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$2,950
A striking late 19th-century Egyptian Moorish Revival folding chair, circa 1880, finely handcrafted in carved walnut and accented with delicate mother-of-pearl and shell inlay. The chair has an unusually architectural silhouette composed of slender carved wooden slats forming the tall curved back, seat and folding X-form support. Throughout the walnut are intricate hand-carved foliate and geometric motifs, punctuated by small mother-of-pearl star and floral inlays that catch the light against the richly aged dark wood. The elaborate crest is particularly decorative, with pierced carving, geometric ornament and a prominent band of Arabic calligraphic decoration. The combination of carved wood, pierced ornament, calligraphy and shimmering shell inlay reflects the highly decorative vocabulary associated with Egyptian and Middle Eastern Moorish Revival furniture of the late 19th century. Its folding construction gives the chair an especially sculptural quality. When opened, the curved slatted framework creates a dramatic continuous profile from the tall back through the seat and crossed supports to the decorative feet. Although functional in conception, today it is equally compelling as a collectible piece of Islamic decorative art or an accent chair. The walnut retains a warm, beautifully developed antique patina with surface variation and
