Antique and Vintage Benches and Stools

We are a part of eBay Affiliate Network, and if you make a purchase through the links on our site we earn affiliate commission.
Stools, generally defined as seats without backs, are among the earliest types of wooden furniture ever made; ancient Egyptians, for example, are known to have used stools. While it's true that it didn't take ancient people long to follow up the...
Continue reading
Stools, generally defined as seats without backs, are among the earliest types of wooden furniture ever made; ancient Egyptians, for example, are known to have used stools. While it's true that it didn't take ancient people long to follow up the stool with a chair, having a seat with a back or arms was largely considered an indulgence reserved for emperors and aristocrats up through the 17th century, while the earliest known footstools were design for Egyptian royals to climb into tall chairs. Folding stools, portable seats that have a cushion, planks, or a piece of fabric stretched between two connected, collapsible wooden frames, have been around since at least 15th-13th century B.C. Variations of folding stools are known as "curule" seats (important in the Roman Empire), "faldstools" (used by traveling Catholic bishops), and "campstools" (used by militaries). In medieval Europe, how you sat determined your status, so commoners perched on stools and benches, while lords relaxed on luxurious thrones. Most people used either the "Gothic" or "board-ended stool"—which is a short bench propped up with a board on either side—or a stool with simple turned legs—a design that probably came to Europe by way of the Byzantine Empire (330-1453). Three-legged stools were often employed by farmers when milking their cows. Turned stools paved the way for turned chairs and Windsor chairs. A plank seat would be set with three legs using round mortise-and-tenon joints. (Three-legged stools have better balance on uneven floors than four-legged stools.) Later in the 17th century, craftsmen developed the joined stool, which could be larger without consuming too much timber. During the 17th century, footstools, used for propping up feet instead of sitting upon, became popular, largely because of the spread of gout, which required elevating the sore foot. In the 18th century, short, long stools called "fender stools" would be put in front of a home's fireplace so that...
Continue reading

Best of the Web

Chipstone
This beautiful site showcases the collection of Stanley and Polly Stone of Fox Point, Wisconsin,...
Kentucky Online Arts Resource
This huge online database from the Speed Art Museum is a rich trove of beautiful photos and...
Buffalo Architecture and History
Chuck LaChiusa's wonderful guide to the architecture and history of Buffalo, NY, also happens to...
Most Watched

Best of the Web

Chipstone
This beautiful site showcases the collection of Stanley and Polly Stone of Fox Point, Wisconsin,...
Kentucky Online Arts Resource
This huge online database from the Speed Art Museum is a rich trove of beautiful photos and...
Buffalo Architecture and History
Chuck LaChiusa's wonderful guide to the architecture and history of Buffalo, NY, also happens to...