Until around 1870 the term 'antique' was used to describe things appertaining to ancient Greece and Rome. Today 'antiques' refer to items more than 100 years old, although purists have set an earlier date of 1830.
Since 1980 the unofficial trend has been anything made before the Second World War. The pre-war world was in many ways very different from the one we live in today, and we feel that taking 1940 as the cut off point is now a sensible year date.
English Furniture
English furniture styles have developed alongside those of mainland Europe, but were interpreted in a distinctive fashion. There were also many regional variations within Britain. In England itself, regional accents are marked by the differences between, say, North County chairs and those of the West County; Salisbury and Norwich were noted centres of production at an early date.
Wales retained the dresser and the press cupboard as status symbols long after they had ceased to be fashionable in England, and further distinctions are to be drawn between those of North and South Wales.
In late 18th Century, Edinburgh was producing sophisticated furniture, some of which with distinctive differences from that of London.
In the mid 18th Century, Irish furniture was so extravagant in its use of rich carved mahogany that a whole class is described as 'Irish Chippendale.'
Typical English Styles:
Medieval: Split into two types, Romanesque and imported to Britain following the Norman conquest in 1066. Gothic is from about 1300 to 1550 and the change from Romanesque was gradual. The Gothic style was revived in the mid 18th Century and again Regency and Victorian times.
Elizabethan: Renaissance: When Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, most furniture was plain and functional. After 1570, a version of Renaissance style owing more to France and the Netherlands appeared.
Jacobean: Covers the reign of James I (1603-25) but also used to cover that of Charles I (1625-49).
Cromwellian or Commonwealth: Plain mid 17th Century furniture said to be made for Puritans. Square-backed chairs, with leather upholstery fixed with large headed nails.
Restoration: Also knows as Carolean, in reference to Charles II reign and also covers James II (1685-9). Dominant styles is baroque but more Franco-Dutch than Italian. Skilled French workers sought refuge in Britain when Louis XIV ceased to protect Protestants, 1685.
William and Mary: More foreign craftmen (Dutch and French) arrived in Britain following the accession of William of Orange and his Mary, the daughter of James II, in 1689. Fine cabinet making, walnut and ebony veneers, floral and 'seaweed' marquetry. Era continues to 1702.
Queen Ann: 1702-14, the cabriole leg dominated; surfaces were veneered with walnut, but marquetry became less evident. English craftsmen, having acquired foreign skills, adapted these to their own style.
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| Queen Anne Circa. 1710 Tallboy |
Early Georgian: George I and early years George II until app. 1730. Mainly Queen Anne style, but heavier. Claw and ball feet became the fashionable termination of the cabriole leg.
Mid Georgian: George II 1730-60 and the early years of George III. Mahogany replaced walnut as the fashionable wood. In 1754, Chippendale's designs appear; Ince and Mayhew's, 1759-62. Some designs closely followed Louis XV fashions.
Late Georgian: The George III period lasted from 1765-1800, but the term is often extended back to 1730. First came the neo-classical style led by Adam- vertical lines, ovals, circles, columns, urns, disciplined carving, gilding and painting related to the Louis XVI style.
Regency and George IV: About 1800-30. Sometime imncluded with the Late Georgian period. Furniture has much in common with French Empire style, Greek, Roman and Egyptian models used.
William IV and Early Victorian: Much furniture made 1830-50 was still neo-classical, but heavier than Regency. Parallel with this are the Gothic revival by commercial manufacturers.
Mid Victorian: The Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace, 1851, brought Continental exhibitors to London, stimulating an eclectic taste for revivals in almost all historic styles.
Late Victorian, Art Nouveau and Edwardian: Heavy Victorian styles persisted until around 1910, along with reproductions of English, French and Italian historic types, but the Arts and Crafts Movement led by Mackintosh, Ashbee, Baillie Scott and Voysey introduced new ideas.
Modernist and Art Deco: The period in between the two world wars, marked by genuine desire for greater simplicity and honest, economically made furniture.
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