The curvilinear form of this sofa and its rich carvings of flowers, leaves and berries, were inspired by Rococo designs of the mid-eighteenth century. In the mid-nineteenth century the style enjoyed a revival, and John Henry Belter (1804-1863), the German-born designer and maker of this sofa, was a leading force in the Rococo Revival in the USA.
Belter's highly inventive style is epitomised by this sofa. Between 1847 and 1860 he took out numerous patents to protect his property rights in the machinery and processes used in making his furniture, including three connected with the industrial application of lamination in furniture construction. The back of this sofa is made from seven large sheets of veneer, glued together to make a laminated board. This construction would have been expensive, but lighter and stronger than an assemblage of carved wood.