Couch (one of a pair)
Rococo Revival style, 1840-1860
Baltimore
Analysis of the design, ornamentation, and construction of a group of seven pieces of Rococo Revival seating furniture in Hampton’s collection has shown them to be a suite, pieces purchased at the same time, almost certainly for specific use in the Drawing Room. In acquiring a matching set of seating furniture in what was then called the “Modern French” taste, the Ridgelys were following the predominant custom in this country in the period between 1840 and 1870. The Hampton couches are closely related to an illustration published by London upholsterer Thomas King in 1835 in Specimens of Furniture in the Elizabethan and Louis Quatorze Styles. It is believed, based on documentary and photographic evidence, that both the Rococo Revival suite of seating furniture and the suite of painted furniture made by John Finlay were both in use in Hampton’s Drawing Room from c. 1845 - 1880. Both sets of furniture were originally upholstered in the same crimson silk damask fabric.
Rosewood and other woods. H 79.4, W 210.8, D 59 cm
Hampton National Historic Site, HAMP 4801