Few things add distinction to a room like a fine piece of antique furniture. Whether your decor draws from the ornate Victorian era, the warmth of primitives, or the beautiful simplicity of arts and crafts, the patina and quality construction of antique furniture provides an individuality to your home like nothing else. You will come to realize, as you explore this field of collecting, that there is no right or wrong. If you like it, then it is right for you.
The term “antique” has gone from a defining adjective to a generic term, but generally you will find that midwestern antique malls often label anything over 50 years old as an antique. The “purists” among us hold to the rule that furniture becomes antique at 100 years, in very fine shops, especially those carrying both American and English antiquity, they will consider antique furniture to be those pieces 150 years or older, and if you are in the deep South most view only those pieces from the Civil War era or before to being genuinely antique. Ask the dealer you are working with to tell you about the age of the piece and the origin, and you can learn as you shop.
So how do you determine age? One way is to check out the joinery. Was the piece handmade or machine made? There is a definite time line here as machine-cut furniture first appeared around 1860. Quite often I hear people say “it is really old because the drawers are dove-tailed.” The drawers of furniture hold many clues to age determination. Dovetailing can be a clue to age; just remember, the fewer the dovetails and the more uneven they are, the older the piece. Newer machine-cut dovetailing will be much more exact and evenly spaced.
Take a look at the bottom, back and the sides of the drawer. Nicks and cuts in the wood will mean that it was most likely cut with a plane or a knife. You may also find saw marks on the sides and back. If those marks are arc-shaped it was cut with a circular saw, and circular saws did not exist before 1860. Handmade furniture is not symmetric. The spindles, rockers, and rungs will vary in size and uniformity. The difference here may not be apparent at first, as fine hand-craftsmen were able to make their furniture appear even, but if you look closely there will be a slight difference in repetitive pieces. The general appearance of a reproduction can be deceiving to the untrained eye. Drawers on repros will set on metal glides, unlike older pieces where the glides will be wooden. These newer pieces, often from China or Indonesia, are machine cut and the construction will always be precise.
Take a close look at the finish. Lacquer and varnish were developed in the mid-1800s so pieces made before 1860 were usually finished with shellac. You will find that very old pieces were sometimes finished with oil, wax or milk paint. Try to purchase only furniture with a patina that appeals to you as professional refinishing is expensive and often devalues the piece. Do not be deceived by the presence of paint on old wood. While it may have been applied sometime during the life of the piece, there are also many old pieces that were painted originally. This especially holds true with primitives.
The type of wood used in construction is often helpful in determining its era of production. Furniture made before 1700 is mostly oak. After that time mahogany and walnut were common. Pine has been used through out the history of American furniture construction because it was easy to work with and readily available. Finer furniture from the 19th and early 20th centuries may also be found made of cherry or maple. Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional estate liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com
