Gotland, Sweden
19th century
Painted wood, straw
23” wide x 20” deep x 42 ½” high

“All möghe” means ‘all the people’ in Old Norse. In describing furniture, “allmoge” refers to the rustic and quirky furniture made by ordinary people for their own use, from the mid-17th to the 20th century. Often the design aims for practical use first, and ornamental carving or painting happens as an afterthought.

Not so this peculiar and splendid armchair acquired on the Swedish island of Gotland, in the Baltic Sea. There is a splendid Baroque drama in the carved and turned arms, the hoofed feet, and the backrest with its asymmetrical corona. It still wears traces of its original paint in patinated ochres and greens. The warmly-colored rope seat may also be original to the piece. The overall effect is purely original to this marvelous unknown Swedish artisan. Perhaps this was the maker’s magnum opus.