Récamier
Date19th century
MediumCherry and modern silk upholstery
Dimensions34 3/4 × 69 3/4 × 24 inches (88.3 × 177.2 × 61 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Sylvia and Frank Ferst Collection.
Object number1988.2.7
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextIn the early 19th century, this type of long seat with one high arm and one low often was described as a chaise longue, couch, or "Grecian" couch, the latter hinting at Europeans' inspiration from Classical Greek and Roman sources during this period. While artists and architects had been looking to the ancient past for centuries, the rediscovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the 18th century prompted new, intense study of archaeological material. Designers and wealthy consumers in the 18th and 19th centuries translated these forms into fashionable luxury goods from clothing to furniture. In an 1800 portrait, French artist Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) famously painted Parisian socialite Juliette Récamier (1777-1849) lounging on one of these seats, part of a suite of furniture in her salon now in the collections of the Louvre Museum. Her last name became synonymous with the furniture form.
