What is the difference between a sofa and a settee?

In practice, nothing. Dealers use sofa, settee and couch for the same long upholstered seat, and settee alone appears in 235 titles on Sellingantiques against 64 for couch. The useful distinction is elsewhere: whether the frame timber shows, and whether the piece has one raised end or two.

Why do some listings say chaise lounge?

It's a common alternative spelling. Of the 259 titles using chaise, 194 read chaise longue and 51 read chaise lounge. Both describe the same thing: a long seat with one raised end for reclining. Day bed and daybed also turn up for the form.

Which timbers do show-wood frames use?

Three dominate. Mahogany appears in 229 titles, walnut in 196 and rosewood in 81. Oak is a distant fourth at 23. Ebonised frames, stained and polished black and often with gilt lines, run through the Aesthetic-influenced pieces.

How precisely are these dated?

Loosely, for the most part. More than half the archive carries no year at all: 453 listings are labelled simply Victorian and 118 only 19th Century. Where decades are given, the 1880s lead with 158 listings, ahead of the 1860s, 1890s, 1850s and 1870s. The clean-year field spans 1800 to 1930, but the weight sits mid to late nineteenth century.

Are chesterfields always leather?

No. Leather appears in 82 titles and leather chesterfield in 30, so a good many chesterfields are listed in fabric or velvet instead. What the name signals is the form: arms level or nearly level with the back, and buttoning drawn deep into the upholstery.

What unusual forms turn up in this category?

Beyond the mainstream, window seats, hall benches, settles and conversation seats appear at the fringes, the last with sitters facing different ways. One-offs include a miniature ebonised chaise, a bath tub chaise, an Anglo-Indian carved sofa, an Austro-Hungarian shell-shaped sofa, a swivel conversational sofa and a chaise with concealed storage. Country-house framing is its own sub-language, used in 47 titles, taking in Knole sofas and a billiard-room sofa.

Home > Sofas > Victorian Sofas > Page 5

Victorian Sofas

239 items · page 5 of 15

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A long upholstered nineteenth-century seat for a drawing room, sold under half a dozen names: sofa, settee, couch, chaise longue, chesterfield.

Chaise Longue Sofa with Ionic Column Legs

19th century

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Chaise Longue Sofa with Ionic Column Legs

From Kontrast Antiques

£2,290

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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Fine 19th Century Ball and Claw Sofa After Howard and Sons

From Loveday Antiques

£8,900

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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Howard and Sons Chesterfield Sofas

From Kontrast Antiques

£8,995

FOR SALE

sofas

Mahogany Double Ended Sofa Re Upholstered in Burgundy Deep Pile Brocade & Sprung Settee Base

1900 - 1920

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Mahogany Double Ended Sofa Re Upholstered in Burgundy Deep Pile Brocade & Sprung Settee Base

From Sale Antiques

£1,500

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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Victorian Chaise Longue

From William Carr Antiques

£2,800

FOR SALE

sofas

Antique Victorian Rosewood Upholstered Settee Sofa with Carved Scroll Ends C.1880

19th century

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Antique Victorian Rosewood Upholstered Settee Sofa with Carved Scroll Ends C.1880

From Lee Hawkins Antiques & Interiors

£1,400

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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19th Century Walnut Sofa/settee

From Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd

£3,800

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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19th Century William IV Rosewood Chaise Longue

From Shackladys Antiques

£1,475

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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Super Victorian Conversation Sofa

From Fernyhough Antiques Ltd

£1,295

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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Pair of Howard and Sons Sofas

From Dean Antiques Ltd

£34,000

FOR SALE

sofas

One-offs in the archive include a miniature ebonised chaise, an Austro-Hungarian shell-shaped sofa, a swivel conversational sofa and a piece called a Porcupine sofa.

Antique Victorian Carved Mahogany Settee Sofa Green Upholstered Two Seater

19th century

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Antique Victorian Carved Mahogany Settee Sofa Green Upholstered Two Seater

From Heavenly Antiques

£295

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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19th Century Victorian Period Brown Leather Chesterfield, C1880

From Anthony Short Antiques

£7,800

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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19th Century Victorian Chesterfield Sofa

From Siez Gallery

£995

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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19th Century Mahogany Bench Seat

From James R Millington Antiques

£850

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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19th Century Victorian Brown Leather 3-Seater Chesterfield, C1880

From Anthony Short Antiques

£4,800

FOR SALE

sofas

19th century

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19th Century Victorian Knole Knowle Upholstered Drop Arm Sofa Settee

From CJ Antiques

£3,450

FOR SALE

sofas

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Victorian Sofas

Chaise Longue Sofa with Ionic Column Legs

Fine 19th Century Ball and Claw Sofa After Howard and Sons

Howard and Sons Chesterfield Sofas

Mahogany Double Ended Sofa Re Upholstered in Burgundy Deep Pile Brocade & Sprung Settee Base

Victorian Chaise Longue

Antique Victorian Rosewood Upholstered Settee Sofa with Carved Scroll Ends C.1880

19th Century Walnut Sofa/settee

19th Century William IV Rosewood Chaise Longue

Super Victorian Conversation Sofa

Pair of Howard and Sons Sofas

Antique Victorian Carved Mahogany Settee Sofa Green Upholstered Two Seater

19th Century Victorian Period Brown Leather Chesterfield, C1880

19th Century Victorian Chesterfield Sofa

19th Century Mahogany Bench Seat

19th Century Victorian Brown Leather 3-Seater Chesterfield, C1880

19th Century Victorian Knole Knowle Upholstered Drop Arm Sofa Settee

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