Regency faux rosewood settee, to a design of Thomas Hope

Regency period painted, gilt and simulated rosewood settee. The scrolled arms with lion head masks, with the frame decorated with scrolling acanthus and harebells, all surmounting gilt winged lion’s paw feet. The settee exhibits design motifs in the antiquarian taste favoured by such Regency period designers as Thomas Hope and George Smith, who found inspiration in the victory of Admiral Nelson and the Battle of the Nile. Napoleon’s occupation of the Nile valley and the subsequent defeats of the French fleet by Nelson brought increased awareness of the ancient world and its design motifs, which then became extremely fashionable in France and England.

Literature: Thomas Hope, Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, 1807, cf. plates XXIX,

George Smith, Collection of Designs for Household Furniture, 1808, plate 65

Circa 1810