Antique Way

Antique Furniture Introduce

AMERICAN ANTIQUES

Those who decide to collect American antiques need to consider a number of points. Will they only collect pieces from the United States or does the interest include the rest of North America including native American, Mexican, and Spanish objects.

American styles

THE OAK AGE (1540-1660)
THE WALNUT AGE (1660-1730)
THE MAHOGANY AGE (1730- 1840)
VICTORIAN AGE (1830- 1901)

AMERICAN ANTIQUE FURNITURE

The oldest known piece of American furniture is assigned to Thomas Mulninert. It is certain that this joiner worked between 1639 and 1650 in the colony of New Haven. The trade of cabinet maker became more commonplace from 1680 onwards.

It is generally easy to ascertain if wooden object from the seventeenth century was made in America or Europe, because the Americans had different types of wood available to them.

Sturdy and lasting furniture was made with walnut and ash. The only timber that needed to be imported was mahogany that was extremely popular, between 1730 and 1840 for the elegant Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton, and American Empire styles. Mahogany was imported from Haiti and Santo Domingo.

Pilgrim (1640-1690)

Furniture of the Pilgrim era is generally characterized by proportions which give it a rather heavy appearance. Most of the joints are held together with wooden pegs. Main ornamentation is carved relief. Most pieces are made of oak or pine. Authentic seventeenth century American furniture is extremely rare. Buyers need to make sure the piece is neither newer or imported from Europe. Many Pilgrim style pieces have been heavily restored, particularly the legs and table leaves. Ornaments and rungs have often been replaced.

William and Mary (1700-1730)

The dovetail joint was widely used in the William and Mary era. Wood carving in high relief. The pieces of furniture are generously proportioned and contrasting surfaces. The use of lacquer, veneer, orate moldings, and bun feet are characteristic. The main types of wood used are walnut, maple, and pine.

Queen Anne (1725-1755)

Queen Anne furniture is characterized by refined scrolled form. The lacquered! furniture has cabriole legs and hooped seats. The most widely used types of wood were walnut, cherry, and mahogany. Most American Queen Anne is reproduction and it is quite common to find the bottom of a tall chest of drawers reworked to make a dressing table. Genuine Queen Anne chests are extremely rare and to be found only in museums.

ANTIQUE CAST IRON FURNITURE (castiron)

This furniture was introduced to the American public around 1835 to 1850. The earliest cast-iron furniture was made by foundries specializing in architectural ironwork. Unlike wrought iron, which is heated in a forge and hammered by hand, cast iron is made by pouring molten metal into molds, a process that makes it easier to create fluid and intricate shapes and designs. It was logical that the same technology that was already yielding elaborate columns and fences could also be used to mass-produce furnishings for the home. Individual furniture parts were turned out from molds, then assembled and bolted together into completed pieces.

The first cast iron furniture in America was made for outdoor use in parks, cemeteries, and gardens. The casting process permitted all manner of organic forms, which made the furniture particularly suited to the romantic or "picturesque" garden that was popular during much of the 1800s. Designed to blend in with the natural, wild look of these gardens, the chairs, tables, and settees - usually painted green sprouted iron grapevines, ferns, and morning-glories. In the same spirit, pieces grew gnarled-root feet and branches in imitation of the rustic wood furniture that was also in vogue during the Victorian period.

Around 1850, cast-iron furniture for indoor use was introduced. The designs imitated those of wooden furniture in a variety of Victorian styles and the pieces were usually painted black or bronze. One especially popular furnishing for the home was the hat-and-umbrella stand, which, fitted with hooks for hanging coats, hats, umbrellas, and walking sticks, was placed in the foyer or hallway. Like cast-iron garden pieces, these "hat trees" also featured such appropriate embellishments as branches and leaves, and were often fitted with mirrors.

INTRODUCTION TO UPHOLSTERED ANTIQUE FURNITURE

It is difficult to imagine today, when fully antique upholstered furniture is so familiar, that before upholstery started to become more common in the houses of the rich in the 18th century, loose cushions were the only means of providing a little comfort when sitting on a wooden chair or settee.

Although many chairs have lost their original coverings, enough survive in both good and poor condition to give an accurate picture of how they looked new. Velvets, silks, damasks, and needlework were all used in the 18th century to cover chairs and sofas. Their patterns were often elaborate, as the silks made in Lyons in France and Spitalfields in London testify, Chintzes, which remain popular, were introduced toward the end of the 18th century.

The widespread increase in the popularity of antique upholstered furniture since the mid-19th century has resulted in a corresponding increase in the choice of fabrics available, at all price levels. As a result, it is possible to obtain suitable fabrics to reupholster period furniture, although this can be a costly process.