Wing Chair c. 1936

Ferdinand Cartier rendered this Wing Chair in precise detail using watercolor. The chair’s design, with its high back and protective wings, speaks of a desire for comfort and seclusion. These are the features that evoke notions of safeguarding the sitter, offering a personal refuge from the outside world. This concept of enclosure has ancient roots. We might recall the thrones of antiquity, designed not just for seating but as symbols of power, often adorned with high backs and armrests that physically and symbolically separated the ruler from the ruled. The Wing Chair, though more domestic in scale, carries a whisper of this desire for defined personal space, a sanctuary. The act of sitting, itself, carries psychological weight. It's a posture of contemplation, of rest, but also of potential action. In this chair, one is both supported and contained, a duality that speaks to the complex human need for both freedom and security. The simple design reveals how even mundane objects hold layers of cultural and psychological significance, echoing through time in various forms.