SETTEE  , a

long upholstered seat, usually high-backed and with arms at each end . Its ancestors were the settle and the chair—it has alternately resembled the one and the other . It is broadly distinguished from the many varieties of sofa by being intended for sitting rather than reclining—its seat is of the same height as that of a chair; its arms and much of its detail are chair-like . It dates from about the middle of the 17th century, but examples of that early period are exceedingly rare.' There is a famous one at Knole, made about midway between the restoration of Charles II. and the revolution of 1688 . By that time the settee had acquired the splendid upholstery and convoluted woodwork which adorned the end of the Stuart period . Early in the 18th century the conjoined double or triple chair form became fashionable . The form was artless, and the absence of upholstery, save on the seat, produced a somewhat angular effect . This type of settee was in essence two chairs with one set of arms . Chippendale made many such pieces, some of them of great beauty . As the taste for carved furniture waned these sturdy settees were replaced by lighter ones, often graceful enough in outline—Hepplewhite and Sheraton were distinguished practitioners—but partaking more and more of the " stuffed-over " character . The desire for comfort and ease gradually drove out the original idea that the settee was intended only for sitting bolt upright . Its modern varieties are many, but in all of them the frame, once so lavishly ornamented, is almost concealed by upholstery .