Settee

c. 1802–07

Settee, c. 1802–07. Thomas Hope (British, 1769–1831), Unknown Maker (British). Gilt-wood, reproduction wool upholstery; overall: 102.2 x 113 x 71.1 cm (40 1/4 x 44 1/2 x 28 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2011.3 An art collector, designer, and champion of neoclassicism, Thomas Hope designed this settee for display in his London house. Hope’s design exemplifies the continued interest in neoclassical ornament around 1800 through the use of elaborately carved friezes, a central pediment, and a lavishly gilded surface. In 1807 Hope published Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, featuring descriptions of his renowned collection of antiquities and the interior furnishings from his London house, including this settee. Many architects and cabinetmaking firms took inspiration from Hope’s designs, adapting Greek and Roman forms to create bold expressions of neoclassicism in their architecture and decoration. The acorn finials, ram’s heads, and clusters of stylized honeysuckle flowers along the settee’s frame are typical of Thomas Hope’s neoclassical designs.