Living within Ancient Walls

Antique divans for contemporary homes

Living in an ancient palazzo in Italy has many challenges: pipes that need replacing, maintenance, high ceilings, heating. Furnishings are not a problem however for there are wonderful antiques available. Of the different types of antique furniture the divano (sofa, couch) is the most undervalued by collectors and the most difficult to place in a contemporary home. People furnishing a first home usually prefer the lower cost and comfort of modern production. Only newly made sofas, they think, can offer a wide range of size, textile, price and availability.

Furniture design has evolved over the centuries to keep up with changes in lifestyle and dress. Furniture such as armchairs, benches and divans have become smaller and modeled on the line of the human body at rest. A full skirted lady of the 19th century would find it quite uncomfortable to sink into a low-slung modern divan and people today would find it impossible to relax and watch TV perched on a high backed, solidly stuffed divano from 1800. Those built a century ago give more support to the body since they are higher off the ground and the upholstery (imbottitura) usually of horsehair (crine di cavallo ) is more rigid than the cheap foam rubber (gomma piuma) or expensive goose feathers (piuma d’oca) used today. Here in Italy we still have very talented artisans who do upholstery, woodwork and other crafts that have been lost in other countries…. so take advantage if you are furnishing a property to visit antiquari, rigattieri, and craftsmen and women in their workshops.

Why purchase a vintage couch ? First of all to complete a certain style. For an Art Deco room what’s better than a suite composed of divan and armchairs of the same period? Christie’s experts tell us that an antique divan has less value than a similar armchair, making it an inexpensive purchase. Besides being a good investment, they are also a clever way to furnish a narrow entrance hall. With one fourth the price of a console or table one can purchase an antique divano.

Another reason to prefer an antique divan/sofa is the aura of Romanticism and importance they add to a room, something you will not find in modern production. When world leaders meet for photo sessions with handshaking all around, you notice they always seat themselves on a sofa or divano. To avoid difficulty in getting up - a minor diplomatic crisis- low modern divani are never used.

Divano curiosities

At the Italian embassy in Moscow there is a divan located in a crimson colored reception room with frescoed ceilings. Tradition holds that in 1918 the German ambassador, Von Mirbach, was gunned down by members of the social revolutionary group opposed to his pacifist intentions, while sitting on the original divan.

Josef Stalin must have heard about this. The Georgian-born leader who suffered from arthritis, found relief at the hot baths near Sochi where he built a summer residence known as Zelenaya Roscha. This highly guarded compound is located deep within a pine foret and painted camoflauge green. It was a no-flight zone overlooked by guard towers on the nearby hilltop since the psychopathic leader lived in dread of assassination. Even the fountain in the central courtyard was turned off at night so any intruder could be heard. The short leader (only 5 foot 2 inches) slept on a cot in his office during the day and spent most of his free time seated behind his desk or on a custom built leather divan provided with very high sides containing bullet proof metal sheets.

Fulvio tries out Stalin’s bullet-proof divano , Sochi

Before her elopement to Italy with the younger (and handsome) poet Robert Browning, the poetess Elizabeth Barret spent most of her days as a semi-invalid lying on a chaise lounge or lit de repos in the family’s London home on Wimpole Street. Later at Casa Guidi, their Florentine home, the Brownings spent happy, creative years during which they searched the local antiques shops to find armchairs and divani. Many are still in use in the Browning’s apartment which can be rented for holidays through Landmark Trust.

divano of Elizabeth Barrett Browning in Casa Guidi, Florence

The sculptor Antonio Canova immortalized a similar Empire-style divan as well as its owner, Paolina Bonaparte, the Princess Borghese, in his masterful portrait sculpture showing Paolina as Venus. Napoleon’s favorite sister loved to show off her beauty, so she had no problem posing in the nude for Canova. The sculpture now has the place of honor in the entrance of the Villa Borghese museum but this was not always so. While he was alive, her jealous husband, Prince Camillo Borghese, kept this marvelous marble portrait locked away from public view.

How the divano came to be

The oldest type of divan was probably a bench with a “flippable” wooden back that could be moved from one side to another allowing one to sit either facing the fire or with ones back to the fire. There were also portable divani, divano da campo, a padded bench that could be closed thanks to hinges. It had metal legs and was used by officers during war campaigns, thus very few examples have survived.

a well used leather divano

To escape drafts in northern climes, there were beautiful divans and armchairs covered in leather with tall, protruding ear-shaped sides. Austrian castles and English hunting lodges often had leather divans with hinged, moveable ends that could become beds, allowing hunters to rest and even sleep without removing their boots. Here is one of a pair of divano da caccia in my living room. It is upholstered in red velvet with goose down cushions and pillows covered with colorful Uzbekistan silk. These 2-person divani make sense - no one ever wants to sit in the middle !

Perhaps the painted chests of the Marche region cannot be considered true ancestors of the divan since they lacked the comfort of padding or upholstery. They were used mostly as containers for storage since the seats could be opened.

Here is an example covered with an Albanian rug and cushions which transform the wooden cassapanca into a comfortable seating area. These benches/containers were common in many homes and evolved into today’s divans. In the Florentine Renaissance there were cassapanche in precious walnut wood enriched with carved backs and arm rests. With the addition of soft cushions they were perfect for sitting and conversation and could still be used for storage. Beautiful examples are conserved in the Palazzo Davanzati house museum in Florence. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston boasts many of these beautiful Tuscan cassapanche.

a Venetian divano in green silk

Today one can admire examples of Venetian divans at the Gardner Museum and the Correr Museum in Venice similar to those 18th century ones that decorated palatial Venetian palazzi. They are made from carved and lacquered (or gilded) wood and could have up to ten legs.

Due to the difficult life and use to which they were subjected antique divani in very good condition are considered very rare. If you are tempted to buy one do not be afraid of the condition of the upholstery and textile covering. Rather give a good look at the wooden frame to be sure that it is still in a robust state. A good restorer and new upholstery can give an antique divano a second lease on life. And add a touch of elegance to a modern home.

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