Driscolls Antiques – Antique Furniture Blog

antique sideboards and dressers.

The antique oak dresser which started from the 17^th century, is an essential piece of cabinet furniture and was fashionable in dining rooms of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. It is a piece of furniture which has undergone the most evolutionary change.

In its earliest design of a sideboard was  a  decorative table on which the host could display has best silver, but after the 1770s  designs were published with pairs of pedestals. These were practical as well as decorative additions;  confirmed by A Hepplewhite & Co in 1788 when they pointed out that ‘one pedestal serves as a plate warmer’ while the other ‘is used as a pot cupboard.’ This arrangement, with the knife urns on top of the pedestals and a wine cellarets under the top or in a drawer, remained popular in grad houses until the end of the century. At the same time, in less grand dining rooms a new type of sideboard became fashionable, it combined all the component of the above but combined into a single piece of antique furniture. They have deep drawers or cupboards on either side which hold wine bottles with lead-lineing, while a shallow drawer in the centre served for storage of linen. There was sometimes small drawer or cupboard at the back of the piece, for the concealment of the chamber pot which the gentlemen would use to relieve themselves without suffering the social inconvenience of having to leave the dining room.

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The skills of the antique chair maker were fully appreciated in the 18^th century as a result of the import of large shipments of mahogany. It was both strong and good to carve and offered new opportunities for designers who wanted to try new ideas but were limited by the use of oak, beech and walnut. In the 1700s most settees and chairs were made to stand against the walls and to have plain backs.  chairs became heavier in appearance in the 1800s but the great designs of George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton were swept away due to the elegance.

The usefulness of seat furniture can make a large difference in price. Because of this a good looking and comfortable Victorian armchair will cost a lot more than the equivalent period bench or settle  purely because, no matter how beautiful the latter is, it will never be suitable for slumping into after a good dinner.

large sets of antique dining chairs are very sought after and practicality as well as attractiveness and quality are important factors in determining price.

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Antique Cabinets

The English choice of cabinets, most preferred in the 1800s was the 17^th century antique cabinet on stand. It was usually fitted with several drawers, cupboards and secret compartments and was usually enclosed by a pair of panelled doors which were sometimes decorated with marquetry inlay. Designs for the cabinet on stand were still being produced at the end of the 18^th century but by the time the pieces were more for decoration than practical use.

In the 18^th century the ‘china display case’ was created for the display of oriental porcelain and frequently decorated in the chinoiserie style to match the items within.

The wealth created from the industrial revolution made the side cabinet an essential piece of furniture in all but the poorest of homes. By the mid 1800s the ownership of porcelain items was no longer just for the very rich, now  far more people aspired to the possession of things worthy of display and several new ceramics factories both at home and abroad worked to satisfy this growing appetite.

The result was an explosion of designs for cabinets and antique displays, some dripping with ormolu, some richly inlaid in fine woods or cut brass, others in the style of Sheraton and Adams.

The antique cabinet most  associated with the victorian  period is the the credenza. The antique credenza takes its name from a 15^th century Italian buffet and is distinguished by the bowed or serpentine shaped shelving which flanks its central cupboard. These shelved sections are sometimes open but are most  frequently glazed.  Burr walnut credenzas were the most popular especially with good quality inlay.

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Antique writing furniture and antique office furniture

antique bureaux have origins from the17th century, the bureau remains the most popular and most practical type of desk for the modern home. It is designed to stand against a wall is it occupies less  floor space than a freestanding desk and it has plenty of storage as below is a chest of drawers.

A smaller bureau will cost more than the larger version but in the end it is the quality which you should look out for. Even a large example will be costly if it is well grained and attractively fitted inside. If the interior has  bank of serpentine shaped drawers with thin oak linings, pigeon holes with arcaded top, and a secret compartment on either side of the central cupboard which will usually follow an architectural style this is a sign of quality.

other types of antique writing furniture are the Bonheur du jour, which appeared in Thomas Sheratons publication of 1793 as a ‘ladies cabinet and writing table which combines elegance and compactness while the type of desk first made by Gillows for Captain Davenport saw many attractions on the theme during the 19^th century.

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Windsor Chairs

antique windsor chairs were not known before 1720s, and were originally found in Georgian taverns and coffee houses. The earliest examples have comb backs, plain turned splayed legs, and no stretchers. Cabriole legs suggest a date between 1740 and 1770. The hooped back was introduced ca 1740 onwards and the wheel splat around 1790.

Gothic Windsors, recognised by the carving of their splats and their pointed arch backs, were made between 1760 and 1800.

The most desirable wood on antique chairs is yew, followed by elm, but mahogany examples are always of good quality. Curved stretchers, carved and well proportioned backs also add to the value. Some better quality Windsor chairs were stained black or japanned black or green, and are more valuable in original condition.

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Antique  Bookcases where they came from and there uses

The antique bookcase provided 18^th and 19^th century designers with new suitable subject for architectural themes. Massive antique library bookcases were made with ornate cornices and pediments which in turn were decorated with urns, busts and decorative carving. From the rococo period through to the late Victorian times, these major pieces of furniture were viewed as statements of wealth, culture and education too. If a huge bookcase is not for you then there are many types of bookcases which can sit nicely in homes and which will always lend style and elegance to their surroundings. The secretaire bookcase is a multi – purpose piece of furniture which was originally designed for the bedroom, it has a glazed bookcase top which sits on either a chest of drawers or a cupboard base with a single drawer at the top. The top drawer is a dummy drawer which is fitted with smaller drawers in the interior and when the drawer is pulled out, the front can be folded down and has a writing surface. The bureau bookcase is similar as again, it has a bookcase top but this time it is set on a bureau base.

If the storage and display of books is the main criteria, then the 19^th century saw the production of many types of antique open bookcases, the variety without glazed doors. They range from Regency period stepped bookcases to the late Victorian and Edwardian revolving bookcases, made to stand freely in the middle of the room.

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English Antique Tables Designs and Uses Over The Ages

No single item of furniture reflects better the explosion of affluence which took place during the 18^th and 19^th centuries than the antique dining table. Only 200 Years earlier, at the end of the 16^th century, the dominant piece of furniture was still the long oak dining table which descended from the refectory table, but by 1800 popular pattern books were being introduced with a multitude of different varieties and designs.

Life was certainly reflected in the art of the table and you can see this through the different designs. The antique card table was an essential item for any drawing room since a mania for cards and gambling had swept the kingdom during the early part of the 1700s.

More intellectual activities also prevailed and the library was an important statement of any educated gentleman’s commitment to self-improvement and learning, with Library Tables and Library bookcases. Fine rooms demanded fine antique furniture and the major makers and designers of the age, included Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Sheraton, responded with notable and original pieces. The other great room in any house was the dining room and there were so many different types and styles of antique dining table available, from the gate leg to the large four –pillar dining table.

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Different Furniture terms used in the trade in the letter S to Z.

Satinwood

Satinwood is a pale wood with a silky appearance.

Salon set

A salon set is a complete set of matched seating furniture for a specific room.

Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus is a rectangular, coffin-shaped box that has tapering sides.

Scallop shell Carving

Scallop shell carving is a semi-circular shell with ridges. This ornamental motif was common in furniture design during the Queen Anne and Georgian periods.

Scroll pediment

A Scroll pediment is a pediment and usually has a finial is placed in the centre of a cornice.

Serpentine

Serpentine is a term for a piece of furniture decoration shaped like an s-curve

Serpentine curve

A Serpentine curve it the winding and curving design often used in furniture legs or on the front of cabinets or desk.

Sheraton, Thomas

Sheraton Furniture is from 1750-1806, He was an English cabinetmaker who is famous for his designes. He used mahogany as his main wood, he followed the classic, simple design in the wake of Adam and Hepplewhite.

Shield back

A Shield back chair has the back in the shape of a shield which was common in Hepplewhite designs.

Sideboard

An antique sideboard is a large piece of dining-room furniture with a flat top and sometimes a back for displaying china and glass. The body is a storage unit, composed of drawers, sometimes flanked on each side by cabinets with doors.

Stretcher

A Stretcher is the rail at the bottom of furniture strengthening or stabilising which often forming X, H or Y shapes.

Stringing

Stringing is the term for decorative inlay in the form of fine lines.

Splat

A Splat is the flat central support on a chair’s back or between the seat and the top-rail.

Tea caddy

A tea caddy is a decorative small box created for storing tea leaves, many with two compartments one for black tea and the other for green tea.

Tallboy

A tallboy is a different word for an antique chest-on-chest, it is a high chest-of-drawers.

Tortoiseshell

Tortoiseshell was used as an inlay or a decorative overlay on wood surfaces.

Tapestry

Tapestry is heavy hand-woven fabric which can be found on some chair seats.

Teakwood

Teakwood is a strong, tough wood.

Veneering

Veneering is the fixing of a thin layes of wood to the surface of a piece of furniture.

Webbing

Webbing is the sack like strapping used to support upholstered seats.

Zebrawood

Zebrawood is a wood with unusual stripes in the grain.

Please visit our website to see quality antique walnut furniture and see if you can spot any items with the above terms

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Different Furniture terms used in the trade in the letter P to R.

Pad foot

A Pad foot is a club foot resting on an oval disc.

Parquetry

Parquetry is the inlay of geometric design.

Partner’s desk

An antique partners desk is a desk large enough to seat two people facing each other with working drawers or cupboards on both sides.

Patera

Patera is a round or oval motif incorporating fluting leaves or flower petals and is usually carved or inlaid.

Patina

Patina is a term used to describe a mellow sheen formed on the surface of furniture due to wear, age, exposure, and hand-rubbing.

Pedestal

A Pedestal is a term for an upright support either turned or in the form of a cupboard.

Pediment

A Pediment is usually above a cabinet and can have scrolls.

Pembroke table

A Pembroke table is basically a drop-leaf table.

Pie-crust edge

A Pie-crust edge is usually on tables and the tops edge is carved or moulded in scallops.

Pier glass

Pier glass is a tall, narrow framed mirror .

Pilaster

A Pilaster is an term for a flattened column for decoration rather than a structural support.

Pine

Pine is a wood that is uniform in texture with the occasional knots.

Plinth

A Plinth is the low square base of a piece of furniture.

Poplar

Poplar is an even-textured and straight-grained wood used for cross-banding.

Queen Anne

Queen Anne is a period in English furniture design from 1702-1714.

Reeding

Reeding is a term for carved tall, straight lines in a piece. Usually seen on edges of furniture.

Regency

Regency is the Period from 1810-1820 but in the trade antique regency furniture made from 1800 – 1830 is often called Regency.

Relief

Relief is forms of moulded, carved or stamped decoration raised from the surface of a piece of furniture forming a pattern. It is a decoration that protrudes from the surface.

Renaissance

Renaissance is the revival of interest in classical design.

Rococo

Rococo is the period in French design but was copied by English cabinet makers.

Rosewood

Rosewood is a wood that is beautifully figured appearance, rosewood was a favourite among upscale cabinet makers of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Please visit our website to see antique rosewood furniture and see if you can spot any items with the above terms.

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Different Furniture terms used in the trade in the letters M to O.

Mahogany

Mahogany is a straight grained hard wood ranging in colour from salmon-pink through bright red.

Maple

Maple is a light wood and usually golden in colour

Marquetry

Marquetry is several shaped pieces of wood used as a veneer on furniture to create decorative patterns.

Mitre joint

A mitre joint is usually used on frames, each of the edges being cut at an angle of 45 degrees and joined together.

Mother-of-pearl

Mother-of-pearl is a term used to reference the hard, iridescent inner lining of certain shells such as oyster and mussel. Used as a decorative inlay in furniture like key escutions.

Neo-classic

Neo-classic refers to the second revival of classic design for interior decoration in the 18th century.

Nest of tables

A nest of tables is a group of tables, constructed so that one fits under the other.

Oak

Oak is a hardwood which varies from light tan to deep leathery brown with a fine grain.

Occasional table

An antique occasional table is a term for small tables such as side tables, coffee tables, lamp tables etc.

Ormolu

Ormolu is French for ground gold, the term refers to brass mounts.

Ottoman

An ottoman is a low, upholstered seat without backs or arms. Sometimes used as a foot-rest and can have storage space inside.

Oyster veneering

Oyster veneering is a technique used on William and Mary furnishings, It was achieved by cutting or slicing the smaller branches of certain trees such as walnut or olive. These small, rounded veneers, with their circular striations, resembled the inside of an oyster and when pieced together produced a most dramatic effect.

Please visit our website to see antique oak furniture and see if you can spot any items with the above terms.

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