//
For internal use only
On Display: House - Library Hall
Sofa
Unidentified, Joseph Li Volsi
1810-1820
Category
Furniture
Creator/Artist/Maker
Unidentified (Furniture Maker)
Place of Origin
Portsmouth; New Hampshire; New England; United States; North America
Materials
- Mahogany
- Birch, figured
- Pine, hard
- Pine, white
- Silk
Museum Object Number
1957.0658
Credit Line/Donor
Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont
Share Object
Complete Details
Object Number
1957.0658
Object Name
Sofa
Category
Furniture
Creator (Role)
Unidentified (Furniture Maker); Joseph Li Volsi (Upholsterer)
Place of Origin
Portsmouth; New Hampshire; New England; United States; North America
Origin Notes
Previously catalogued as northeastern Massachusetts or Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1800-10. According to Jobe, the veneer-crested sofa has become a "signature of Portsmouth federal furniture." Because it was an expense form to produce (upwards of $35 or $40, comparable in price to an ornate sideboard or secretary-and-bookcase) it was a "statement of luxury and opulence [that] offered its owners comfort as well as status." Six retain histories of ownership in the Portsmouth area, including one branded "G.C. McClean" for George McClean (d. 1820), a Portsmouth ship captain. Another twenty sofas without provenances (including this sofa) have been attributed to Portsmouth. (See Jobe in References)
Secondary Place of Origin
Europe
Secondary Origin Notes
Per previous cataloger, this fabric was made in Europe between 1770 and 1810.
Date
1810-1820
Materials
- Mahogany
- Birch, figured
- Pine, hard
- Pine, white
- Silk
Techniques
- Watered (Moire)
- Woven (satin)
Dimensions (inches)
36.125 (H) x 28.5 (D) x 83.125 (L)
Dimensions (centimeters)
91.758 (H) x 211.138 (W) x 72.39 (D) x 211.14 (L)
Measurement Notes
OH at crest; OL at feet; OD from back of crest to front of seat. L (crest) 82.75 in.; L (arms) 83 in.
Seam to seam, the fabric panels measure 19.5 inches (Sara Jatcko, 04/29/2009)