Unknown artist, Settees, 1770s. Mahogany and fabric upholstery; 49 × 25 × 86 in. Gift of John Critcher Freyer for the Frank Barrows Freyer Collection at the Denver Art Museum, 1969.375.1.

height: 49 in, 124.4600 cm; width: 25 in, 63.5000 cm; length: 86 in, 218.4400 cm

Mayer Center, Latin American Art

Latin American Art

Following basic European styles, furniture in colonial Latin America developed regional variations. Proportions in the Americas were often grander and heavier than their European counterparts and the decoration was often more ornate, particularly during the Baroque period. Often local details were incorporated into the decorative elements alongside European allegorical and classical imagery. In some cases Asian influence can be seen in Latin American furniture as a result of Asian decorative arts imported via the Manila galleons.

This settee is one of a pair and is executed in the stouter and heavier Peruvian colonial version of the English Queen Anne or Chippendale style. Also, the front skirt and back splats are much more elaborately carved than their European counterparts. It is an excellent example of the Peruvian appropriation and adaptation of a mainstream European style.

--Donna Pierce, 2015

Collected in Peru in the 1920s by Mrs. Maria Engracia Critcher Freyer [1888-1969] and Mr. Frank Barrows Freyer [1878-1947], Denver and Washington, DC; inherited 1969 by Mr. John Critcher Freyer [1923-1992]; gifted 24 October 1969 to the Denver Art Museum. Provenance research is on-going at the Denver Art Museum and we will post information as it becomes available. Please e-mail provenance@denverartmuseum.org, if you have questions, or if you have additional information to share with us.

• "Paintings & Decorative Art of XVI and XVII-Century Peru Collected by Mrs. Frank Freyer," Brooklyn Museum of Art, December 20, 1930 - September 30, 1931