Sofa
- Culture
- American
- Date
- c.1815–20
- made in
- New York, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Furniture
- Collection
- Decorative Arts and Design
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 137
- Dimensions
- 38 x 100 x 29 in. (96.5 x 254 x 73.7 cm)
- Credit Line
- Funds given by Edwin and Betty Greenfield Grossman, donors to the 2000 Art Enrichment Fund, Museum Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. William R. Orthwein, the Eliza McMillan Trust, the Decorative Arts Society, the Paul and Elissa Cahn Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Sanford N. McDonnell, Jane and Warren Shapleigh, the Mary Elizabeth Rosborough Fund for the Decorative Arts, Mr. and Mrs. L. Max Lippman Jr., Mrs. Wilfred Konneker, Dr. and Mrs. F. Thomas Ott, John Roslevich, Dr. and Mrs. George R. Schoedinger III, and Mrs. Dorothy Wilson
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 38:2001a-c
NOTES
This sofa with scrolled arms and legs in the form of sea creatures, precisely carved from head to tail fin, represents an extraordinary vision skillfully executed. The stylized fish, commonly called a dolphin, became a popular motif in the decorative arts during an era of classical revival fueled by the discovery of artifacts from ancient Egypt, Greece, and especially Rome. The sofa's double-scrolled crest rail, or top rail, echoes the curvilinear shape of the dolphins. A masterpiece of American furniture, this sofa achieves a supremely dynamic and ornamental effect through a combination of exuberant design and superb carving.
Provenance
- c.1970
Private Collection
c.1970 - 1999
Pratt Stanton Manor Nursing Home, New Orleans, LA, USA, received as gift from private collection [1]
1999 - 2001
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, NY, acquired from the Pratt Stanton Manor Nursing Home [2]
2001 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc. [3]
Notes:
[1] The sofa was given to the Pratt Stanton Manor Nursing Home by a unidentified private individual; it remained there until 1999, when it was acquired by Hirschl & Adler Galleries [document provided by Hirschl & Adler Galleries, SLAM document files].
[2] See note [1]. Sofa remained in Hirschl & Adler Galleries' collection for two years [telephone conversation between Hirschl & Adler Galleries staff member and P. Stewart, September 6, 2002].
[3] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, May 24, 2001.
Private Collection
c.1970 - 1999
Pratt Stanton Manor Nursing Home, New Orleans, LA, USA, received as gift from private collection [1]
1999 - 2001
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, NY, acquired from the Pratt Stanton Manor Nursing Home [2]
2001 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc. [3]
Notes:
[1] The sofa was given to the Pratt Stanton Manor Nursing Home by a unidentified private individual; it remained there until 1999, when it was acquired by Hirschl & Adler Galleries [document provided by Hirschl & Adler Galleries, SLAM document files].
[2] See note [1]. Sofa remained in Hirschl & Adler Galleries' collection for two years [telephone conversation between Hirschl & Adler Galleries staff member and P. Stewart, September 6, 2002].
[3] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, May 24, 2001.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.