How to Recognize Antique Furniture?
Follow the steps and become an expert.
Recognizing fake antique furniture is in general not that difficult. There are plenty indicators that will point out those reproductions. Construction techniques, wood types, patina,...you don't have to be an expert to see if a piece of furniture is old or brand new. But it gets trickier when the piece looks antique! Now what...?
When do we actually consider furniture antique?
This is a topic where people have many different opinions. Some furniture from the 60's is called antique some retro and others call it style furniture. Strictly looking at the timeline, antiques start from around 1920. Does that mean that
every piece made in that period in the States is Art Nouveau or in France Louis Philippe? No definitely not.
Styles where born in a certain era, just like we have that in art. Artist now use different earlier techniques or styles just like furniture makers do. Once a new style is introduced we will keep on using those typical carvings and designs over and over again in time. So even if we recognize the style, we still cannot put a year tag on a piece that easy.
Furniture makers
Since the 18th century, some furniture makers signed or labeled there work. Obviously that make dating and researching the origin of those pieces a lot easier. However, most antiques do not have any labels or stamps so we have to search for other indicators to estimate the age.
Furniture Styles
Recognizing a style is crucial to make further judgment of a piece of antique furniture. To be able to do that, you will need to do some study about the different style elements used in a certain era. I have set up a page with the different furniture styles and tons of illustrations to help you recognize a particular style.
Now lets have a look at some other tips & tricks to recognize antique furniture.
Woods and Patina
I have set up a summary of antique wood types, and a section about recognizing original colors and patina. Especially usefull to detect fake or alternated antiques.
Veneering
The quality of veneering has an important bearing on price. Many pieces have quarter-veneered tops, where four pieces of wood create a pattern. Banding - strips of veneers laid around the edges of drawers - was also popular. Depending on the way in which the grain of the wood runs, banding is referred to as straight banding, cross banding, feather banding or herringbone banding.
Inlay - marquetry
A pattern made from veneers of differently colored woods. Inlaying was popular on English and Continental antique furniture from the 17th century and can add greatly to the value of a piece.
Carving
Oak was relatively difficult to carve - but as walnut and mahogany became popular, carving became finer and more intricate. Original carved decoration adds to the desirability of a piece. Some pieces were adorned with later carving. These are far less desirable than those with original decoration.
Proportions
The proportions are fundamental to recognize the quality of a piece and deciding whether it's 'right'. A piece which looks too heavy on top, or has legs which are too big or small may well be a 'marriage'.
Marriages
A piece of antique furniture made up from separate items which did not originally belong together is termed a 'marriage'. The married parts may be of a similar period or one part may be later, or even modern. Marriages are nearly always much less desirable than pieces in original condition. Examine furniture to make sure it isn't a marriage.
Alterations
Antique furniture which has been altered is usually less desirable than that in its original condition. Among the most common alterations are large pieces which have been reduced in size. Freshly cut surfaces, repositioned handles, and plugged holes are signs of alteration.
Feet
Feet are very useful in dating and to recognize a particular style. However, centuries of standing on damp floors often causes feet to rot and many have been replaced. Compare the wood of the feet with that of the rest of the body to decide whether or not they're original.
Construction
Early furniture was made using mortise-and-tenon joints held by pegs or dowels instead of glue or screws. This method was used until the late 17th century. Pegs were handmade and stand slightly proud of the surface. Later machine-made pegs are perfectly symmetrical, and are either flush with the surface or slightly recessed. From the early 18th century, joints were dovetailed and glued. Until the end of the 18th century, when the circular saw was introduced, all wood was sawn by hand and has straight saw marks. After c.1800 circular marks may be visible on the surface of unfinished wood.
Joints
Recognizing different kinds of antique furniture joints can also help you determine the quality of a piece. If you discover that a chair is constructed using mortise and -tenon joints as opposed to dowel construction, for example, you can be sure it's a high-quality chair. The same is true about furniture with dovetail construction on the drawers as opposed to rabbet-joint drawers. Dovetails are a better joint and will last indefinitely.
Drawers
Dovetails are the triangular joints which slot together on the corners of drawers. They became progressively finer and can help with dating. Drawers had channels in their sides and, until the 18th century, ran on runners set into the carcass. Some drawers ran on the dust boards and had no runners. From the Queen Anne period the runners were placed under the drawer at the sides and ran on bearers placed on the inside of the carcass.
Screws
The earlier the screw, the cruder it will be. The groove on old screws tends to be off-centre and the top irregular. The thread is also irregular and open and, unlike modern screws, runs the entire length of the shank.
Locks
Early locks are usually of wrought iron, held in place with iron nails. From the 18th century, locks were steel or brass and secured with steel screws. Locks are often replaced. This isn't serious, though it's better to have original ones.
Handles
Handles can provide a useful clue to dating, because styles changed from period to period. It's common to find pieces with replaced handles. This isn't serious but it's preferable to have handles in keeping with the rest of the piece. From c.1960 handles were secured by pommels and nuts. Antique pommels were hand cast in a single piece of brass. The thread goes only half way up the shank, and the remainder of the shank is square-shaped. Modern pommels are made from brass heads with steel shanks and the thread runs the whole length of the shank. The nuts used to attach handles in the 18th century were circular and slightly irregular. You can recognize modern nuts if they are regular and hexagonal.
Fakes
A piece of antique furniture can be described as fake if it deliberately makes you think it's older than it really is. Fakes made from new timber are usually easy to recognize as the wood doesn't have the patina of age you would expect. Some fakes are made from old wood and these can be trickier to recognize. Beware of any piece being sold as 18th century or earlier if it has circular saw marks. These mean the wood was cut after c.1800 when circular saws were first used.
Examining a large desk or table is a good start to learn how to recognize antiques. When the top is ultra smooth or has glue marks on a regular repeating distance (or the wood pattern isn't continues), u are looking at a more recent work. Look inside turn it around inspect the whole piece, chances are u will find an unfinished part. That's where you can see the texture, grain and the real color of the wood. A table is a perfect study object, just by looking under the top, sometimes the top looks old until u look at the flip side that is brand new.
To get more experience in how to recognize antique furniture, it is best to go to antique dealers and take a real good look around and ask them a lot of questions about every single piece, then go and compare what u saw in a furniture store that sells the replicas. Soon u will be able to grow a feeling and eye for the differences.
Now is a baroque piece made in the early 20th century antique? Sure it is, but age will make a lot of difference in the price u will have to pay. Obviously, the older a piece the higher the value. If we take the example of the baroque style (started around 1620), then we know that a baroque bed isn't necessarily from 1620, it could also be made in 1880 for example.
They are both antique, but witch will be the one with the highest monetary and historical value??
Learning how to recognize antiques is a very broad field, professionals are often specialized in a certain style from a certain region or country. On this website you can look for general knowledge or drill down to find the smallest detail about a certain style. It is up to you to decide how far you want to go.
Our furniture timeline is a good start to get a general idea of the dates and the associated styles by country. You can click on a style to find out the specific details (history, origin, techniques and illustrations). This is a great way to recognize the origin of different style elements in your furniture. If you already have an idea of which style it could be? Good, then you can easily verify that by reading the matching article, and checking the illustrations. If you encounter a term you aren't familiar with, go to the terminology page for the definition. Hopefully, you are off for a great start to recognize antique furniture
Success with your research and if you still have questions or can't find a certain topic, go to our antique furniture forum to post your questions. I personally check all posts daily, and will give you the appropriate information as fast as possible.
