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

In this category, nothing consistent. Dealers use settee, sofa and couch interchangeably, and some listings run all three words together in one title. Sofa is the commonest of the three, in 433 titles. Couch appears in 84. If you're searching, it pays to try each word.

Which timbers turn up most often?

Mahogany leads, in 300 titles, followed by walnut at 178 and rosewood at 65. The timber usually does the identifying work in the title, alongside the reign. Mahogany frames are often inlaid, and 'inlaid mahogany' is a recurring pairing. Carved walnut is the note struck by the Victorian framed settees and chaise longues.

How old are most antique settees for sale?

The dated field runs from 1750 to 1960, but the weight sits between 1850 and 1920. The 1900s is the biggest decade bucket, then the 1880s, the 1910s and the 1890s. Only about half the listings give a clean year. Many are placed by reign instead, with 211 saying only 19th Century and 115 only Victorian. Eighteenth-century pieces exist but form a thin tail.

Are French settees common on Sellingantiques?

French frames are a solid slice of the category, with 'french' in 157 titles and 'louis' in 50. They appear as canapés, bergères, giltwood and painted frames. Other origins turn up in ones and twos: Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Austro-Hungarian, Biedermeier, Anglo-Indian and Venetian among them.

Do settees come with matching chairs?

Yes, and salon suites are a recurring format. Twenty-nine titles use the word salon, with three-piece and five-piece suites appearing. Pairs of settees also come up. Those larger lots sit high in the sampled range, above single seats.

What unusual settees have been listed?

The oddities are properly odd. A horn settee, a porcupine sofa, a Viennese enamel-mounted sofa and an Islamic settee with boulle inlay have each appeared once. Others include a Japanese lacquered settee, a Provençal oak, ash and rush radassier, and an Indian carved teak floor seat. Children's settees are scarce: two in the whole sample.

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Antique Settees

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A settee is a seat built for two or more people, upholstered over a wooden frame, made for drawing rooms and reception rooms rather than single fireside use.