Settee
ca. 1876–85
Medium
Ebonized cherry, fabric-covered steel mesh
Dimensions
39 5/8 x 67 3/8 x 22 5/8 in. (100.6 x 171.1 x 57.5 cm)
Classification
Settee
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Friends of the American Wing Fund, 1992
Accession Number
1992.269
About this artwork
This artwork titled "Settee" by George Jakob Hunzinger dates to ca. 1876–85. Executed in ebonized cherry, fabric-covered steel mesh, this work represents American, Mid-Atlantic artistic traditions. The piece demonstrates the technical skill and artistic vision characteristic of its period. The work's presence in a major museum collection attests to its significance in the broader narrative of art history. As part of institutional holdings, it serves both scholarly research and public education, ...
Art Historical Context
George Jakob Hunzinger’s Settee, dating from about 1876 to 1885, captures the inventive spirit of American furniture making in the post-Civil War decades. Created in the Mid-Atlantic region, the piece reflects a moment when traditional craftsmanship began to embrace industrial materials and processes. Its elegant form, executed in ebonized cherry, demonstrates the period’s taste for dark, richly finished woods that evoked luxury while remaining distinctly American in production. The settee’s most striking feature is its fabric-covered steel mesh, an unusual choice that combined comfort with t...