George III Carved Mahogany Settee
In the manner of George Hepplewhite
ENGLAND, circa 1780
Height: 39in (99cm)
Width: 81in (206cm)
Depth: 32in (81cm)
Conceived in the French taste, of serpentine form with a moulded frame, the upholstered back with a triple arched crest, each carved with a spray of flowers and leaves, continuing to padded arms with scrolled terminal continuing to curved supports, abovr the shaped front rail, raised on cabriole legs.
A French Sofa cabriole legs and carved detail was published by A. Hepplewihite & Co. in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide, 1st Edition, 1788, the authors remarking that this is ‘A design for a sofa in the French taste, covered with a figured damask; the ornaments’, unlike the present example, ‘should be gilt or japanned a bright colour’.
