Roman Chair

The London firm of Heal's advertised this chair as part of a metal dining-room suite. The X-frame structure is inspired by Roman and Italian Renaissance furniture. The use of metal and the suspended bands of leather also recall German Bauhaus designs of the 1920s. The chair combines Modernist and Art Deco styles in its form and materials. It also reflects the early 1930s fashion for all-white interiors, which was inspired by cinema and stage sets. The chair was first shown in the Heal's White and Off-White exhibition in 1933. It then cost £8 17s 6d. This was about as much as six conventional wooden dining chairs.

Armchair · London · 1933. Chrome-plated metal, with modern leather upholstery. By Heal, Ambrose (Sir). Victoria and Albert Museum, London.