Settee
Alexander Jackson Davis
(American, 1803–1892)
about 1848
Object PlaceNew York, New York
Medium/TechniqueRosewood, rosewood veneer, walnut, ash; modern upholstery
DimensionsOverall: 118.1 x 157.5 x 76.2cm (46 1/2 x 62 x 30in.)
Credit LineSeth K. Sweetser Fund No.1
Accession number1979.294
On View
Not on viewClassificationsFurniture
Collections
This settee's sturdy, architectural form and ornament reflects Davis's bold, Gothic-Revival aesthetic. The settee came from Belmead, a Gothic-Tudor mansion in Powhatan County, Virginia. Built in 1845 for Philip St. George Cocke, Belmead was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, who often included furniture to create a unified style in his buildings. In New York, Cocke and Davis discussed furniture designs at the shop of Burns & Trainque, where many of Davis's designs were executed.
ProvenanceThe settee was part of a set designed for Belmead, the Gothic revival home designed by Alexander Jackson Davis for Phillip St. George Cocke of Powhatan County, Virginia in 1845. The furniture was later purchased by a Charlottesville, Virginia collector at auction, who sold it to a Wasington, D.C. collector, who in turn sold it to a collector, who sold the settee to the Museum through E. J. Canton Antiques of Baltimore, Maryland in 1979.
about 1840–50
about 1700