SARIDIS of Athens

Klismos line

 

A klismos (Greek: κλισμός) is a type of ancient Greek chair, familiar from depictions of ancient furniture on painted pottery and in bas-reliefs from the mid-fifth century BCE onwards.

 

In epic, klismos signifies an armchair, but no specific description is given of its form.

 

A vase-painting of a satyr carrying a klismos chair on his shoulder shows how light such chairs were. The curved, tapered legs of the klismos chair sweep forward and rearward, offering stability. The rear legs sweep continuously upward to support a wide concave backrest like a curved tablet, which supports the sitter's shoulders.

 

The theatre of Dionysus at the foot of the Acropolis, Athens, of the first century CE, has carved representations of klismos.

 

In 1960, Gibbings and Saridis, created the Klismos line of furniture, recreating ancient Greek furnishings with some accuracy, including klismos chairs.

 

This design for these chairs is a true form of sculpture with beautiful carving details on the legs. Yet they are quite comfortable.

The klismos chairs have a graceful curving back  and leather webbed seat, raised on splayed, tapering legs. The backrail is supported by a back splat of similar thickness, placed perpendicular to the crest rail. They are produced in Greek walnut.