“This is the second chair that Antarti has created for a Pope, after he created the chair of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, on the occasion of the visit of His Eminence the Pope to Porto, on May 14 of the same year,” we read in a press release.
The brand was invited to create the piece by the President of East Timor himself, José Ramos-Horta, during a visit to Portugal in April.
“The invitation from the President of the Republic of Timor-Leste, Dr. José Ramos-Horta, to take the chair of Pope Francis on the first official visit of a papal figure to that country was an irresistible invitation, and for a brand that is only 25 years old, it should be an irresistible invitation,” said Mario Rocha, founder and CEO of Antarte. “We are proud to have produced custom pieces for two popes in just over a decade.”
Antarti wanted to create “a piece that expresses the institutional nobility of the Pope and respects the directives of the Vatican” and combines “mastery of artisanal production with advanced techniques.”
Natural fibres, such as cotton and linen, were used in the upholstery of the armchair. “The Vatican coat of arms badge placed on the upper part of the back of the chair was produced using the latest 3D printing to achieve high precision of every detail of the coat of arms.”
Construction required “a team of 14 professionals with different skills and more than 180 man-hours.”
