The first slipper chair dates back to the Queen Ann era—the first half of the 18th century. The chair featured an upholstered seat and back and cabriolet legs, which are curved and typically feature a pad foot.  Originally defined as a small bedroom chair, the slipper chair has slowly made its way into the rest of the home, evolving from a fussy boudoir decoration to a contemporary accent chair.  Perhaps the most famous re-boot of the slippers design came from Billy Baldwin in the mid-1950’s for his client Pauline de Rothschild.  Mr. Baldwin’s cut-out at seat height allowed for a loose cushion to be recessed into the back, a tailored and masculine touch.

The tasteful eye of the curators at 145 Antiques in New York City have a marvelous example of how 19th century French designers saw the iconic piece.  Beautiful cut velvet, long multicolored bullion fringe over turned and castor caped legs, and an elegantly scrolled high back make this chair elegant, and functional.  If (as legend has it) this chairs original function was for putting on and removing shoes, I for one would welcome it bedside, or near my front door.

145 Antiques

27 West 20 Street
New York, NY 10011, USA
Phone: 212-807-1149

http://145antiques.com/itemdetails.php?id=61883