Small settee (part of a set)

Art Historical Context

This elegant small settee, created around 1785, reflects the refined taste of late eighteenth-century French furniture during the reign of Louis XVI. Cabinetmaker Georges Jacob, celebrated for his neoclassical designs, crafted the carved and gilded walnut frame, while textile designer Philippe de Lasalle likely contributed to the embroidered silk-satin upholstery. Though the fabric is not original to the piece, its delicate floral motifs of roses and leaves echo the period’s love of naturalistic ornament drawn from antiquity. The settee’s compact proportions and graceful curves highlight the shift from the ornate Rococo style toward a lighter, more architectural aesthetic inspired by ancient Greek and Roman forms. Gilding on the walnut adds a luminous elegance suited to aristocratic interiors, while the overall design balances comfort with sculptural detail. As part of a larger suite, this work exemplifies the collaborative artistry of French decorative arts at their peak, now preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.