Furniture

Every piece of furniture has a practical purpose regardless of how simple or grand it is, even if some pieces were built more for display than function. Today, furniture remains one of the largest areas of the antiques market and items are categorised by type and period.

The term brown furniture refers to traditional pieces made from dark woods such as mahogany, while pieces made from native woods like oak and walnut are sometimes referred to as vernacular furniture.

Famous historical makers include Chippendale, Gillows, William Vile and John Cobb. More recent market trends have seen modern vintage pieces appearing in specialist design and ‘Interior’ auctions.


img_23-3.jpg

The web shop window: Italian polychrome table

08 August 2022

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

img_10-5.jpg

Panels impress in sideboard sale

08 August 2022

As Sand, an Elizabethan house in east Devon which has been in the Huyshe family since 1560, is being sold for the first time in over 460 years, Chilcotts (21% buyer’s premium) dispersed much of the contents on July 16.

img_10-3.jpg

Paperweight adds polish to a collection

08 August 2022

This unusual Grand Tour paperweight shown here is made from fragments of Roman mosaic, millefiori, spiral twist and reticelli glass.

img_26-1.jpg

Delft and metal stand out in antiques dealer duo's collection

08 August 2022

Both categories are particularly notable as Mark and Marjorie Allen lots sell in Pennsylvania

img_17-6.jpg

How Stan Dodds breathed life into carving

25 July 2022

Three lots at Tennants’ (22% buyer’s premium) traced the history of Stan Dodds (1928-2012) – the first and foremost of the Critters.

img_16-1.jpg

Mary Ireland ‘fabric mosaics’ emerge from collection of dealer Paul Reeves

18 July 2022

Eighteen works by the Birmingham School artist Mary Ireland (1891-1980) were offered at a recent Lyon & Turnbull’s (25/20% buyer’s premium) sale.

img_14-3.jpg

Table at Curated Auctions displays Rothschild and Mentmore connection

18 July 2022

Mentmore (Towers) in Buckinghamshire was built in 1852-4 by Sir Joseph Paxton – creator of the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition – and Paxton’s son-in-law GH Stokes for Baron Mayer Amschel de Rothschild.

img_27-1.jpg

James I oak chest with big plus of lining paper

18 July 2022

A small James I oak chest lined with original block-printed lining paper incorporating the Royal Arms within the Garter is on offer at the Suffolk House Antiques summer exhibition.

img_27-4.jpg

The web shop window: gothic pitch pine bookcase

18 July 2022

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Murshidabad chairs

Furniture suite could be first ‘museum quality’ ivory sale

11 July 2022

A suite of solid ivory and gilt furniture sold by Christie’s on July 7 appears to be the first auction lot to benefit from the exemption to the Ivory Act allowing the sale of items of ‘outstandingly high artistic, cultural and historical value’.

img_30-4.jpg

Contents of home designed by English decorator come to Chicago sale

11 July 2022

Property from a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, home designed by the English interior decorator David Hicks will highlight Hindman’s July 19 sale of European furniture and decorative arts in Chicago.

img_10-1.jpg

Colman buyers keen as mustard

11 July 2022

Ninety lots from family’s Norfolk home gave a taster of the traditional items they collected

img_27-5.jpg

Gujarat casket holds lots of appeal for buyer

11 July 2022

The third sale from the eclectic collection of Jim Dixon was held online by Bonhams Skinner (25/20/12% buyer’s premium).

img_30-1.jpg

English tea caddy on offer at Butterscotch

11 July 2022

Butterscotch in New York is holding its summer estates auction on July 17.

img_42-3.jpg

The web shop window: Danish drop-leaf table

04 July 2022

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

img_1-1.jpg

Pick of the week: Bidders take rare chance to dine with Pugin and Minton

27 June 2022

Two plates from a Minton dinner service designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-52) for his personal use appeared for sale in Derbyshire last week.

img_6-1.jpg

Museums make 300 new purchases thanks to Art Fund

27 June 2022

Close to 300 objects and works of art found permanent homes in UK museums and galleries thanks to contributions from the Art Fund charity, a new report reveals.

img_14-1.jpg

Decision to use Oxfordshire house for viewing pays off with some strong results

27 June 2022

The tills are ringing once more at Dreweatts (25% buyer’s premium). Under the ownership of the Gurr Johns group, the Newbury firm sold by Stanley Gibbons for £1.25m in 2017 has received a welcome shot in the arm.

img_28-4.jpg

Capital letters: ‘It’s all happening here and it’s fun to be part of it’

27 June 2022

Don’t forget to visit London’s shops and galleries when in town for the multi-dealer events

img_19-1.jpg

Chests from four centuries apart

20 June 2022

These two oak boarded chests, made to similar techniques four centuries apart, were offered for sale recently.

Categories

News