Design for a Sofa
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-456-47
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Design for a Sofa** is a 19th-century print reproducing an 18th-century furniture design by French artist Jean-Charles Delafosse (1734–1789). Though Delafosse created the original concept during his lifetime, this print was produced between 1849 and 1866, long after his death. Such later editions were common ways to preserve and circulate earlier decorative ideas. Prints like this one were vital tools in the decorative arts. They allowed architects, cabinetmakers, and patrons across Europe and beyond to study elegant furniture forms in detail, from proportions to ornamental motifs. A sofa d...