Sofa

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Sofa
Datec. 1785–1820
Made inNew York, New York, United States
MediumMahogany; birch and eastern white pine
Dimensions38 1/2 × 79 7/8 × 29 in. (97.8 × 202.9 × 73.7 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.69.37
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Drawing Room
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

Throughout the colonial period the sofa was a costly and rare domestic form. Although craftsmen began to produce it more often during the late eighteenth century, it remained an uncommon type of seating furniture. Regarding a sofa’s dimensions, George Hepplewhite advised, “[they] vary according to the size of the room and pleasure of the purchaser. The following is the proportion in general use: length between 6 and 7 feet, depth about 30 inches, height of the seat frame 14 inches: total height in back 3 feet 1 inch.” During the Neoclassical period, the sofa frame’s contours dramatically evolved. Some, like this example, display subtle changes from their predecessors, and others introduce a variety of new shapes.

The Bayou Bend sofa belongs to a small group identified with the New York area. While it retains Rococo elements, the overall shape is reminiscent of a Hepplewhite design that successfully integrates Neoclassical motifs, notably, the combination of its Rococo-derived flared arms and the classically inspired arched back and tapered legs. These features realize a design that is both cohesive and unique.  

Technical notes: Mahogany; birch (seat rails), eastern white pine (back medial stile, crest rail). The back retains its original sacking. 

Related examples: The sofa is constructed in the same manner as the one illustrated in Levy Gallery 1986, p. 72. Another example is Blackburn 1976, p. 70, no. 40.  

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.


ProvenanceLouis Guerineau Myers (1874–1932), New York; American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, New York, February 26, 1921, lot 691; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1921; given to MFAH, 1969.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
[no marks]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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scan from file photograph
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