The Swedish Model

One of the most common and most copied chairs from the Gustavian period is sometimes called "The Swedish Model". This chair mixes different style features and thus creates a new Swedish chair model.

Scale 1:12

In the years around 1780, Stockholm's most prominent chairmakers delivered a total of up to 200 chairs of this model to Drottningholm and Gripsholm Palaces, where they were mainly used in the guest rooms available to the court. During the 1780s, this chair also became very popular in non-royal settings, but in the manor houses and in the bourgeoisie's city apartments it was mainly used as a dining room chair.

The openwork back of the chair and the so-called H-cross between the legs are taken from older Anglo-Dutch chair types. The shape of the back of the chair and the round legs with fluted edges are taken from French chair types. The backrest is usually crowned with carved decoration in the form of a flower or an oval medallion with laurel leaves. Similar decoration is also often found on the center of the front.