Holy Moly.  Now I know why people who aren’t fans of Victorian antique furniture look at pieces from the period and condemn it’s over-the-topness.  Technically this piece is probably very late Victorian Renaissance Revival style.

This sofa is part of a set that Fontaine’s will be selling on the 18th and it is a Victorian-hater’s nightmare.  I love RJ Horner items, whose carved furniture this resembles, but even I would not be able to put this one in my home.  It is so overwrought it even has two-tier tables integrated on either side of the sofa.  No need to buy end tables - they’re included!

The set is probably incredible to see in person and it will make quite a statement in a fine home somewhere.

Expected sale range is $15,000 to $25,000.  More detail images at the listing.

So how do you like the set?

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A quick update on the Belter Bill of Sale that was in the previous post. The December 1998 issue of Magazine Antiques has an exhaustive article on this particular bill of sale, documenting the history of the furniture purchased with this receipt. It was originally purchased by “Col. B. S. Jordan [of] Gorgia [sic]” on behalf of his sister, Elizabeth Taylor Sanford whose husband had just died. Col. Jordan bought an identical set for he and his wife, Emily Epps Sanford at the same time (separate bill). Yes, the brothers married two sisters. Thanks to Tex MacRae for spotting the article and giving us a heads up. Here’s a link to the online version which is worth the read.

Secondly, the name “Arabasket” that Belter used for the set is what we refer to today as the “Fountain Elms” pattern. “Victorian Details“, and “American Furniture of the 19th Century” both attest to this.

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I will be checking the results of the above attributed John Jelliff 4-piece parlor set after the July 12th Neal Auction sale is over.  The 8-piece set that recently sold at Cowan’s drew a disappointing $2,600.  Maybe there was a structural issue with one or more of the pieces as was mentioned in the forum or maybe it was something else.  You might be interested to see a closed-arm version of this sofa here.

I’m wondering if the fact that it was 8-pieces vs. 4 or 6 was a deterrent in this particular case.  I commend Cowan’s for keeping the large set together and not breaking it up across multiple lots.  I would guess that not too many households have the space to accommodate a matching 8-piece set.  I would have cleared out my Parlor of mismatched sofas, chairs, and sell the pool table to make room for a matching 8-piece set if I knew it was to be sold for $2,600.

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