Among all the peoples that have invented and used them, seats have always been at the peak of cabinetmaking; the
throne
, for instance, is the ultimate
armchair
.
In Crete the basic types of seat from the medieval period onwards were the
armchair
, the
chair
and the
sofa
, established in accordance with Byzantine 11th- and 12th-century designs and transmitted down the generations to the early 20th century.
The use of these three types of furniture was socially circumscribed, for the reasons set out below.
The
armchair
is considered a luxury item used exclusively by the master of the house and offered to distinguished visitors on special occasions. This distinction may well have its origins in the reservation of the throne to the monarch. There is never more than one armchair in a house.
The
chair
is used exclusively by the men of the family and male visitors. The chair is a only simple seat with a back, but its direct relationship to the armchair means that it too is reserved for male use in patriarchal societies. The
sofa
is a comfortable piece of furniture decorated with special woven fabrics and placed in a prominent position in the main room of the house. It is used exclusively by women and children. Its upholstered seat makes it comfortable for long hours of women’s work and so it has been established as a piece of furniture for female use. The long living-room table is placed opposite the sofa, so at family or friendly gatherings the women sit on the sofa, facing the men sitting in the chairs and armchair.
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