Sofa
Attributed to Samuel McIntire American
A carved eagle, symbol of the new republic, holding a festoon of drapery in its beak ornaments the top rail. The sofa's overall square form, turned arm supports, and crest-rail shape derive from plate 35 of Thomas Sheraton's "The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book" (1793). Along with George Hepplewhite's equally popular pattern book "The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide" (1788), Sheraton's volume was a principal vehicle in disseminating the English Neoclassical style to American cabinetmakers and their patrons.
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