Indian Armchair with Jali or Pierced-work Screen Elements

A throne-sized chair with lace for a back and legs turned like bedposts

This armchair with jali or pierced-work screen elements is from India, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. It is makrana marble. Jaipur is described as the center of marble carving in Rajasthan, dating to around 250 years ago when the ruler Sawai Jai Singh II moved his capital there and summoned skilled sculptors. An armchair with a tall pierced arch of scrolling leaves, side panels of diamond lattice and rolled arms. The seat is a broad slab above four fluted, baluster-turned legs. The pale surface looks cool and clean. It is 28 inches long, 24 deep and 43 high.

Comfort was clearly never the brief, grandeur was.