Caning

The Rattan Palm, the source of cane

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CANING:

“Caning” has come to be the general term for many types of seat weaving including Fiber and Natural Rush, Machine and Hand-Woven Cane, Seagrass and Danish Cord, Hickory Splint or Split Weaving, and even rawhide woven seats. Footstools, barstools, chairs, rocking chairs, canoe seats, headboards, cabinets, even decorations on ceiling fans have cane designs.

Cane is derived from the rattan palm, a relative of bamboo. In fact, if you look closely at a strand of cane, you can see a “joint” between sections of cane which are very similar to the joints you think of when you see bamboo rods. The top “plastic” side of a strand of cane is the naturally smooth coated outside of the cane stalk; the back raw side is actually the cellulose fibers of the plant!  It is native to Africa and Asia and flourished in Egypt and China.  But the cane that most folks are used to seeing has small hexagonal holes in the seat (such as the sidebar designs of my website).  This design, often called the 7 step method, originated in France in the 1870’s as a base for upholstery! 

Chair Cesca S32 by Marcel Breuer, 1928

Woven seats became popular in ancient Egypt and China, were abundant in England and France in the 1800’s, then had a renaissance in the early 20th centry with the Bauhaus movement of modern architecture. I visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and saw a chair similar to this pressed cane and metal chair. Since then I have had the oppportunity to weave on an authentic Breuer chair and it was…difficult!  Cane, wicker, and rush are also popular in Indonesian imports and are classic porch furniture, despite the problems that weather causes them!  As a general rule, cane needs to be kept indoors away from direct sunlight and heat vents.  Rush and hickory splint chairs can be treated with shellac to prolong their lives and to protect against stains. That said, according to antique dealers and experts, original is better.  If you think you have something worth a lot of money, do some research and make sure care is taken when refurbishing your chair. I saw a natural rush chair on Antiques Road Show for $50,000!!!

THE HISTORY OF THE CHAIR:

Neolithic Chair 4750-4600BC European clay model

The chair has been a sign of authority and status throught ancient history. The earliest evidence of seating comes from the Stone Age 40,000 years ago and is a sign of humans elevating themselves not only off of the cold floor, but also above other animal species. Interestingly, the ancient Eyptians believed that natural form must be incorporated into chairs because creating an unnatural object would create chaos in the universe. They would often carve animal heads and claw feet on chairs. This tradition can be seen today both on chair legs and on bathtubs!

Chairs appeared in ancient Chinese history as far back as

I love this because it shows you don't have to have 6-pack abs to be flexible and healthy!

20,000 years ago and were fairly utilitarian, like an elevated platform. Most people sat on their heels or squatted, both of these options are VERY GOOD FOR YOUR BODY!  (The yoga teacher in me must point out that flexibility, core strength used to prop yourself up, and compression of joints like deep bending in the knees are key in maintaining a healthy spine and joints…but I digress…)  The oldest example of a Chinese seat is a folded stool whereas the typical chair with a back rest is generally a Western concept.

jianyu, or shoulder carriage

Ever wonder where the term “sedan” came from? Probably not, I’m sure.  It is a traditional mode of transportation in ancient Chinese culture. You’ve seen the covered chair in old movies, being carried on the shoulders of slaves. Over time, this became a popular mode of transportation especially for weddings.

SOURCES:

Read the Random History Website to learn more about chairs and other random interesting information. I learned lots of cool information on Eyptian Furniture from this site. Wikipedia also has interesting stuff to read with links to everywhere (Warning: your ADD can go into overdrive!)
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