America 1786 - 1791

This tapestry-upholstered chair, made by Beauvais, presents a fascinating view of "America" through the eyes of the Old World. The figures atop the chair are adorned with feathered headdresses. These headdresses are symbols of indigenous peoples, filtered and reimagined through the lens of European perception. The native figures evoke a sense of the exotic and unfamiliar, echoing motifs from classical antiquity, where conquered lands were often represented as allegorical figures. Now, consider the reclining bull and sheep on the chair's seat. Here, the symbol of agriculture emerges. The animals speak of the land's potential, a classical pastoral idea linking humans to nature. These animals are a sign of the promise that America holds in the European imagination. The images here are a potent reminder of how cultures perceive one another and how symbols can both reveal and obscure the truth. Such symbols resonate deeply with the collective memory and subconscious desires that drive us. The chair is not just furniture, but a vessel carrying stories and cultural projections across time.