The first upholstered high back throne chair appeared in France at the beginning of the 17th century and were covered in a variety of fabrics – damask, silk, velvet, and embroidered fabrics such as petit-point and needlepoint. Royalty and aristocrats would employ professional embroiderers to embellish their clothing, furniture and décor. In the mid 1600's, Louis XIV kept an embroiderer's atelier alongside tapestry weavers at Gobelins.
 
The needlepoint upholstered high back throne chair is historically European and achieved it's most distinguished form first in France.  England followed when the exiled royal court of Charles II returned to England with a taste for French décor accompanying them.
 
The needlepoint throne armchairs that we see and collect today are usually from the Louis XIV style Renaissance Revival of the 19th century. Furniture made in this style period reflects the popularity of 16th and 17th century designs. They take us back to 16th century France and the era of King Louis III and XIV. They are out there for the treasure hunter that loves scouring estate sales and auctions in an effort to take a piece of history home.