Parlour Chair with Calico Cat

Parlour Chair with Calico Cat
6" x 8" x 3/4"
Acrylic on canvas

This charming parlour chair from the early 20th century caught my attention while visiting my local museum. The decorative high back, the cabriole legs, the open armrest and curved spindles creating a barrel shape around the seat. The furniture craftsman who made this chair borrowed many features from the Windsor chair, popular in the eighteenth century. It’s an inviting and roomy chair, perhaps designed to accommodate the plentiful skirts and bustles of the time. The St Marys Museum doesn’t have a resident cat, but in my imaginary world, this pretty calico cat would coordinate nicely with the now faded, but still lovely tapestry upholstery.