Driscolls Antiques – Antique Furniture Blog

Antique Console, Side Tables and Pier Tables

antique tables which stand against walls were first seen in the 15^th century and served as a serving table and as a sideboard. It was in the 17^th century that ornamental pier tables came into fashion, mainly in giltwood and would have been done by a specialist carver. The finest side tables of the 17^th century would have thick, marble slabs supported by beautifully scrolled foliage, acanthus and mythological figures. Louis XIV had pier tables designed for him with scrolled dolphin supports, and side tables, usually gilded, with thick marble tops.

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Antique Sofa Tables Styles and Types

The antique sofa table varies in details of its design and decoration. Sofa tables are usually 5 and 6 foot wide when fully extended and the flaps are supported by fly brackets (swing brackets), they are usually each about a quarter of the width of the central section. Some unusual sofa tables have sliding-topped compartments in the middle, or rising desks for writing but the most have one long or two short drawers on one side of the frieze, and faux drawers on the opposite side. The edges of sofa table tops are straight, and the corners of the flaps rounded, or canted in the corners. The tops are usually set on end supports, with stretchers across the middle. The legs are designed so that the feet can fit a little way under a sofa, and that allows the table to be pulled close to the person and they are usually always on castors. A sofa table is a useful and beautiful piece of antique furniture

According to the famous furniture designer Sheraton in ‘The cabintet dictonary’ , the sofa table was specifically for use ‘before a sofa’ where’ the ladies chiefly occupy them to draw, write or read upon’.

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Design Variations of Early Antique Tables

On many early gateleg tables there was usually drawer, in the frieze. Small fold over tables of good quality can have three or more small drawers opening in the rounded face of a wide frieze but this is very unusual, most just have one central drawer. An unusual type of small table has a single central gate in the centre of the under frame, to support either a leaf on each side .

The appearance of tables can vary by the different decorative legs and stretchers. Some have plain bar supports which might be grooved, while some have baluster, bobbin, or spiral turning resulted and when they are worn with a rich patina over the years they look beautiful.

Carving on friezes and stretchers can be seen on early tables with fold over tops, but not on larger gateleg tables with fall flaps. Most of the 17^th century gateleg tables were made in oak or elm, while the finest were made of walnut, cedar, yew.

On antique tables they reflect the new activities of the 18^th century as middle classes started dining, tea drinking, and card playing, doing needlework and this can be seen in the different styles of antique tables.

The design of chairs changed through the years as by the end of Queen Anne period both tables and chairs were usually supported on cabriole legs without stretchers. The supports consisted of legs joined at right angles to sturdy rails, and tables had wooden knuckle hinges set into the central under frame.

The early tables had outward curves of the cabriole legs were carved acanthus leaves or lion masks, carved claw and ball feet.

The more country period antique furniture would have square and rectangular dropleaf tables standing on plain legs.

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The Decoration on Antique Furniture

The decoration of a piece of antique furniture usually gives a good indication of its period. From the 16^th Century decoration became more elaborate and as fashions changed, earlier plainer furniture was often later decorated in line with changing tastes ie. heavily carved. The decoration of a piece of antique furniture is often a basic way of determining whether a piece has been altered or decorated at a later date.

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Veneering on antique furniture

Veneering on antique furniture is a technique by which a thin slice of expensive timber is applied to a cheaper timber (carcass) using glue. Exotic timbers were mainly used  to begin with and finely figured woods were later introduced. Veneers from the 17^th and 18^th centuries are hand cut and of uneven thickness, 19^th century veneers are paper thin and were usually machine cut.

Oyster veneering on antique furniture

Oyster veneering on antique furniture has the name because the grain resembles an oyster shell. this type of veneering was made by slicing the veneer  across the end grain of smaller branches. These circular ‘oysters’ were veneered one on top of the other to resemble a log pile. The technique was introduced in the late 17^th century, usually in walnut or olivewood and was mainly done on antique chest of drawers.

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Carving on antique furniture

Most of  the earliest carved furniture is usually of oak or walnut but carvers preferred to use more densely grained timbers, such as lime and boxwood, for very intricate carved work, and pine or other fruitwood for carving that was to be over decorated or gilded like you often see on mirror frames. With the invention of machine carving in the 19^th century, carved furniture became more popular.

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Antique Sutherland Tables

The gateleg tables principle was introduced on a very delicate form of flap top table, which was popular from the 1760s onwards, known as a spider leg table. From the dainty supports, it was a small occasional table for use in the drawing room, made in fine timbers. It usually had turned legs and stretchers and were usually plain.

A new form of small flap table was introduced during the 1800s called the Sutherland table, it was named after the Duchess of Sutherland, and was similar to the Pembroke table but smaller. The antique sutherland table usually have narrow central sections supported on a trestle base with quite deep leaves on either side.

The base would sometimes have splayed feet and carving on the end supports with beautifully turned legs.

These tables are extremely versatile and useful due to its size when folded as it enables it to be tucked away in a small space while the deep leaves provide a spacious top when opened out. Antique sutherland tables were made with rectangular as well as rounded leaves and the best quality tables were in burr walnut.

Nearly all antique sutherland tables have casters attached to the feet for ease of movement.

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Antique Wine Coolers

There are two main types of antique wine cooler or more well known in the antique trade as the cellaret; those that were made to stand on a pedestal or sideboard, and those with legs or stands usually placed under the twin pedestal sideboard. They became popular as objects of furniture after the 1730s, they were usually octagonal, hexagonal, round or oval. After the 1800s the sarcophagus shape became fashionable and is often brass-banded, with a lead lining and is the most popular shape today.

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Antique Furniture Styles through the ages

Until the mid 17^th century, furniture was heavy made with solid woods and architectural in style usually with carving. Most antique furniture of the period was constructed out of solid oak and usually with simple tuned decoration. Pieces occasionally were ornate with primitive, classically inspired foliage and acanthus carvings. During the late 1600s the art of turning wood became increasingly elegant with the introduction of lighter and tighter forms, but these were gradually superseded by the Baroque style. Characterised by its sculptural designs and heavily carved ornament. The Rococo movements became popular from the 1730s onwards. During the Rococo period, curves became increasingly used, and were enriched with foliage and even Gothic and chinoiserie styles. The use of the Rococo style were soon stopped as the neo classical movement, which originated in France in the 1750s.

These styles can be seen through the ages as they were copied in victorian furniture and edwardian furniture.

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Antique Beds styles

The famous furniture maker George Hepplewhite said that the bed was ‘an article of much importance’. by the late 1700s, design books were full of antique beds and there was a great range to choose from.

One variety was the camp or field bed which could be dismantled and transported, this was useful for the military and the traveller.

The antique four poster bed or tester bed  to be very popular during the 19^th century, sometimes with all woodwork covered with a rich fabric and on other versions with exposed, carved end posts. By the 1870s brass beds were very fashionable and and late victorian and edwarian antique bedroom suites always had a bed matching to the suite.

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