Louis XV-style Carved Sofa
by G.M. Palmer
(Jacksonville, Florida)
The front of the couch--hard to see the thumbholes
My great aunt gave me this sofa about 10 years ago.
She got it from the grandmother of one of her childhood friends in the 1950s--the grandmother had had it since the late 1800s and it was "old" when the grandmother got it.
It has been reupholstered in a non-period fashion but the beautifully carved frame is in excellent shape that I can see apart from one split on the top left that appears easily reparable.
From looking online it appears to be a Louis XV-style sofa, though I don't know if this style was copied in the US in the mid-1800s or if it is actually a French piece.
I have always been intrigued by what I call the "thumb holes" at the end of the arms--there is a hole carved at the end of each arm in the frame made to look like a vine. I have tried in vain to find another example of this carving.
I would love any advice on the age/style of this piece. Unfortunately, my wife and I don't really have room for the piece in our house (it was in our bedroom but we kept bruising our toes on the cabrioles).
Thank you,
G.M. Palmer
