that the official was expected to carry out his public function in an efficient and timely manner, and that his office, being an office of the
republic, was temporary, not perennial. The chair could be folded, and thus was easily transportable; this accords with its original function for magisterial and promagisterial commanders in the field. It developed a
hieratic significance, expressed in fictive curule seats on funerary monuments, a symbol of power which was never entirely lost in post-Roman European tradition. 6th-century consular ivory
diptychs of Orestes and of Constantinus each depict the consul seated on an elaborate curule seat with crossed animal legs.
As a form of
throne, the ''sella'' might be given as an honor to foreign kings recognized formally as
allies by the
Roman people
grc, Ῥωμαῖοι,
, native_name_lang =
, image = Pompeii family feast painting Naples.jpg
, image_caption = 1st century AD wall painting from Pompeii depicting a multigenerational banquet
, languages =
, religi ...
or
Senate. The ivory curule seat specifically was used as an honorary gift which was sent to foreign kings by the senate of Rome. The presentation of the insignia of royalty which included an ivory curule seat, (along with other insignia such as a scepter, golden crown, horse, armor, and embroidered robe), signified that the foreign king was worthy of this delegated power.
Other uses
Folding chairs of foreign origin were mentioned in China by the 2nd century AD, possibly related to the curule seat. These chairs were called ''hu chuang'' ("barbarian bed"), and
Frances Wood
Frances Wood (; born 1948) is an English librarian, sinologue and historian known for her writings on Chinese history, including Marco Polo, life in the Chinese treaty ports, and the First Emperor of China.
Biography
Wood was born in Londo ...
argues that they came from the
Eastern Roman Empire, since the cultures of
Persia and
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...
preferred cushions and
divans instead. A poem by
Yu Jianwu, written about 552 AD, reads:
By the name handed down you are from a foreign region
coming into hinaand being used in the capital
With legs leaning your frame adjusts by itself
With limbs slanting your body levels by itself...
In Gaul the
Merovingian successors to Roman power employed the curule seat as an emblem of their right to dispense justice, and their
Capetian
The Capetian dynasty (; french: Capétiens), also known as the House of France, is a dynasty of Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians. It is among the largest and oldest royal houses in Europe and the world, and consists of Hugh Cap ...
successors retained the iconic seat: the "
Throne of Dagobert
The Throne of Dagobert or Chair of Dagobert is a bronze chair made in the early Middle Ages and long associated with the Frankish and later French monarchy. After having been kept for centuries at the Abbey of Saint-Denis, it is now at the '' C ...
", of cast bronze retaining traces of its former gilding, is conserved in the
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...
. The "throne of Dagobert" is first mentioned in the 12th century, already as a treasured relic, by
Abbot Suger
Suger (; la, Sugerius; 1081 – 13 January 1151) was a French abbot, statesman, and historian. He once lived at the court of Pope Calixtus II in Maguelonne, France. He later became abbot of St-Denis, and became a close confidant to King Lou ...
, who claims in his ''Administratione'', "We also restored the noble throne of the glorious King
Dagobert
Dagobert or Taginbert is a Germanic male given name, possibly from Old Frankish ''Dag'' "day" and ''beraht'' "bright".
Alternatively, it has been identified as Gaulish ''dago'' "good" ''berxto'' "bright".
Animals
* Roi Dagobert (born 1964), ...
, on which, as tradition relates, the Frankish kings sat to receive the homage of their nobles after they had assumed power. We did so in recognition of its exalted function and because of the value of the work itself." Abbot Suger added bronze upper members with foliated scrolls and a back-piece. The "Throne of Dagobert" was coarsely repaired and used for the coronation of
Napoleon.
In the 15th century, a characteristic
folding-chair of both Italy and Spain was made of numerous shaped cross-framed elements, joined to wooden members that rested on the floor and further made rigid with a wooden back. 19th-century dealers and collectors termed these "
Dante Chairs" or "
Savonarola Chairs", with disregard to the centuries intervening between the two figures. Examples of curule seats were redrawn from a 15th-century manuscript of the ''Roman de Renaude de Montauban'' and published in
Henry Shaw's ''Specimens of Ancient Furniture'' (1836).
The 15th or early 16th-century curule seat that survives at
York Minster
The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...
, originally entirely covered with textiles, has rear members extended upwards to form a back, between which a rich textile was stretched. The cross-framed armchair, no longer actually a folding chair, continued to have regal connotations.
James I of England was portrayed with such a chair, its framing entirely covered with a richly patterned
silk damask
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the co ...
textile, with decorative nailing, in
Paul van Somer's portrait. Similar early 17th-century cross-framed seats survive at
Knole, perquisites from a royal event.
The photo of actor Edwin Booth as
Hamlet poses him in a regal cross-framed chair, considered suitably medieval in 1870.
The form found its way into stylish but non-royal decoration in the archaeological second phase of
neoclassicism
Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. ...
in the early 19th century. An unusually early example of this revived form is provided by the large sets of richly carved and gilded ''pliants'' (folding stools) forming part of long sets with matching ''tabourets'' delivered in 1786 to the royal châteaux of
Compiègne
Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''.
Administration
Compiègne is the seat of two cantons:
* Compiègne-1 (with 1 ...
and
Fontainebleau. With their Imperial Roman connotations, the backless curule seats found their way into furnishings for Napoleon, who moved some of the former royal ''pliants'' into his state bedchamber at Fontainebleau. Further examples were ordered, in the newest Empire taste:
Jacob-Desmalter's seats with members in the form of carved and gilded sheathed sabres were delivered to
Saint-Cloud about 1805. Cross-framed drawing-room chairs are illustrated in
Thomas Sheraton's last production, ''The Cabinet-Maker, Upholsterer and General Artist's Encyclopaedia'' (1806), and in
Thomas Hope's ''Household Furniture'' (1807).
With the decline of archaeological neoclassicism, the curule chair disappeared; it is not found among
Biedermeier
The ''Biedermeier'' period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew in number and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in ...
and other Late Classical furnishing schemes.
Gallery
File:Aureus Macrinus-RIC 0079.jpg, Macrinus on an aureus
The ''aureus'' ( ''aurei'', 'golden', used as a noun) was a gold coin of ancient Rome originally valued at 25 pure silver ''denarii'' (sin. denarius). The ''aureus'' was regularly issued from the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 4th cen ...
. On the reverse, the emperor and his son are sitting on their ''curule chairs''.
File:Peter II of Aragon.jpg, Engraving of a sealing of Peter II of Aragon, ca 1196—1213[From Louis Blancard, ''Iconographie des sceaux et bulles'', 1860.]
File:Orde van de Ster.jpg, John II of France, seated on the "Throne of Dagobert" (unusually adorned with dogs' heads), founds the Order of the Star in 1351; manuscript illumination (Bibliothèque nationale
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
)
File:JamesIEngland.jpg, James I of England (ruling 1603–13) with a royal cross-framed armchair and standing on an Oriental carpet
An oriental rug is a heavy textile made for a wide variety of utilitarian and symbolic purposes and produced in " Oriental countries" for home use, local sale, and export.
Oriental carpets can be pile woven or flat woven without pile, using v ...
, by Paul van Somer
File:Folding stool (pliant) (one of a pair) MET DP113122.jpg, French folding stool, curule style, 1786
File:Edwin Booth Hamlet 1870.jpg, The American actor Edwin Booth
Edwin Thomas Booth (November 13, 1833 – June 7, 1893) was an American actor who toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869, he founded Booth's Theatre in New York. Some theatri ...
as Hamlet, seated in a curule chair, c. 1870
File:4th Earl of Minto.jpg, The Governor-general of Canada, circa 1900.
File:Tomb of the Augurs (530 BCE).png, Tomb of the Augurs (530 BCE). A small slave bears a curule seat on his shoulders in the bottom left corner.
File:Tomb of the Jugglers (520 BCE).png, Tomb of the Jugglers (520 BCE). On the lower right corner of the wall, a magistrate sits on his sella curulis.
File:Funerary monument with a sella curulis.png, Funerary monument from via Labicana with a sella curulis.
See also
*
Barcelona chair
The Barcelona chair is a chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich, for the German Pavilion at the International Exposition of 1929, hosted by Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
The chair was first used in Villa Tugendhat, a priva ...
*
Daensen folding chair (Bronze Age)
*
Faldstool
Faldstool (from the O.H. Ger. ''falden'' or ''falten'', "to fold," and ''stuol'', Mod. Ger. ''Stuhl'', "stool"; from the medieval Latin ''faldistolium'' derived, through the old form ''fauesteuil'', from the Mod. Fr. ''fauteuil'') is a porta ...
*
Glastonbury chair
Glastonbury chair is a nineteenth-century term for an earlier wooden chair, usually of oak, possibly based on a chair made for Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury, England. The Glastonbury chair was known to exist since the Early Middl ...
*
List of chairs
*
Magistratus Curulis
*
Porter's chair
A hood chair or porter's chair was a type of chair used originally in medieval England and later France. Usually made of wood, but sometimes formed in a high-grade leather or red velvet, it was placed by the front door of an estate or home for ...
*
Seat of honor
{{Short pages monitor
See also
*Curule seat
Honor
Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teac ...
*
X-chair
An X-chair (also scissors chair, Dante chair, Savonarola chair or Faldstool) is a chair with an X-shaped frame. It was known to have been used in Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece.
History
A type of folding chair with a frame like an ''X' ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curule Chair
Ancient Roman furniture
Seats
Portable furniture