help identify, date and value parlor set

I am hoping this forum can help me identify and perhaps suggest the value of this parlor set. There are five pieces including the sofa, armchair, a lady chair and two side chairs. These pieces have been in my family since new. I was told the frames are made from several types of wood possibly including ebony. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

You have a very nice late 1860's to mid 1870's parlor set in a sub-style of the American Renaissance Revival style known as "Neo-Grec" or Neo-Grecian. The "classical" antiquity head profiles are the main identifying "Neo-Grec" characteristics on these pieces. They appear to be in excellent condition; original finishes, and with the addition of nice inlays, they are highly coveted. It is quite possible they were made by a major NYC furniture maker (such as Pottier & Stymus, Alexander Roux, and others) and if that can be determined, the value would go up even more.

I'm not a licensed appraiser nor one of those Antiques Roadshow experts, (just a lover and restorer of Victorian furniture) so I hesitate to offer a suggested value. I would expect the settee/sofa to sell at auction for several thousand dollars and considerably more if it could be determined it was made by one of the prestigious NYC makers. I would suggest you contact Antiquarian Traders, (Beverly Hills) Lise Bohm (Minnesota) or Margot Johnson Antiques (NYC) , or alternately, Christies, Sotheby's or Neal Auction for a more accurate value estimate. In any event, these pieces are quite valuable and assuming they stay in your family an accurate appraisal should be done for insurance purposes.

Thank you for your post. Is it possible this set was made in England? My great grandparents were from there, and I was told that was where this set came from. Thanks again.

Question: is it possible they were made in England? Answer: not very likely, they are too distinctively American Neo-Grecian in style. In Great Britain at that time (1865-1880) the design reform movement was in full swing ending the popularity there for curvaceous Rococo style furniture and leading to the 1870's Aesthetic Movement with it's geometric ornament and turnings, By the late 1870's, this reform movement had reached the United States and soon put an end to the Renaissance Revival (including the sub-style of Neo-Grecian) It is perhaps possible these pieces were exported to Great Britain, then later shipped back to the U.S. However, after seeing a lot of Renaissance Revival furniture, (including owning a few pieces myself) I'm 99% certain they were American made. (any others wish to back me up or offer an alternative assessment?)  As mentioned, with more research, a maker might be identified but in any event they were certainly top end pieces and given their condition, valuable and highly collectible.

Thank you very much. Is it possible this set is older than your estimate and therefore possibly made in England. They belonged to my great grandparents who owned a chain of fish and chip restaurants. I believe they told my grandmother that they had the furniture made for them in England.

I'll chime in with my opinion here . . . they look very American and certainly no earlier than the 1860s (I'd bet on the 1870s).  Very nice set...they seem share a similar style with the few Pottier & Stymus attributions that I have seen (I'm not saying that these are P&S, but they are certainly similar in some respects). 

- Jason

Jason. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.