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$2,900
An exceptionally decorative late 19th-century Middle Eastern folding chair, circa 1880, finely handcrafted in carved wood and embellished with delicate mother-of-pearl inlay. The chair is constructed in the traditional folding or X-frame form, with an unusually tall, slender back composed of multiple carved vertical splats. The elongated silhouette terminates in an elaborate pierced and carved crest featuring scrolling arabesques, foliate ornament and a central stylized motif characteristic of Moorish and Islamic decorative arts. Throughout the dark wood surface, small mother-of-pearl inlays form delicate star and floral motifs, creating luminous points of contrast against the richly aged brown patina. The seat is similarly decorated with geometric carving and scattered inlay, while the folding supports continue the carved and inlaid decoration almost to floor level. The combination of pierced carving, arabesque ornament, geometric decoration and mother-of-pearl inlay relates to furniture produced throughout the Eastern Mediterranean during the later Ottoman
