Chairs of this type, with sabre-shaped legs and a strongly curved back, became the height of fashion in Europe in the 1780s. They were inspired by images from ancient vases and reliefs. In Sweden, Louis Masreliez was the first to use this type of chair, in the Grand Salon of Gustav III’s Pavilion at Haga. Here it was known as a senator’s or “Sulla” chair, with reference to the Roman statesman Sulla.