Furniture reference
Sofa
Archive trail for Victorian sofa examples, especially carved and laminated parlor seating.
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From the archive
38 archive posts.
Showing the first 12 — every matching post is on this page below.
Two Belters are Better Than One
Here is not one, but a matching pair of John Henry Belter settees in an early, seldom-seen grape pattern from the applied crest era of his work. Notice the scrollwork has a ridged pattern instead of the usual flat "taffy
Tom Thumb Settee/Sofa Lands At Ringling
Tom Thumb and his wife, Lavinia Warren's personal sofa made by John Henry Belter was mentioned here on Rare Victorian once before. I think this is the final story on the sofa - it has landed at the Ringling Museum - a gi
Victorian Sofa and Settee For Sale
Kathryn Bauer is offering the following antique Victorian furniture items for sale which you can view in the images to follow. A George Henkels-attributed Rosewood sofa with newer upholstery. Kathy has extra matching fab
John Jelliff Or J.W. Hamburger?
Compare this 1872 catalog image of a J.W. Hamburger sofa, model "King William Suit", to a 7-piece parlor suite currently for sale as a John Jelliff. The overall form is strikingly similar and a few decorative elements ar
Carlo Bugatti - A Century Ahead Of His Time
Carlo Bugatti's Art Nouveau furniture designs look more like they were designed for Batman's home than for the homes of the turn of the 19th century when they were made (the firescreen above was is circa 1900). Paul Tuck
Charles Tisch Aesthetic Inlaid Sofa
Neal Auction will be selling the above Aesthetic sofa in the remaining day of the Louisiana Purchase sale today. It is being attributed to Charles Tisch who was a cabinetmaker in New York starting in 1870, categorized hi
Hunzinger-Palooza At Neal Auction
Neal Auction's upcoming sale will feature several pieces of George Hunzinger furniture, including the above sofa and a chair that would match it, were they to be upholstered in the same manner. I expect there to be a wid
Victorian Is Dead In Alexandria, VA
I spent a good part of the weekend in Alexandria, VA this weekend with some long-time friends for a certain milestone birthday bash, and on the way to their house my wife and I did some antiquing there near King Street.
Rosewood Rococo Revival Sofa With Carved Bird's Nest
I have a friend who can't pass up taking in needy animals (strays) which I can sympathize with and admire. I think she has about 11 cats by now? My mother has a more modest group of 3 stray cats in residence. I have a si
Possible Alexander Roux Rosewood Sofa
I had a late night delivery of my most recent purchase a few nights ago. No, it wasn't an Alexander Roux sofa ca. 1853 as is shown above. Picture six heavily-laden cardboard boxes being shuffled into the basement under c
John Henry Belter "Lincoln" Pattern
I ran into a listing for a Belter "Lincoln" pattern sofa and not having heard of that pattern before, I had to do some research. It happens that Lincoln had several pieces of Belter furniture in the White House during hi
This Sofa Is Flipping Us The "Bird" (Pattern)
When speaking of John Henry Belter and J & JW Meeks furniture, there are several "patterns" that were typically made by the makers as original designs or commissions for wealthy clients and subsequently produced agai
J. H. Belter or Meeks Rococo Sofa at James D. Julia
The sofa depicted above is coming up during James D. Julia's "Spectacular Maine Auction" on August 26th. I'll be profiling more of the delectable Victorian pieces in future posts as we near the sale, but let's talk about
Thomas Brooks Attribution Response From Philadelphia Museum of Art
I heard from Jennifer Zwilling at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the Thomas Brooks attribution basis for this sofa I recently posted about. I thank Jennifer for taking the time to respond and to do so with the amount
Allen and Brother Egyptian Revival Marble Top Table
This Egyptian Revival parlor table constructed by Allen and Brother is an impressive one. A table like this is shown in the May 1996 issue of Magazine Antiques and I wouldn't be surprised to know that the table's owner a
Philadelphia Art Museum Attributes Sofa To Thomas Brooks
I spent the weekend in antique mode (what else is new?) with Saturday spent at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Sunday spent perusing the antique stores of Adamstown, PA. The difference is that I did it all with some v
John Jellif Furniture Prices Dropping or Anomaly?
I will be checking the results of the above attributed John Jelliff 4-piece parlor set after the July 12th Neal Auction sale is over. The 8-piece set that recently sold at Cowan's drew a disappointing $2,600. Maybe there
Is This Really a Galusha?
My knowledge of Elijah Galusha furniture is not where I'd like it to be but I don't think there is much out there to help the Galusha researcher to remedy that situation. The above sofa is being sold by Jenack Auctions a
Start Your John Henry Belter Collection
A Belter sofa for $1.00? That is what it is currently bid up to with no reserve price. This Belter furniture pattern is sometimes referred to as "Simple" or "Scroll" due to the smooth simplicity of the carvings. We often
I Was Kidding ...
Just a quick post to make sure everyone knew I was kidding on this post about the Quervelle-attributed sofa. I tried to lather it on thick so that it was hopefully obvious that I loved the sofa and was trying to farcical
Egyptian Revival Parcel-Ebonized Rosewood Chair
You know I've been reading too many auction listings when fancy-schmancy decorative arts nomenclature like "parcel", meaning partial, ends up in my blog post title. I can't believe it popped into my head. Anyhow, in case
Unattractive and Undesirable Sofa at Neal Auction
Pay no mind to this Grecian (scroll back) sofa in the next Neal Auction coming up in the May 3rd and 4th sale. The carved Cornucopias, incised crestrail, and seat rail gadrooning speak nothing of Anthony Quervelle and hi
Anthony Quervelle Sideboard
Technically this American Classical sideboard that is attributed to Anthony Quervelle is pre-Victorian, probably 1825-1835, but that is close enough for me to profile this beautiful piece in the Rare Victorian.Anthony Qu
Besarel Mirror Brings $156,000
Including buyers premium, the aforementioned Besarel mirror fetched $156,000 ($130k hammer price) when it closed yesterday. During the same auction, the Allen and Brother pieces I have posted about brought mixed results.
Winged Griffin Allen and Brother Sofa
Since seeing Allen and Brother items for sale is rare, I thought I'd mention this sofa (attributed to Allen & Bro.) that will be auctioned off in the same sale as the Allen and Brother credenza that I previously post
A Bevy of Belters
A bunch of John Henry Belter's simpler designs are coming up for auction from Flomaton and Thomaston. I've provided a quick pick list below. There are a few scroll pattern chairs and sofa, a pair of "Rosalie" chairs, and
John Henry Belter "Rosalie with Grapes" Sofa
Up for auction is a John Henry Belter Rosalie with grapes pattern sofa, offered by Depew Auction Gallery from Atlanta, GA. You can see an identical sofa in the Belter book by Schwartz, et al. on page 60. I can't see any
John Jelliff Carvings Update
I ran into yet another carving style for the Jelliff arms after I submitted the post yesterday, so I am adding it here. A Jelliff-attributed sofa just went for sale with the above arms including something I've never seen
J. & J.W. Meeks "Hartford" Sofa
Neal Auction House is auctioning off this Meeks "Hartford" sofa on June 9th. There is a nice pair of matching Hartford armchairs that are also being sold in the prior lot and can be seen here. They do a great job of writ
Meeks "Hartford" Sofa
Sorry the blog has been quiet since the 9th but I've been buried in business meetings this week and I finally have a few moments to look for some great Victorian furniture.This particular sale featuring this Meeks sofa i
John Jelliff Sofa with Carved Bust Armrests
Up for sale is a John Jelliff sofa with armrests adorned with carved female profiles. This sofa has a floating central back area to the typical Renaissance three part back. Bidding starts at $4,750 and can be seen here.
John Henry Belter Rosalie Pattern Sofa
I have never seen this from Belter before - a solid laminated back to the sofa - all rosewood. The pattern is Rosalie (no grapes) Circa 1850. Dimensions 39"h x 82"l x 32"d. Bidding starts at $3,000 and expected range is
Charles A. Boudoine Laminated Rosewood Sofa ca. 1855
I have a recently acquired habit of collecting sofas. I have more sofas than I have space to put them in. A recently purchased Jelliff sits in my garage while a Belter scroll sofa sits at a right angle to a French rococo
John Henry Belter Henry Clay Reference Set Sale Results
In January we profiled the upcoming sale of 7 pieces from the reference set for John Henry Belter's "Henry Clay" pattern here . The sale completed today with hammer prices far exceeding the expected ranges in all cases.
R.J. Horner Griffin Sofa
Up for sale is a R.J. Horner Carved Griffin Sofa with griffins that are an impressive 21" tall. The griffins also have the tell-tale rat tail (say that 3 times fast!) that was common on R.J. Horner pieces. The dimensions
Belter Parlor Furniture - Reference Set for the "Henry Clay" Pattern
Up for auction from St. Charles Galleries, Inc. are 7 pieces of John Henry Belter's "Henry Clay" pattern parlor furniture. The exciting part of this sale is that these pieces are being deaccessioned from "Ashland," The E
Belter "Scroll" Pattern Laminated Rosewood Sofa
Up for auction is a Belter "Scroll" pattern sofa, ca. 1850-1860. Examples of matching chair can be seen in "The Furniture of John Henry Belter and the Rococo Revival" book by Schwartz, Stanek, and True, p. 50.Belter furn
Rosewood Rococo Sofa, But Not Belter
Pictured to the left is a very nice Rococo sofa made in the 1850-1860 time period. Since this particular sofa is solid rosewood, it is of a quality level that is above much of the furniture of the time, but it is not a B
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