Lot Essay
The classically inspired form and decoration of this sofa relate it to a group of highly important painted furniture made in Baltimore probably by John and/or Hugh Finlay in the two decades following the conclusion of the War of 1812. Several Baltimore families are associated with suites of faux-rosewood grained and gilt decorated furniture, both with the same characteristic speared rosette and elongated anthemion motif, link the sofa illustrated here to the Findlay shop.
Theses two furniture orders from the Findlay shop are the Skipwith sofa and the Wilson Family suite. The earliest example of rosewood grained and speared rosette-anthemion decorated furniture is a Grecian couch made for Humberston Skipwith for his home, Prestwould, in Clarksville, Virginia, documented by a surviving 1819 bill of sale fromHugh Finlay.1 A large group of furniture made for James Wilson, a wealthy merchant in Baltimore, that has decoration identical to both the sofa illustrated here and the Skipwith couch is linked to a secong bill of sale from the Finlay shop. The surviving forms from this suite are two caned sidechairs, a window stool, couch, side table, pier table, two center tables and a lampstand all in the Baltimore Museum of Art,2 as well as two more side tables and three caned sidechairs now at the Maryland Historical Society.3 Two tables from the Wilson suite are virtually identical to one owned by John Ridgely of Hampton and documented by a surviving 1832 bill of sale from John Finlay.4
A sofa from the Wilson suite and a sofa made for Reverend George Morrison of Baltimore County, circa 1823, relate most closely to the sofa illustrated here, and thus form the basis of the Finlay attribution. The Wilson sofa is illustrated in Miller, American Antique Furniture (New York, 1937), I:fig. 566; and the Morrison sofa is illustrated and discussed in Weidman, et al, Classical Maryland, p.101, fig. 123. All three sofas have identical front and scrolling arms; the sofa illustrated here deviates only in the line of its crestrail, possibly later interpretation of the form.
A Grecian couch with identical decoration is illustrated and discussed in Flanigan, American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection (New York, 1986), pp.156-157, fig. 59; a second Grecian couch is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and is illustrated in Weidman, et al, Classical Maryland, 1815-1845 (Baltimore, 1993), p. 100, fig. 122. A pair of similar larger couches belonged to the Bonaparte Family of Baltimore.5 A Grecian couch and window stool are in the collection of Winterthur and are illustrated and discussed in Montgomery, American Furniture, The Federal Period: 1788-1825 (New York, 1966), pp. 313-315, fig. 279, 280. A similar Grecian couch can be seen in a portrait of Augusta McCausland Duval, circa 1820, now in the Maryalnd Historical Society and illustrated in Weidman, et al, Classical Maryland, cover and frontispiece.
1 Weidman, et al Classical Maryland, 1815-1845 (Baltimore, 1993), p.98.
2 Elder, Baltimore Painted Furniture, 1800-1840 (Baltimore, 1972), pp. 47-55, figs. 24-31
3 Weidman, Furniture in Maryland, 1740-1940 (Baltimore, 1984), pp. 193-194, fig. 171.
4 see Elder, figs. 42 and 45 for a pier table (one of two) and sidechair (one of six) made for John Ridgely of Hampton.
5. ibid, p. 49
Theses two furniture orders from the Findlay shop are the Skipwith sofa and the Wilson Family suite. The earliest example of rosewood grained and speared rosette-anthemion decorated furniture is a Grecian couch made for Humberston Skipwith for his home, Prestwould, in Clarksville, Virginia, documented by a surviving 1819 bill of sale fromHugh Finlay.1 A large group of furniture made for James Wilson, a wealthy merchant in Baltimore, that has decoration identical to both the sofa illustrated here and the Skipwith couch is linked to a secong bill of sale from the Finlay shop. The surviving forms from this suite are two caned sidechairs, a window stool, couch, side table, pier table, two center tables and a lampstand all in the Baltimore Museum of Art,2 as well as two more side tables and three caned sidechairs now at the Maryland Historical Society.3 Two tables from the Wilson suite are virtually identical to one owned by John Ridgely of Hampton and documented by a surviving 1832 bill of sale from John Finlay.4
A sofa from the Wilson suite and a sofa made for Reverend George Morrison of Baltimore County, circa 1823, relate most closely to the sofa illustrated here, and thus form the basis of the Finlay attribution. The Wilson sofa is illustrated in Miller, American Antique Furniture (New York, 1937), I:fig. 566; and the Morrison sofa is illustrated and discussed in Weidman, et al, Classical Maryland, p.101, fig. 123. All three sofas have identical front and scrolling arms; the sofa illustrated here deviates only in the line of its crestrail, possibly later interpretation of the form.
A Grecian couch with identical decoration is illustrated and discussed in Flanigan, American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection (New York, 1986), pp.156-157, fig. 59; a second Grecian couch is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and is illustrated in Weidman, et al, Classical Maryland, 1815-1845 (Baltimore, 1993), p. 100, fig. 122. A pair of similar larger couches belonged to the Bonaparte Family of Baltimore.5 A Grecian couch and window stool are in the collection of Winterthur and are illustrated and discussed in Montgomery, American Furniture, The Federal Period: 1788-1825 (New York, 1966), pp. 313-315, fig. 279, 280. A similar Grecian couch can be seen in a portrait of Augusta McCausland Duval, circa 1820, now in the Maryalnd Historical Society and illustrated in Weidman, et al, Classical Maryland, cover and frontispiece.
1 Weidman, et al Classical Maryland, 1815-1845 (Baltimore, 1993), p.98.
2 Elder, Baltimore Painted Furniture, 1800-1840 (Baltimore, 1972), pp. 47-55, figs. 24-31
3 Weidman, Furniture in Maryland, 1740-1940 (Baltimore, 1984), pp. 193-194, fig. 171.
4 see Elder, figs. 42 and 45 for a pier table (one of two) and sidechair (one of six) made for John Ridgely of Hampton.
5. ibid, p. 49