Settee, maker Unknown Maker, c.1802-1807 (gilt-wood, reproduction wool upholstery)

An art collector, designer, and champion of neoclassical style, Hope designed this arm chair for display in his grandiose London mansion. The settee, as Hope termed it, exemplifies the continued interest in neoclassicism at the turn of the 19th century with its carved motifs of friezes, anthemia, a centered triangular pediment, and a gilded surface. Hope believed it was his duty to heighten the tastes of his designer colleagues, and in 1807 he published Household Furniture and Interior Decoration detailing his interior design methodology. It featured themed rooms and furnishings from his own house, including this settee.