Fine Art

Settle — History & Facts

By shifting the back, you could use both sides of this settle. Sitting before a fire, you could alternate positions to keep your whole body warm. Under the seat is a storage space for keeping valuables safe.

Settles such as these would have stood in the houses of ordinary citizens. They are the forerunners of separate chests, chairs and settees.

More Artworks by Unknown Artist

A scene depicting two figures in an interior setting from the 'Yadorigi' chapter of The Tale of Genji.

The Tale of Genji Scroll: Yadorigi

Unknown Artist

A dynamic scene depicting figures on a shore gesturing towards a floating granary above the water.

Legends of Mount Shigi: The Flying Granary

Unknown Artist

A chaotic scene depicting an assault on the Sanjō Palace with armed figures and burning architecture.

Night Attack on the Sanjō Palace

Unknown Artist

A colorful hanging scroll depicting the Womb World Mandala with a central Buddha figure surrounded by deities.

Womb World Mandala (Mandala of the Two Realms)

Unknown Artist

Musicians and elegantly dressed figures occupy a shallow foreground against a gold-leaf background in the Hikone Screen.

Hikone Screen

Unknown Artist

A folio from the Blue Qur'an featuring gold Kufic script on indigo-dyed parchment.

Folio from the Blue Qur'an

Unknown Artist

A funeral procession with Isfandiyar's body on a golden bier, surrounded by mourners in flowing robes.

The Funeral of Isfandiyar (Great Mongol Shahnama)

Unknown Artist

The Ideal City

The Ideal City

Unknown Artist

The Wilton Diptych features a kneeling king presented by saints on the left and the Virgin Mary with angels on the right.

The Wilton Diptych

Unknown Artist

A knight in full armor rides a horse through a rocky landscape accompanied by a skeletal figure holding an hourglass, a horned creature, and a running dog.

Ridder, Dood en Duivel

Unknown Artist

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More Interior Art

A simple rush-seated chair with a pipe and tobacco pouch on its seat, painted by Vincent van Gogh.

Van Gogh's Chair

Vincent van Gogh

A brightly colored room with a yellow wooden bed, two yellow chairs, a small table with a pitcher and basin, and an open window with green shutters.

Bedroom in Arles

Vincent van Gogh

A glimpse into a harem with women lounging among luxurious textiles.

Femmes d'Alger dans leur intérieur

Eugène Delacroix

A young woman at a virginal with a gentleman leaning in, reflecting a moment of music or love.

The Music Lesson

Johannes Vermeer

Henri Matisse's 'Femme près de la fenêtre, Nice' captures a woman in a vibrant interior setting.

Femme près de la fenêtre, Nice

Henri Matisse

A young woman stands in profile near an open window, reading a letter she holds with both hands, illuminated by daylight through leaded glass panes.

Girl Reading A Letter By An Open Window

Johannes Vermeer

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