Coming to grips with these three famous mid 18th century furniture designers can be a nightmare where their names are bandied around a great deal within the antiques world. There are also many revivals of their styles which are still manufactured today. However, there are ways to approach these differing styles with a certain amount of working knowledge about what to expect.
If we start with Thomas Chippendale, chairs designed by him were usually made of mahogany and quite square set, with highly carved splats on the back. Chippendale incorporated many influences into his basic designs from the French Rococo, the Gothic and his famous fretted ‘Chinese Chippendale’. The legs perhaps are the most recognisable part of (more…)
A legal battle is set to ensue where a firm of auctioneers is attempting to claw back a box of jewels and coins worth approximately £100,000 from successful bidder Jennifer Grant. The box was found in Agatha Christie’s mother’s trunk, which Ms Grant had bid for at auction in 2006. She realised that there was a locked box inside but the auctioneers did not have a key to open the box. Ms Grant only recently decided to have the box forced open. She had not bothered to open it before because she thought there was nothing in it.
It is not surprising now that the auction house wants the items returned saying that, as they weren’t catalogued, Ms Grant is not entitled to hold onto them.
Surely part of the thrill of going to auctions for most of us is the possibility of finding (more…)
From hidden messages in Pre-Raphaelite paintings to trompe l’oeil and the obscure narrative device, Victorians were infatuated with intrigue and history that would become intertwined into their everyday lives.
Iconic panels could be introduced into handmade wood panelled corner cabinets and huge medieval styled desks and sideboards. The finest and most highly prized examples contained panels with paintings by Pre-Raphaelite artists such as Rossetti, Madox Brown, Morris and Burne-Jones to recreate medieval splendours. The handcraftsmanship of these pieces also celebrated the return of the artisan, which was the raison d’être of the Arts and Crafts Movement. (more…)
Youngsters on the TV antiques circuit like Thomas Plant are very busy these days barking at the heels of old stagers like David Dickinson and Tim Wonnacott, to become the new rising stars in TV antiques.
The enduring appeal of the Antiques Roadshow where Tim Wonnacott originally found fame and the phenomenal recent growth in the popularity of daytime antiques programme Bargain Hunt which he now hosts has resulted in the celebration of Bargain Hunt’s tenth anniversary – it regularly attracts audiences of 2.5million. (more…)
Adam Schoon from Tennants auctioneers, and one of the experts from BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, agreed to offer his services at an Antiques Discovery event in Hartlepool, as reported by the Hartlepool Mail. (more…)
Sets of antique dining chairs have retained their popularity over the years, whether period or revival. However, dining chairs more than any other pieces of antique furniture continue to be used for their original purpose and there are certain considerations that need to be taken into account whether buying for investment or for continued usage as furniture. (more…)
As with most examples of Victorian antique furniture, the later examples of the small tripod table tend to be much sturdier than earlier 18th century Georgian examples. This small piece of antique furniture originated from the candle stand where the three feet of the tripod created stability for the stand. This overall stability proved popular and the tripod table was used extensively for entertaining and typical Georgian examples are made from mahogany, often have raised piecrust tops, a turned stem with the three cabriole legs ending on ball and claw feet. (more…)
The Victorian era for antique dining chairs is one of many revivals of style. Faithful reproductions of Adam, Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton designs of 100 years earlier were being reproduced for a growing furniture market. (more…)
It was during the relatively short reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714) that some of the most beautiful and most valued English antique furniture was made. Almost without exception during this period, these finely crafted pieces of cabinet furniture were made from walnut – which over time has produced one of the most beautiful and recognisable patinas. Ironically, it was during her reign that walnut as a material began to be eclipsed by imported mahogany. Overuse as well as heavy frosts in 1709 and a French embargo on exports of walnut put paid to the ready supplies of this superior wood.
One of the most recognisable pieces of Queen Anne antique furniture is the walnut dining chair. These pieces are solidly built with broad seats and high backs, often with vase shaped splats encased within a cresting rail. One of the most iconic features of this period is the (more…)
The style of the Rococo, and the Neo-classical that replaced, it couldn’t have been more different. The curving and flowing Rococo style, inherited from Louis XV of France, only appeared briefly during the middle of the 18th century in Britain and was superseded by the much simpler lines of the Neo-classical. One of its exponents was Robert Adam, the famous architect/decorator who was inspired by the classical revivals that were taking place in Italy prompted by numerous artefacts being unearthed through excavations in Pompeii, Herculaneum and Rome.
Despite the simpler lines of the Neo-classical, they would not be regarded as severe where Adam’s designed cabinetry was still elaborately decorated with low relief marquetry and parquetry motifs, compared to the heavily carved designs of the Rococo. The whole ethos of the Neo-classical was lightness and elegance rather than flamboyance – which was characterised in the (more…)