Sofa (from a rococo revival parlor set)
1850–60
Object PlaceProbably Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Medium/TechniqueMahogany, original upholstery, brass casters
DimensionsOverall: 104.1 x 243.8 x 83.8 cm (41 x 96 x 33 in.)
Credit LineHelen and Alice Colburn Fund
Accession number1982.184
On View
Not on viewClassificationsFurniture
Collections
Heade's interest in nature and botany, which he shared with many artists and designers of the period, is mirrored in the leafy carving of the mahogany frame of this sofa. Although its maker has not been identified, the sofa's sculptural curves reflect the exuberance of Rococo-Revival decorative arts in the mid-nineteenth century.
ProvenanceBy tradition, owned originally by Robert Roberts, a China-trade merchant of Medfield, Massachusetts; remained in the same house and descended to Laura Huntington Smith, 402 Main Street, Medfield; 1982, purchased from Miss Smith by the MFA (Accession date: March 10, 1982).
about 1810-1825
about 1810–20
1880–89
1840–60
about 1820
about 1823-1827