Pope Leo XIII Chiavari Chairs
This extraordinary pair of Italian lemonwood chairs boasts a remarkable history. The rare and important set was given to Pope Leo XIII by the Italian City of Chiavari, a city that is renowned for their incredibly unique furniture design, including this popular chair style. Known as the Chiavari chair, its lightness of design was praised by the likes of Charles Albert of Savoy, Napoleon III, and the sculptor Antonio Canova.
Chiavari presented this special pair to the Pope as a gift when the city became a diocese in 1892. The chairs are beautifully carved with several symbols of the papacy, including the pope's crown as well as skeleton keys, flowers, ribbons and scrolling of the papal coat of arms. "Chiavari A Leone XIII" (Chiavari to Leo XIII) is also carved into the chairs' backs. Considering the monumental importance of the person for whom they were crafted, these chairs represent a truly incredible piece of papal history.