The oldest evidence of painted furniture from Sweden – The 12th century chair from Suntak

The 12th century Suntak chair is one of the earliest pieces of furniture known from Sweden. A close examination revealed minute remnants of possible colour pigments on several parts of the chair. Chemical analyses of the pigments revealed the presence of several colours such as black, white and red. This paper attempts to shed light upon the identification and origin of the pigments as well as the time of painting. The original use and the setting of the chair will also be discussed.

► Residues found on earliest Swedish chair were analysed. ► Multiple analytical techniques were used in combination. ► Three different pigments were identified. ► The chair was painted in colours in line with the contemporary liturgical use.