Settee, Upholstered

Dateca. 1730

MediumWalnut, beech, linen, curled horsehair, wool, iron

DimensionsOH: 37¼”; SH: 17”: OW: 53 ½”; SW: 52¼”; SD: 22½”

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1955-42

DescriptionAppearance: Settee with rectangular back and seat upholstered in original dark blue/green wool/worsted stamped with formalized floral pattern in 38" repeat; out-curved walnut arms terminating in volutes; 6 walnut cabriole legs with shaped knee brackets and pad feet on original leather- wheeled casters inset into foot.

Construction: Front middle leg tenoned into front seat rail, which is tenoned into front corner legs. Side seat rails tenoned into front and back corner legs; rear seat rail in two pieces tenoned into corner and middle legs; back legs extend upwards to form supports for back of settee, which is nailed in place. Proper left rear leg and middle leg tenons are pegged, suggesting all tenons likely pegged (construction hidden by upholstery). Medial stretcher between front and rear rails supported by nail blocks above and below at both ends added at an early date; four additional nail blocks suggest medial stretchers (now missing) were previously on either side. Stiles nailed from rear to leg supports, set in grooves in seat rails; stiles tenoned to crest rail; medial stile tenoned between crest rail and tacking rail, and likely nailed to middle leg from rear; tacking rail tenoned between stiles, possibly nailed to middle leg support from front. Arm supports likely tenoned into side seat rails and arm rests; arm rests screwed into sides of back, and covered with plugs (possibly replaced).

Upholstery: This settee retains all of its original foundation upholstery and most of its show material. The original webbing strips on the seat, ten running front to back interwoven with two lateral strips, are visible from beneath. Most of the original wrought tacks are intact. The foundation upholstery for the back consists of one lateral and two vertical webbing strips and a bottom linen; the hair stuffing is held in place with cords, visible from the rear. The green wool show material is repaired with modern extensions on the front and sides and tacked to the underside of the seat rails (as the original material would have); in the rear the original material is tacked to the back face of the rear seat rail. The show cloth on the back was tacked to the rear faces of the top and side rails of the back frame, while at the bottom of the back the material is wrapped around and tacked to the top face of the bottom back rail; several inches of original wool remains of the material that covered the rear of the settee, which is tacked to the rear face of the back seat rail. Fragments of a later tacking cloth that was used with a tapestry and decorative brass nail upholstery treatment survive along the rear seat rail.

Materials: Walnut primary, beech secondary, webbing, tacks, foundation linen, hair stuffing, worsted wool, rosehead tacks

Label TextOne of the earliest settees in the Colonial Williamsburg collection, this piece was made in England circa 1730. It features exposed arms and a padded seat and back. It retains all of its original foundation upholstery and show material. The original upholstery on this simple settee is a good example of the spare, trim lines preferred by eighteenth-century householders for their upholstered seating furniture. The rounded, over-stuffed contours seen on modern furniture did not become popular until the middle of the nineteenth century. Casters were a common feature of many sofas, easy chairs, and settees. They reflect the eighteenth-century desire for portability, brought about by the multi-functional use of rooms. Although most casters had brass wheels, leather-covered wheels were also used, perhaps on furniture that was to be placed on carpets. Each of the six legs of this settee still retains the original recessed leather-covered caster

The original green worsted show material was covered with tapestry and decorative brass nails at some point. Fragments of the tacking cloth used to attach the tapestry still remain along the rear seat rail. The dates of the tacking cloth and the wrought tacks suggest that the second covering was applied very shortly after the piece was first upholstered. The application of the second show material accounts for the survival of the original.
Markings"W S" stamped on underside of webbing.