A CHAISE Longue, belonging to the estate of Mrs. Reinhold Faelten of
Boston. Seventeenth century sofas were extremely rare and the writer
is not aware of any existing specimens of American origin. The piece in
the Essex Institute is avowedly of foreign origin. The chaise longue, as it is
called in France, the couch in English and the day-bed in America, seems
to have supplied the place of a sofa. The specimens made with eight legs
are, other things being equal, regarded superior to the six-leg style. The
piece before us has curious Spanish feet, being carved on three sides, on
the second and third pair of legs; and at the bottom being carved on four
sides, an otherwise unknown variety. Probably it was restored wrongly.
The theory of the style of the chaise longue is that it is a truly long chair,
made as if the seat of a chair were drawn out to couch length, while the head
is left without change. Date: 1690-1710.

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