Wing Chairs (94)
A wing chair is an upholstered easy chair with large "wings" mounted to the armrests and enclosing the head or torso areas of the body. Such chairs originally were designed to provide comfortable protection from drafts, and particularly to trap the heat from a fireplace in the area where the person would be sitting. Hence, these are most often used near a fireplace, particularly in historic times.
A tall-backed, heavily upholstered easy chair with armrests and wings, or lugs, projecting between the back and arms to protect against drafts. They first appeared in the late 17th century-when the wings were sometimes known as "cheeks"-and they have maintained their popularity through a series of revivals ever since. Often they form part of a set, or suite.
There are two standard styles of wing chair- the flat wing and the scroll wing.