Antique furniture periods and dating on AW Antiques and Collectibles.
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The popularity of oriental design in Europe prompted Chippendale to use oriental motifs on elaborately decorated lacquered furniture. There was a wide range of furniture produced in the Chippendale style including tables, chairs, desks, mirrors and high boys. It is easy to confuse Chippendale and Queen Anne style wing chairs — the difference is in the construction of the arms with the Chippendale arms rolling horizontally compared to the Queen Anne arms which rolled vertically and turned outward.
Many reproductions of the Chippendale style were produced around during the late Victorian period and whilst these are antiques in their own right they do not have the finely crafted details found in the early Chippendale style pieces. Even today, the Chippendale influence is found in formal furniture design and manufacturing including the use of cabriole legs and claw-and-ball feet. Prince George became Regent from - this was a period of classical furniture. Regency furniture was the neoclassical antique style mixed with empire style and the later Georgian style of furniture, elaborate and ornate.
The regency style of furniture carried on through William IVs reign but introduced a few more curves and some elegant decoration. Mahogany was still used by most furniture makers and brass was used for decoration with rosewood and zebrawood veneers used for a striking look. French polishing came into vogue around and allowed for smoother, shiner finishes. During the Regency period, it became fashionable to decorate walls with paintings which led to lower pieces of furniture being introduced.
Tallboys disappeared and bookcases and cabinets became smaller. Victorian furniture is still popular today and is easily available. There was plenty of furniture produced — during the latter years machinery had begun to take over and mass amounts of Victorian furniture was produced to meet the demands of the middle class people as it became desirable to have a home laden with furniture to show your status to your peers. Mahogany and rosewood were the most popular woods to produce imposing furniture with plenty of curves, rounded corners and elaborate decorations.
The furniture was solidly built, well constructed and the wood generally unvarnished. Renowned cabinet makers Morris and Co became producing simple designed cabinets and sideboards which were painted with scenes of medieval fantasy.
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Iron began to make its appearance in the early Victorian age, particularly in bedroom furniture. Early Victorian furniture followed the Regency trend of curved backs and some scrolled decorations. However, the clean Grecian lines of the Regency period were out of favour by when everyone wanted furniture that was showier with plenty of curves. Mid Victorian furniture was more, shiny with upholstery becoming a main factor in design and as comfort became more important, easy chairs, sofas and dining chairs with padded seats were introduced. In the late Victorian times, England witnesses the rise of the art nouveau movement in design with furniture design pioneered by Charles Ronnie Mackintosh and Hugh Baillie Scott.
It was mainly reproductions of older styles which were mass produced as machinery was used in full force. Cabinet makers realized that earlier designs were outselling new pieces as second hand antique furniture became very fashionable. Art Nouveau furniture remained in high demand with people liking the curving, elongated lines and leaf and flower motifs.
The Chippendale and Heplewhite styles were also very popular. The legs of this period are substantial and more flowing than those found in the Federal or Sheraton periods.
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Regional differences in this style are very apparent, with New York City being the center of the design style, as it was also the center of fashion at the time. This valuable furniture guide can be purchased at krausebooks. New furniture forms of this period include the sleigh bed, with the headboard and footboard forming a graceful arch. Several new forms of tables also came into being, especially the sofa table.
Because the architectural style of the Empire period used big, open rooms, the sofa was now allowed to be in the center of the room, with a table behind it. Former architectural periods found most furniture placed against the outside perimeter of the walls and brought forward to be used. The Victorian period as it relates to furniture styles can be divided into several distinct styles.
Her love of ornate styles is well known. When thinking of the general term, think of a cluttered environment, full of heavy furniture, and surrounded by plants, heavy fabrics and lots of china and glassware. This is the first sub-category of the Victoria era. This style is best simplified as the plainest of the Victorian styles. Lines tend to be sweeping, undulating curves. It is named for the style that was popular in France as the Bourbons tried to restore their claim to the French throne, from to The Empire Classical period influence is felt, but French Restoration lacks some of the ornamentation and fussiness of that period.
Design motifs continue to reflect an interest in the classics of Greece and Egypt. Chair backs are styled with curved and concave crest rails, making them a little more comfortable than earlier straight-back chairs. The use of bolster pillows and more upholstery is starting to emerge. The style was only popular in clusters, but did entice makers from larger metropolitan areas, such as Boston and New Orleans, to embrace the style.
The Gothic Revival, This is relatively easy to identify for collectors. It is one of the few styles that celebrates elements found in the corresponding architectural themes: Furniture that had mechanical parts was also embraced by the Victorians of this era. The woods preferred by makers of this period were walnut and oak, with some use of mahogany and rosewood. The scale used ranged from large and grand to small and petite. Carved details gave dimension and interest. Carved decoration in the form of scallop shells, leaves and flowers, particularly roses, and acanthus further add to the ornamentation of this style of furniture.
Legs and feet of this form are cabriole or scrolling. Other than what might be needed structurally, it is often difficult to find a straight element in Rococo Revival furniture.
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The use of marble for tabletops was quite popular, but expect to find the corners shaped to conform to the overall scrolling form. To accomplish all this carving, walnut, rosewood, and mahogany were common choices. When lesser woods were used, they were often painted to reflect these more expensive woods. Some cast-iron elements can be found on furniture from this period, especially if it was cast as scrolls.
The style began in France and England, but eventually migrated to America where it evolved into two other furniture styles, Naturalistic and Renaissance Revival. This sub-category of the Victorian era is probably the most feminine-influenced style.
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It also makes use of the new machine-turned spools and spiral profiles that were fast becoming popular with furniture makers. New technology advancements allowed more machined parts to be generated. By adding flowers, either carved or painted, the furniture pieces of this era had a softness to them.
Chair backs tend to be high and narrow, having a slight back tilt. Legs vary from straight to baluster-turned forms to spindle turned. This period of furniture design saw more usage of needlework upholstery and decoratively painted surfaces. However, this furniture style is not austere; it is adorned with ovals, arches, applied medallions, wreaths, garlands, urns and other Victorian flourishes.
As the period aged, more ornamentation became present on the finished furniture styles. Furniture of this time was made from more expensive woods, such as ebony or rosewood. Walnut was popular around the s. Other dark woods were featured, often to contrast the lighter ornaments. Expect to find straight legs or fluted and slightly tapered legs.
This furniture period takes the scrolling effects of the Rococo Revival designs and adds more flowers and fruits to the styles. More detail is spent on the leaves—so much that one can tell if they are to represent grape, rose or oak leaves. Technology advances enhanced this design style, as manufacturers developed a way of laminating woods together. This layered effect was achieved by gluing thin layers together, with the grains running at right angles on each new layer. The thick panels created were then steamed in molds to create the illusion of carving.
The woods used as a basis for the heavy ornamentation were mahogany, walnut and some rosewood. Upholstery of this period is often tufted, eliminating any large flat surface. The name of John Henry Belter is often connected with this period, for it was when he did some of his best design work. John and Joseph W. Meeks also enjoyed success with laminated furniture.
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Original labels bearing these names are sometimes found on furniture pieces from this period, giving further provenance. Furniture made in this style period reflects how cabinetmakers interpreted 16th- and 17th-century designs. Their motifs range from curvilinear and florid early in the period to angular and almost severe by the end of the period.
Dark woods, such as mahogany and walnut, were primary with some use of rosewood and ebony.