Upholstery from a settee
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Silk
Dimensions
b, c: 22 3/4 x 53 1/2in. (57.8 x 135.9cm) d: 5 1/8 x 7 5/8 in. (13 x 19.4 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Elizabeth Love Godwin, 1975
Accession Number
1975.219b–d
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silk upholstery fragment hails from a 19th-century British set, a testament to the opulent domestic interiors of Victorian England. Crafted as woven textile, it once adorned a elegant piece of furniture known as a settee—a compact sofa favored in parlors for intimate gatherings. The generous dimensions of panels b and c (22 3/4 x 53 1/2 inches) suggest they covered the seat and back, while the smaller panel d (5 1/8 x 7 5/8 inches) may have been for an arm or cushion, highlighting the meticulous design of period furnishings. Woven from luxurious silk, this upholstery exemplifie...