Chair (update)
As always, you're smarter than I am (which I enjoy, mind you).I received two excellent chair suggestions. The first, by Syndi R., suggested enclosing the chair in plastic and loading up the free space inside with crumpled newspaper to absorb the smell (which she has used before to excellent effect). The indomitable C. Lee recommended rubbing dryer sheets on its surface.
As the chair was a bit too large (and I'd gotten rid of the plastic packaging) to try the newspaper idea, I went with the dryer sheets, and I definitely think it helped. I actually sat in the chair for a while today, and while it still doesn't smell normal, it's moved beyond egregiously unpleasant.
Also, Adam O. sent it a very concise explanation of just what the hell was happening:
I went through the same thing when I bought the two recliners for my home theater. The recliners have polyester microfiber upholstery, which is treated with formaldehyde and off-gasses VOCs (volatile organic compounds). My office is adjacent to the theater area and in addition to the smell, the formaldehyde and VOCs kept my throat irritated for a week or two while working 12 feet away from those chairs.
That all checks out, and it explains both the smell and my sore throat the first day, which is when I decided to seal the chair away for a few days.
Sitting on it today was fantastic, though. An amazing chair.
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