It is not the best example of Cornucopia. The crest is not fully developped and the carving is flat.

Here is the link:

http://www.vmfa.museum/collections/54_15_2.html

Lise

Gilded furniture was created for the very upper crust element of society since such furniture was not applicable to the masses. Gilded furniture of the “Empire” period was created by a number of American cabinetmakers (Quervelle, Lannuier, Phyfe, Meeks, etc.) although the gilding was often limited to accented areas. The trend continued to the “Rococo” period in which some pieces were partially gilded, and some were fully gilded. Although some of the previous posts doubt the existance of gilded Belter furniture, a pair of fully gilded “Cornucopia” type sofas were donated to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 1954 by the Moore/Morrison families.
These two-sofas retain their original water gilding and are among the rarest of the Belter furniture.

It should be noted that Belter produced works in Rosewood, Mahogany, Walnut and Oak. In addition, a few chairs have come to light that are veneered in an unknown wood of light color. It has been speculated that these chairs might have been experimental products by Mr. Belter. I am of the opinion that such examples were likely gilded and over time had the gilding removed due to changes in taste. One would suspect that Mr. Belter would have used a less costly wood to veneer his chairs if the veneer would have been covered in gilt since there would have been no reason to gild over rosewood.

In the 1853 New York Crystal Palace, Warren Ward exhibited a suite of furniture inlaid with pearl and gold, and Matthews and Stacey were awarded a prize for their suite of white and gold enameled furniture (Herter Brothers: Furniture and Interiors for a Gilded Age, pg 61). In addition, a suite of furniture owned by Robert Kelly which was donated to the MWPI by the Pruyn family was decorated in gold and white (American Furniture, Helen Comstock, #630-632). Clearly gilded furniture was known and appreciated in the mid-19th century.

Obviously gilding continued into the “Aesthetic” period as witnessed by the oeuvre of the major firms of the era, giving rise to the term, The Gilded Age.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to ascertain whether this set is original or not without seeing it in person. If you are unsure of whether it is water gilded, a local gilder/conservator should be of assistance in answering this question based upon his/her
personal inspection.

If this set is original, it would rank with a small group of extant Belter furniture with its original gilding.

In the book “American furniture of the 19th century” by the Dubrows on page 109 there is a Belter slipper chair. The caption reads: “Note original gilding on the knees” It’s a black and white picture so it’s hard to tell, but may in fact document original gilding on Belter furniture.