About Antique Settees

Antique settees can be formal or casual. They were considered quite a breakthrough in furniture fashion in their day and remain popular today. Settees started as large chairs and evolved into styles such as love seats. They were first called double chairs because they were two chairs put together. Finding a complete living room set--settee, sofa and chair--can be a great discovery.

History

Settees first appeared in the late 16th or early 17th century, and the very earliest were not upholstered, but rather made of cane. Upholstered settees did not become popular until the 18th century and were mostly sold as a part of a set that included a larger sofa and arm chair.

Types

The Queen Anne period occurred in the mid-18th century. Queen Anne furniture is delicate, with little decoration and curved lines. Legs are shaped like the letter S. The wood can be walnut, poplar, cherry, maple or mahogany. Pieces are set low and scaled on the small side. If the wood has any decoration, it will be in the shape of a shell or fan.

Chippendale-period settees date from the late-18th century. These have more elaborate carvings. The legs have claw and ball feet, the seats are upholstered and the sides straight. Woods used were mahogany, walnut, maple and cherry.

The Heppelwhite and Sheridan period, also known as the federal period, took place from 1780 to 1810. These styles were simpler than Chippendale's, but so similar otherwise that they were hard to tell apart. All styles included some carving and used veneers of satinwood and sycamore. They also featured inlays of white holly. Heppelwhite and Sheridan settees had horsehair stuffing and were upholstered in silk and satin. The legs were plain and the feet thin and square.

The Victorian period was from 1850 to 1910. Victorian style used mahogany, rosewood and black walnut. The pieces had curved bracket feet, were upholstered in fabrics like velvet and had long fringes on the bottom.

Warning

One could not copyright a furniture design in the United States until the mid-1800s, so many pieces were made in the styles of Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheirdan. If a piece is in Chippendale style, it may have been made by another company. Get the piece authenticated as having being made by the masters themselves.
Also watch for reproductions. One way to check is to look under the cushions. There were no springs back then; the cushions rested on tightly stretched burlap. And the joints should look like they were made by hand.

Potential

The greatest investment potential is with complete sets, but they are extremely hard to find. Antique settees are sought after and have the potential to gain in value

Significance

Before buying antiques, learn about the piece. When you do buy, get a written guarantee. And buy with your head, not your heart. Get your piece appraised by another dealer or auction house. And do not have a piece appraised by the person you are selling it to.

Resources

• Chippendale
• Victorian