Guide to Antique Furniture: Here are useful tips & suggestions on how to find them, inspect them, and take good care of them.
Going Back in Time
If you go back in time to the early humans, who were nomads, the only piece of furniture that was probably used was a piece of log to sit on.
The earliest furniture’s were very primitive and only served practical uses. But slowly and gradually the importance of furniture increased, and it became more decorative as well as varied.
Wide Variety of Antiques
Though the basic categories may seem be a few (sleeping, sitting, storage), the sub categories within this can be varied and enormous.
A wide variety of construction techniques were employed for shaping and decorating such furniture. These have also been affected by the region or country of origin, the maker or the period of manufacture.
Aesthetics & Construction
But the most important factor is perhaps the aesthetic qualities of the timber used in making such furniture.
It may be hardwood or softwood, stained or polished, but proper care increases the durability and value of such antique furniture.
The common woods used in making such furniture are mahogany, oak, pine, walnut and rosewood. Every piece of furniture has its own distinctive wood color.
Various Forms & Styles
Collecting such antique and unique furniture generally depends on ones tastes and also the money you are ready to spend.
There are different forms and styles of antique furniture depending on when and where it was made.
Some of such antique furniture’s includes Georgian, Regency and Victorian.
Styles of Antique Furnishings
Lets take a look at the different periods of antique furniture (Source: antiquefurniture.com)
- Gothic furnishings are among the earliest types, produced in the 16th century; these were massive in size and solid in construction
- Early colonial furnishes, featuring influences from the Italian Renaissance, were produced at the turn of the 17th century
- Louis XIV furnishings (sixteenth to early seventeenth century) were made for aristocrats, construction were often made of ebony and gilded with bronze. The furnishings in following period, Louis XV (also known as Rococo) were lacquered based on Chinese techniques and was the first to focus on comfort.
- Chippendale styles made during the late 18th century, was a combination of Gothic period and Rococo style with a touch of Chinese influence. This is something that you’ll find at your antique furniture dealers.
- The Sheraton style (around the same time as Chippendale) had its own unique style and is known for its refined elegance and return to rectangular shapes & designs.
- Germanic furniture (popular in the 18th century) represented more traditional ideas and styles. The styles are symbolic of the peasant culture from which many of the immigrants originated.
- The 19th century was largely focused on neo-classicism in the designs (largely influenced by Greek and Roman ideas) which lent to the creation of the sideboard; Symmetry was key to these neo-classicism pieces.
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Knowing About Antiques
If you intend to purchase a piece of antique furniture, you need to have some idea about the various styles, techniques of construction, finishes and the variety of wood used.
This will help you differentiate an original antique from a duplicate or an altered one.
Once you know about the basics of antique, you can go to an auction or furniture dealer and collect a good one for your home.
Inspecting & Evaluating
It is advisable to inspect, before you pay for any antique furniture.
So don’t hesitate to pull the drawers and bend down to see the underside of tabletops, or lift a chair to have a look at the legs.
You may have to get down and get dirty; and that is better than getting cheated or misguided.
You also need to have a good idea about woods. Some of the woods used in antique furniture are beech, cherry, chestnut, ebony, elm, mahogany, pine, oak, satinwood, walnut etc.
Age, Authenticity & Price
There are various factors that determine the age, authenticity and price of any antique furniture.
Obviously, the ones that are closest to their original conditions have the highest price.
Also check for marks or blemishes, a shrewd restorer can easily undo such surface spots.
But the value of such furniture is less.
Where Do You Buy Them?
You can buy them from an antique shop which specializes in these furniture. Normally the sources of such antique shops are auctions or house clearances.
These antique shops sell unique and antique furniture’s, as well as buy such unique pieces from individuals who are ready to sell such furniture.
To Conclude
Antique furniture is distinct from other categories of antiques because you may not collect the same type of object repeatedly. You are not going to collect only desks and tables, are you? Usually, many have a specific liking for a particular kind of wood or style.
Apart from the auctions and dealers, you can also look at the classifieds section in the newspaper to see if anybody’s selling antiques. That way, you could even find a good bargain, provided you know how to evaluate them. You can also checkup websites that sell antique furniture on the internet.
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