This column originally appeared in February 2012.
Fakes and reproductions abound in all areas of collecting, but nowhere so blatantly as in the field of antique furniture. From the elegance of Chippendale to the simplicity of the Arts and Crafts era, forgery abounds and if you are not aware of how to identify these mass-produced knockoffs, you may well be misled.
Watch for a single type of wood used through out the piece. Furniture of age will have a primary wood and at least one secondary wood. Most imports are made entirely from a species of mahogany. By contrast antique furniture was made from very expensive aged wood on the main surfaces, while the underlying or “hidden” areas will be a lesser quality wood as pine or poplar. Upholstered chairs are one of the easiest pieces of furniture to inspect to acquaint yourself with wood variations. On an old chair any piece of wood hidden by fabric will be a secondary wood. New construction chairs will be the same wood throughout.
Check the joints. The joints on reproductions are commonly glued or nailed. Older furniture will have specially designed joints or will be reinforced with dowels. The glue used in new construction often dries white, which will be easy to detect. The joints on most furniture will have supporting blocks that have been added to strengthen the piece. On old furniture these blocks will be a secondary wood. On new furniture they will be the same type of wood as the body of the piece.
Watch for the widespread use of nails. The older a piece of furniture, the fewer nails will be present. When checking for nails watch for large flat disc-shaped heads as these denote new construction. On furniture of age, nails will be squared on primitive pieces and very tiny finishing nails on finer furniture.
Much of the reproduction furniture on the market is Chippendale or three dimensional Black Forest. These pieces of furniture will be highly ornate. On authentic pieces the carvings will be very deep and highly detailed. On reproduction furniture the carvings will be vague, sometimes to the point that it will be hard to determine what the subject matter of the carving was intended to be.
Do not be deceived by the apparent “wear” when you are shopping for primitives or painted folk art furniture. There are many tricks that can be used to make a piece look old when it was actually produced last month! Furniture wears on the spots that are exposed to use, like wooden drawer pulls or on the top where things have been set. If you are looking at a piece that has a consist aged look or unexplainable wear marks, you are most likely looking at a forgery.
Painted furniture has seen a steady growth in popularity in the past decade. When a piece was made 100 years ago it was painted to cover imperfections or the fact that a number of woods were used in the making. You will seldom find paint in the drawers or under the piece of furniture. Reproductions, on the other hand, will commonly have paint on the inside of the drawers and other hidden places.
Don’t be deceived by tags and labels when you are furniture shopping. They may imply, or blatantly state that a piece is antique. Ask to be allowed to inspect the piece, and go prepared with a small flashlight and a magnifying glass. Purchasing antiques is always a case of “buyer beware” — so make certain that you are! Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com