Two Sofa Designs
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-456-5
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Two Sofa Designs is a print attributed to Radel, a German designer active from 1760 to 1770, though the work itself dates to 1849–66. Held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and acquired through purchase by the Advisory Council, it depicts two sofa concepts and is classified as a print of unknown medium. This combination of an 18th-century designer with a 19th-century print highlights how earlier ideas were later reproduced and shared. Printed furniture designs served as important tools for spreading styles among craftsmen and patrons in Europe. Radel’s sofas, created during his period of...