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Of the ten Belter parlor seating furniture patterns listed here, Cornucopia pattern furniture is the maverick. In fact, it is so different from the other patterns that some experts have questioned its attribution to Belter. To the best of my knowledge, there is no labelled Cornucopia pattern furniture. I am not aware of any documented link, like a bill of sale, that would undisputedly confirm Belter made Cornucopia pattern furniture. In spite of its differences from documented and labelled Belter furniture, Cornucopia pattern also has many similarities to the other patterns.

Since so much other Belter seating furniture doesn't fit into the "pattern" categories we all seem so compulsive to place it in, perhaps we shouldn't be concerned about the differences between Cornucopia pattern and the other nine patterns. Cornucopia pattern furniture is generally believed to have been made by John Henry Belter.

Among todays collectors Cornucopia pattern furniture is the Holy Grail of Belter furniture. A lot of people really like the differences between Cornucopia pattern and the other Belter patterns. Because Cornucopia pattern furniture is today considered to be the "best of the best" Belter furniture it is very expensive, and the finest examples can sell for $75,000-$100,000, perhaps more.

In Cornucopia pattern furniture Belter nearly abandons the shapes of his signature arabesques. Rather than his typical broad, flat, undulating arabesques, Belter uses carved undulating naturalistically carved conucopia and stylized cornucopia that are filled to the brim and overflowing with flowers, fruit, vegetables, nuts, grapes, and foliage. The cornucopia is a common theme seen in most Belter crests, but in this pattern it is the central theme. Some Cornucopia pattern sofas have stylized fish and birds carved in their crests.

Belter also deviates from his typical furniture designs in other ways in Cornucopia pattern furniture. Cornucopia sofas have three front legs rather than the usual two, and sofa front seat apron have a much deeper, more exagerated serpentine shape than in his other patterns. Cornucopia sofas and armchairs have a gooseneck shaped knuckle on the arms, and the armrests are padded, both atypical for Belter. Cornucopia pattern parlor furniture often has much taller crests with significantly more carved ornamentation on the crests, seat aprons and front legs than any of Belter's other nine patterns.

There are also many similarities between Cornucopia pattern furniture and Belter's other patterns. The signature arabeques are still there, albeit transformed into cornucopia. The cornucopia/arabesques still outline the silhouettes of the pierced carved backs of sofas and chairs in the same way regular arabesques outline Belter's other nine patterns. The backs of Cornucopia pattern furniture have the same 1/16 inch laminations and the rear legs are square in cross section and attach to the rear seat frame in the usual Belter way.

John Henry Belter's full blown Cornucopia pattern is truly the epitome of American high style Rococo Revival seating furniture. There is nothing else quite like it, from its overall design, its method of construction, and the amount and quality of decoration.

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