Erotic furniture  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

Revision as of 16:57, 25 September 2010

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The Human Chair

Erotic furniture, represents any form of furniture that can act as an aid to sexual intercourse. Whilst almost anything can be used for this purpose, the most common form of furniture employed for sex is the bed, but couches and sofas come a close second. These are not strictly erotic furniture, as their primary use is not erotic.

See also Edward Gorey's The Curious Sofa, (1961), a neo-Victorian pseudo-porno send-up consisting of non-illustrations—there's always a potted palm or something in the way. One caption reads "That evening in the library Scylla, one of the guests who had certain anatomical peculiarities, demonstrated the 'Lithuanian Typewriter', assisted by Ronald and Rupert, two remarkably well-set-up young men from the village." The Curious Sofa of the title is approached with some misgivings by the house-party guests at the end.

As described by Casanova

"Deux de ces ressorts retiennent les bras, deux autres écartent les jambes, et enfin le cinquième élève le siége à la commodité du sacrificateur. ..." --Histoire de ma vie, Casanova

“This arm-chair has five springs, which come into play all at once as soon as anyone sits down in it. Two springs catch the two arms and hold them tightly, two others separate the legs, and the fifth lifts up the seat.”

Types

Specifically designed furniture for erotic purposes can include

• Devices for spanking and flagellation such as the Berkley Horse
• Sex swings
• Devices for using gravity to aid in lovemaking without the use of complicated slings.
• Fisting slings
• Various types of angled foam wedges or specially designed pillows that support various sex positions.
• Bondage equipment such as stocks and pillories
• Smotherboxes and other queening stools.
• the Love Chair, a curious chair made of curved tubular sleel, articulated in several ways and designed to facilitate otherwise impossible sexual acts. This device was advertised in men's magazines in the mid 1970's, and is seen in at least one of Nina Hartley's Guide to videos, but it is no longer commercially available.
• Sawhorses, which are shaped much like the version used for carpentry, but have a sharpened edge and is primarily sat on to achieve a feeling similar to a crotch rope in bondage.

In modern art

In the erotic furniture category belong art works such as Chair, Table and Hat Stand[1] (1969) by Allen Jones and Les Krims's Heavy Feminist with Wedding Cake [2] (1970).