# What would "the Seggiola" refer to in Florence ca. 1864? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-seggiola-refer-to-in-florence-ca-1864/635401 "2012-09-21T15:27:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-seggiola-refer-to-in-florence-ca-1864/635401/1 "2012-09-21T15:27:03Z")
(One of a series of questions I have about Anthony Trollope’s Chronicles of Barsetshire.) In the book “The Last Chronicle of Barset”, there’s the following passage describing a young man’s hasty tour of Florence: > [@](#): > > He was driven once through Florence; he saw the Venus de’ Medici, and he saw the Seggiola; he looked up from the side of the Duomo to the top of the Campanile, and he walked round the back of the cathedral itself; he tried to inspect the doors of the Baptistery, and declared that the “David” was very fine. Then he went back to the hotel, dined with Mrs. Arabin, and started for England. It’s not clear to me what “the Seggiola” is. The closest I can find on Google would be the painting Madonna della seggiola by Raphael (in the Pitti palace). Is there anything else in Florence that would be called “the Seggiola” (“the chair”)? Note that the book was written in 1864. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-seggiola-refer-to-in-florence-ca-1864/635401/2 "2012-09-21T19:33:36Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > The closest I can find on Google would be the painting Madonna della seggiola by Raphael (in the Pitti palace). Is there anything else in Florence that would be called “the Seggiola” (“the chair”)? Note that the book was written in 1864. Why would that not be it? Famous painting, by Raphael, in Florence… Seems obvious to me at least. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-seggiola-refer-to-in-florence-ca-1864/635401/3 "2012-09-21T20:11:51Z")
> [@Sal\_Ammoniac](#): > > Why would that not be it? Famous painting, by Raphael, in Florence… Seems obvious to me at least. I agree that’s the most likely thing that I found. I’m just wondering if anyone knew of something else. Is it a famous painting? I’ve never heard of it before, either with its full name or an abbreviated version. (I’ve definitely heard of Raphael, of course.) For what it’s worth, I’d never heard of the Venus de’ Medici, either. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-seggiola-refer-to-in-florence-ca-1864/635401/4 "2012-09-21T22:34:13Z")
I’ve more often heard it referred to as the “Madonna della Sedia,” but, yes, it’s a very famous painting, and was particularly admired in the 19th century. I can’t think of any other “chair”-associated object in Florence that would attract such attention, and in the context of the traveller’s itinerary (a whirlwind tour of the art treasures of Florence), the Raphael painting certainly makes the most sense. He’s basically checking off all of the “must-see” items for Florence on a 19th-century tourist’s list: the town’s most famous classical sculpture (the Venus de’ Medici), its most famous Michelangelo (the David), its most famous Raphael (the Madonna della Seggiola), its cathedral complex, etc… ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-seggiola-refer-to-in-florence-ca-1864/635401/5 "2012-09-21T22:42:19Z")
A visit to the Pitti was a typical stop for the well-heeled, and that was indeed a very famous painting-- Raphael was held in much greater esteem in the 19th c than he is now. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-seggiola-refer-to-in-florence-ca-1864/635401/6 "2012-09-23T04:37:07Z")
Sounds good. The only famous Raphael picture I can think of is the one with the [angels smoking and drinking beer](http://www.changingworld.com/catalog/images/RC-006.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-seggiola-refer-to-in-florence-ca-1864/635401/7 "2012-09-24T22:25:11Z")
It’s a very famous and was a very popular painting, and I think was widely copied. My parents have one (inherited). I’d say it would be a thing someone rushing in and out of Florence at that time would be taken to see. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-seggiola-refer-to-in-florence-ca-1864/635401/8 "2012-10-30T13:11:16Z")
Postscript: I just realised that I actually have a copy of the Madonna della sedia sitting in front of me on my desk! I bought an [“art cube”](http://www.madeinmuseum.com/what-is-an-artcube/) when I was in Florence, and one of the pictures on it is clearly labeled “Madonna della Seggiola”.