Very Fine and Rare Federal Inlaid Mahogany Sofa, Attributed to John Seymour (1738–1818) and Thomas Seymour (1771–1848), Upholstery possibly by William Lemon, Boston, Massachusetts, Circa 1795-1804

This exceptionally delicate sofa relates directly to a sofa in a private collection that has been attributed to the work of John Seymour (1738–1818) and Thomas Seymour (1771–1848) by Robert Mussey (see Robert Mussey, Jr. The Furniture Masterworks of John & Thomas Seymour, (Salem, Massachusetts: Peabody Essex Museum distributed by University Press of New England, 2003), p. 400-1, no. 133). That sofa is inscribed with the word Lemon that Mussey hypothesizes is for a William Lemon who was a Boston upholster.  Another closely related sofa was in the Kaufman Collection and now resides at the National Gallery of Art (see J. M. Flanigan, American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection, (Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1986), pp. 148-9, no. 55).  An armchair with identical feet, also attributed to the Seymour's shop, was also in the Kaufman Collection (ibid, pp. 132-3, no. 47).