Grecian Couch; Settee
Artist
Maker unknown
Date1815-1825
MediumSoft maple, birch, cherry, paint, gilding, caned seat and back, modern cushion
DimensionsOverall: 32 1/2 x 83 1/2 x 24 1/2in. (82.6 x 212.1 x 62.2cm)
ClassificationsFURNISHINGS
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number60.67
DescriptionEmpire settee with rosewood graining and gold decoration. Paw feet topped by carved gilt leaves. Cane back and seat with haircloth pad and squabs.On View
On viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextThis couch is an elegant variant of the popular Empire sofa form made fashionable by English and French designers of the early nineteenth century. A couch form is differentiated from a sofa form in that one end of a couch is higher than the other.
In the United States this form became ubiquitous, but it developed with distinctive local characteristics. New York couches can be distinguished from those made in other East Coast centers by the practice of using lavishly carved and gilded surfaces, contrasting colors, gold stenciled ornamentation, and accents of vert antique (the antiqued green color on the feet of this example). This couch is made of maple, painted to simulate a more expensive wood, rosewood.
