Both beautiful and useful
Journey along the Nile
Chair, about 1550–1186 BC, painted and inlaid wood
In the West, people did not have chairs to sit on until the 15th century. The Egyptians, on the other hand, invented this piece of furniture more than three thousand years ago. And it’s easy to imagine some of their chairs in our modern homes! In wealthy households, everyday objects could be very refined, combining both the beautiful and the useful, as in every society. While the leather seat on this chair is a modern restoration, and the blue paint on the legs may not be entirely original, the cabinetry is 100% that of an ancient Egyptian craftsman. He used different types of wood in a range of tones and ivory inlay to create a checkerboard pattern and waterlilies on the back, and carved majestic lion paws for the feet.
Furniture for the afterlife
Because the ancient Egyptians furnished their tombs, we know what the furniture in their homes looked like. The lion paw feet of some pieces protected them on the dangerous journey in the afterlife. Head rests were placed under a mummy’s head to prevent it from getting chopped off in the land of the dead!