Sofa
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Box sofas were popular at the end of the first quarter of the nineteenth century. This version with marble columns is a luxurious example. Although the textile cover is modern, the underupholstery on the sides and back is original and therefore indicates the severe, rectilinear silhouettes of Neoclassical upholstery schemes. The elaborate, modern bolsters and pillows were suggested by imported European pattern books of the period.
Caption
Unknown Maker. Sofa, ca. 1830. Mahogany, veneer, marble, gilt bronze, modern upholstery, 36 x 80 x 31 in. (91.4 x 203.2 x 78.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Maria L. Emmons Fund, 41.1181. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 41.1181_SL1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Maker
Title
Sofa
Date
ca. 1830
Geography
Possible place made: New York, New York, United States
Medium
Mahogany, veneer, marble, gilt bronze, modern upholstery
Classification
Dimensions
36 x 80 x 31 in. (91.4 x 203.2 x 78.7 cm)
Credit Line
Maria L. Emmons Fund
Accession Number
41.1181
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Did people actually sit on these sofas? Napping? Conversation?
I suppose it could be used for any of those! Please don't sit on it now, but in the past I'm sure the owner would have loved to sit, and read or maybe enjoy the fire. Interestingly the wood on the sofa is mahogany veneer on top of pine. Pine was a less expensive wood to work with and by simply covering it with more expensive, dark mahogany, the manufacturer could raise the price of the piece while not using up too much mahogany.However, the upholstery is modern. The sofa was restored in 1998.Can you tell me about this?
You're looking at a box sofa with original under-upholstery, which means the silhouette is original. The upholstery is modern as the original fabric was beyond repair. You may notice the casters at the bottom, at the time it was crucial to be able to move and change furniture arrangements quickly to entertain guests.The wood on the sofa is mahogany veneer on top of pine. Pine was a less expensive wood to work with and by simply covering it with more expensive, dark mahogany, the manufacturer could raise the price of the piece while not constructing the piece entirely out of mahogany.Were wheels really part of period furniture or later additions?
They were original to the period! At this time, furniture was designed so that it could be quickly moved around to entertain guests. This is in the Empire style, which was a late phase of neolassicism. American designers were looking to France (during the Napoleonic Empire) for inspiration.Sounds like furniture my mother needs so I don't have to push it around for her!
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