What's the difference between a settee and a sofa here?

Very little. Settee appears in 141 titles, couch in 20, chaise longue in 17, and plenty of listings use two of the words at once. In practice settee tends to attach to the lighter show-wood two-seater, while sofa gets used across the whole category, upholstered forms included.

How many come up for sale each year?

About 38 a year come to market on Sellingantiques, and 126 different dealers have listed one. That spread tells you it's a form almost every general furniture dealer handles at some point, rather than a specialist's line.

Why do some listings say Victorian or 1920s?

The dated field runs from 1870 to 1930. Inside the category sit 22 vague "19th Century" entries, 11 Victorian, 7 from the 1890s and 9 from the 1920s. Edwardian is doing double duty as a style label. A light inlaid show-wood frame made in 1895 or 1922 looks and is built like one from 1905, and the trade lists it accordingly.

Are leather chesterfields common in this category?

They're a minority. Chesterfield appears in 27 titles and leather in 30, against 147 mentioning mahogany. What they lack in numbers they make up in position: leather chesterfields and deep-buttoned club sofas cluster in the upper half of the range.

What unusual pieces have turned up?

One-offs that surface and don't repeat include a Savonarola X-frame two-chair sofa, a hooded porter's sofa and a Glasgow School oak settle. Also recorded: a rattan two-seater, a bobbin-framed oak sofa and a gilt-wood Louis XVI sofa.

Do these ever come as pairs or suites?

Yes, though not often. Eight titles offer a pair, and there are three-piece boudoir suites, bergere lounge suites and club suites among the listings. Settees sold with matching armchairs sample above single settees of similar type.

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Antique Edwardian Sofas

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Upholstered seat furniture from the years around 1900 to 1914, made for the drawing rooms of smaller houses, and led by the two-seat settee on a polished mahogany frame.