Rosewood Sofa, attr. Belter

Rare American Rococo Carved and Laminated Rosewood Sofa, c. 1850-1860, attr. to John Henry Belter, New York, elaborately carved floral and urn serpentine high crest with scrolled acanthus and dolphin motif, cornucopia uprights, serpentine fruit and floral-carved seat rail, foliate cabriole legs, casters, h. 53 3/4 in., w. 91 in., d. 34 in. Note: This sofa and the armchair in the following lot are remarkable examples among a group of seated furniture by New York cabinetmaker John Henry Belter, all with highly ornate carvings and extensive sculptural crests. The two lots are some of the most elaborate examples of Belter’s work and show distinctive design elements unique among Belter’s seated furniture, including the floral urn and dolphin design within the crest. A sofa held in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London that belonged to industrialist Sir Alfred Owen features an intricate floral crest and similar overall proportions that are closely related to the sofa offered here. Other related sofas are conserved by the Museum of the City of New York, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The sofa and armchair offered here are also closely related to a suite of seated furniture sold in these rooms on September 24, 2016 from The Service Collection, Estate of Grant A. Oakes, Warren, OH.Ref.: Victoria and Albert Museum. Collections. Collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O59258/sofa-belter-john-henry/. Accessed October 21, 2019. The Victoria and Albert Museum example is also featured on the cover of Eileen and Richard Dubrow’s publication American Furniture of the 19th Century.