BYZANTIN CAMP FOLDING STOOL, END OF THE 5th CENTURY... Lot 6

BYZANTIN CAMP FOLDING STOOL, END OF THE 5th CENTURY Wrought iron, gold and silver inlays, leather H. 48 cm, W. 52 cm, D. 42 cm This folding stool is richly decorated with geometrical motifs inlaid with gold and silver in the iron frame. The leather seat is made up of six pieces of leather sewn at the ends to two iron rods, each of which is attached by five rivets to the X-shaped base, which is made up of two rectangular frames hinged together by internal fasteners, invisible from the outside. The stability of the seat is ensured by a clever change in the cross-section of the metal tubes, which is accompanied by a change in decoration. The corners, more massive and quadrangular in structure, present on their faces stylized trefoil motifs bordered by interlacing, while the sides, of fine octagonal section, are decorated with chevrons alternating with friezes of Greek. The transition from the square to the octagon is caught by a system of pendants. The preciousness of the metals evokes the ceremonial seats used during ritual ceremonies or military campaigns by the high dignitaries of the Roman Empire, such as the silver-plated sella in the Louvre (Fig. 1). This folding stool, intended to enhance the value of the conqueror in the face of enemy peoples, differs from ours in the treatment of the corners in relief, decorated with protuberances and hooves. Other models discovered in excavations reveal the high symbolic value of such a piece of furniture, often received as a diplomatic gift and carefully preserved. Following a practice attested from the 5th to the 7th century, the owner was buried with his luxurious stool