Sofa

Date1780-1800

MediumMahogany, yellow pine, tulip poplar, maple, ash, oak and black walnut (replaced)

DimensionsOH: 35 1/2"; OW: 87 3/4"; D (seat): 23 1/4"

Credit LineGift of Mr. Fred L. Frechette in memory of Caroline Geddy Frechette

Object number1996-230

DescriptionAppearance: Sofa with straight crest rail (missing top elements of crest rail); downward sloping scrolled arms supported by a scrolled and sloped arm support; four straight front legs, square in cross section; four angled rear legs, square in cross section; rectangular side, medial, and rear stretchers between all legs.

Construction
The front rail is double-doweled into the front corner legs. The rear rail is tenoned into the rear corner legs and the side rails are doweled into the front corner legs and tenoned into the rear corner legs. The rear inside legs are double-tenoned into the rear rail, and the front inside legs are joined to the front rail with single through-tenons. The front legs and proper right rear leg are replacements, the upper section of the proper left rear leg has replaced material due to damage and the front rail is a possible replacement. Three downward curving medial seat rails (modern) are joined to the front and rear rails with sliding half-dovetails. There is no evidence of any such earlier rails.

Each arm assembly features a scroll-headed rear stile and a shorter matching front stile. Stiles are double-tenoned into the upper face of the corresponding side seat rail. The straight, cylindrical top arm rails are set between terminals of the arm stiles and nailed to them with three wrought nails at each end. Horizontal tacking rails between the arm stiles are inset and nailed in notches in the stiles ½” above the side seat rails. A block like forearm rail with a down-curving upper surface is glued and nailed to the front face of each forearm stile and double-doweled to the back face of the extension of the adjacent front corner leg. The tops of the (replaced) legs are angled down 45 degrees (the tops of the original legs probably would have been flat).

The removable back frame slides into place between the rear arm stiles and the angled upper extensions of the two outer rear legs and shows evidence of the top rail having been pegged or nailed to the scrolled terminals of the rear arm stiles. The outside stiles of the back are tenoned into its upper and lower rails and the medial stile is double-tenoned. While the upper tenons do not appear to have intended to be through-tenons, they were cut long and eventually broke through so as to now appear as through-tenons (or the top edge of the rail has lost height). A medial angled post is tenoned to the upward face of the rear seat rail and further supports the back frame. There is evidence of a now missing crest rail having been glued to the upper edge of the back frame as well as drilled holes that appear to have been used for dowels to support a replacement crest rail.

The stretchers between the outside front and rear legs are tenoned and pegged to the legs. The side to side stretcher between the outside stretchers is double-doweled to them and lap joined to the stretchers between the interior front and back legs which are in turn set in mortices in the legs. The stretchers between the rear legs are tenoned to the legs. All stretchers are replacements with the exception of the stretcher between the rear inside legs.

The original legs and stretchers are mahogany, replaced legs are mahogany and walnut, side and back seat rails are ash, front seat rail, back frame, seat tack rails and block forearm rails are yellow pine, arm stiles are soft maple, arm rests are tulip poplar and medial seat rails are oak.
ProvenanceThe sofa descended through the Cole family of Williamsburg to Mr. and Mrs. Cole, the last private owners of the Taliaferro-Cole House on Duke of Gloucester Street. It was bequeathed to their niece and principal heir, Carrie Cole Lane, later Mrs. Vernon Geddy, St.; then to her daughter, Caroline Geddy Frechette; then to her husband, the donor.