Object of the Day: Antique Beaded Mohair Chair

Victorian designers loved to add just a little sparkle to almost anything, and, one of their preferred means of doing do was with beading. Victorian beading rarely survives today. Most beaded pieces have had weakening of the threads which hold the beads and the result is a balding reminder of a once opulent textile.


That’s why I was thrilled to find this decidedly Victorian chair. Deep red mohair is divided by petit point panels which have been hand-beaded in silver, gray, robin’s egg blue, cream, white, pewter and opalescent black. The beadwork is in excellent condition with very little loss of the precious glass beads.

Perched on hand-carved rosewood Ionic legs, this chair is low to the ground. With its flared parson’s arched back, the chair most likely served double duty as a prie-dieu or “prayer chair” wherein a person would have knelt on the seat and rested his arms on the back of the chair while praying. Prie-dieu were often used in the home to make prayer-time more comfortable.

I have never sat in this chair. Not once. I don’t want to risk loosening any of the beads. People wonder why I bought a chair that I refuse to sit in. In fact, this is one of many chairs that I won’t use. The reason is simple. These little reminders of the beauty and artistry of the past have earned the right to rest. My job was to rescue them so that future generations can appreciate them. They served their purpose and, now, it’s time for them to simply be lovely. Let’s call it “retirement” for furniture.