Sofa (c. 1820): Art, History and Details

Sofa (c. 1820) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The classically inspired elements of design such as the scrolled arms and the well executed gilt decoration identifies this sofa as an example of American Empire style furniture almost certainly made in New York City.

Object facts

• Title: Sofa
• Date: c. 1820
• Culture: America, New York, Empire style, 19th century
• Type: Furniture and woodwork
• Technique: wood with painted and gilded decoration
• Dimensions: Overall: 85.1 x 195.5 x 63.6 cm (33 1/2 x 76 15/16 x 25 1/16 in.)
• Collection: Furniture
• Department: Decorative Art and Design
• Accession number: 1971.29

A detail from the museum

At first glance you might not notice the animals, but look closely and you will discover the small faces of lions and the outstretched wings of eagles that decorate this sofa's frame. Furniture made in the Empire style was adapted from ancient Grecian forms by Parisian and American cabinet makers influenced by the classical style.

Collection credit

Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.