Bench
Author: Unknown
Origin: Unknown
Dating: 18th century
Material: Wood, Leather, Metal & Textile
Dimensions (cm): 107 x 103,5 x 48
Inv. no.: PD1179 / MNMC1206
«Seats belong to this class of objects and utensils that brought the inestimable benefit of making life easier and more pleasant. Mankind, by obtaining a means which allowed it to stop sitting on the ground, dignified itself in its own eyes and was set free from the links that chained it to its primitive past.»
Augusto Cardoso Pinto
Leather comes from tanned animal skin that undergoes several procedures until reaching the final product. Then, several decorative techniques take place in order to proceed with the artwork. In this case, leather wallpaper was the chosen method: the design (made from paper) was pencil drawn in the leather (when damp, so it would to be malleable), then marked with a stylus and, lastly, opened with proper carving tools.
