Armstoel bekleed met groene wol en met armleggers die eindigen in dierensnuiten c. 1916 - 1917

Editor: Here we have Piet Kramer's "Armchair upholstered with green wool and with armrests that end in animal muzzles" from around 1916 or 1917. I find the green wool covering and the carved animal heads oddly comforting. What catches your eye in this piece? Curator: The animal heads, definitely. Notice how they're stylized, not realistic. They seem to guard the sitter, a silent promise of protection and power. Animal motifs in furniture often speak to a deep connection with nature, even in urban environments, invoking primal energies. Does this piece make you think of other mythic, symbolic animals or beasts? Editor: Hmm, a little bit! It reminds me a little of, like, heraldry, and the symbolic animals that you would see there. That connection with power feels right, though. Is that the only way the animals could be interpreted here? Curator: Not at all! Consider the material, too - the plush wool. This chair might represent both comfort and status. The green itself links the domestic sphere to nature, fertility. Green has a rich, varied history from poison to pastures, but also luck, rebirth, renewal! Look also at the lines, their stark angles, typical of Art Nouveau, signalling "modernity." In what kind of space do you imagine this chair belonging? Editor: I hadn't really considered all the symbolism behind the green color! And I like the idea of it sitting in conversation between natural comfort and powerful status. Maybe in a study? Somewhere you can, like, sit and think and plan your schemes? Curator: Precisely! Kramer's blending of natural and abstract forms creates something quite remarkable, connecting the sitter with potent cultural memories and a promise for the future. Editor: I'll definitely see furniture differently now, as carrying its own weight of history and meaning!