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.
Cabinet’s puzzle resolved by dealer’s £3400 bid
27 June 2001UK: QUALITY items eagerly contested, patchy bidding on low to middle-range entries – a familiar countrywide pattern was evident at Bristol but it was a very unfamiliar piece which led the day.
Cobb and Vile side tables
21 June 2001UK: TOPPING Christie’s June 14 English furniture sale at £420,000 was this pair of marble-topped side tables attributed to the Cobb and Vile partnership.
Georgian chinoiserie framed mirror painting
21 June 2001UK: THIS Georgian chinoiserie framed mirror painting of c.1760 took the top slot at Sotheby’s June 13 English furniture sale when it sold to an American private buyer for £280,000.
Dijon cuts the mustard, again
16 June 2001FRANCE: DIJON’S trio of auction firms like to cash in on the presence of antiques collectors at the Dijon fair (see Fairs Sales Analysis, "Dijon cuts the mustard") and one of the highlights at the Vregille-Bizoüard sale on May 20 was this pair of early 18th century Italian engraved rococo mirrors, 3ft 11in (1.20m) tall, that tripled estimate on Fr142,000 (£13,100).
Perennial favourites get away easily
13 June 2001UK: A TAKE-UP of 70 per cent at this Locke & England Midlands sale on May 3 was evidence of the selectivity of buyers when it comes to furniture in the lower price ranges but there were some sound enough individual sales.
The irresistible rise of Italian table tops
12 June 2001UK: Sotheby’s (20/15/10% buyer’s premium) have been making something of a habit recently of successfully selling highly elaborate inlaid marble Italian table tops.
A giltwood settee of antique inspiration
12 June 2001UK: This 3ft 81/2in (1.13m) wide giltwood settee of antique inspiration, based on a design in Thomas Hope’s Household Furniture and Interior Decoration of 1807, went under the hammer at Gorringes’ sale in Lewes on June 6.
Pair of stained glass panels
04 June 2001A classic entry in Christie's South Kensington's Classic Arts and Crafts sale on May 2 provided one of the day’s top results – £6800 for this pair of 2ft x 12in (61 x 31cm) c.1900 stained glass panels decorated with mediaeval landscapes and a text inscription.
Hereford Screen unveiled
23 May 2001After more than 30 years in storage, the Hereford Screen, one of the metalwork masterpieces of the Victorian age, has been conserved and returned to its former glory. Richly intricate and colourful, this Gothic Revival choir screen was made for Hereford Cathedral and will be unveiled at the V&A on Thursday, May 24.
Cribbage board pegs up £1100
21 May 2001UK: Two Victorian mahogany bookcases topped this Ambrose , Essex sale – a library model with four glazed doors and four panel doors, 5ft 8in (1.73m) wide and a straightforward double door bookcase with two frieze drawers, 4ft 6in (1.38m) wide, each attracting bids of £1250.
Trade stock up on chairs at budget prices
21 May 2001UK: Nineteenth century brown furniture under £2500 was the trade staple of this monthly sale at Phillips' Sevenoaks in Kent, where the fiercest bidding contest was joined for a 20th century set of 22 mahogany balloon back dining chairs.
George II giltwood and marble topped console table
14 May 2001UK: Salvaged from the potting shed of a local farmhouse, this George II giltwood and marble topped console table attracted fierce bidding at Philip Serrell’s Malvern salerooms on May 10.
Late 18th century pair of Adam design marquetry side tables
08 May 2001UK: A dozen telephone lines led to the Tithe Barn salerooms of Bruton Knowles, near Cheltenham on April 26, all contesting the finest lot of period satinwood in the provinces this year.
Elegant 4ft 3in (1.3m) wide early Georgian mahogany two-door commode
01 May 2001UK: This elegant 4ft 3in (1.3m) wide early Georgian mahogany two-door commode stole the show at Phillips’ furniture sale in London on Tuesday, April 24, when it sold for £500,000 to London dealers Jeremy Ltd.
Dumbwaiter answers demand for quality stock
23 April 2001GOOD stock furniture was the strength of this 289-lot, £130,000 Halls Shropshire sale on March 9 where the top price was taken by a c.1775 two-tier mahogany dumbwaiter.
Gnomeman oak dining room suite
18 April 2001UK: Mouseman – the name resounds beyond the world of arts and crafts furniture.
Cleaner admits theft of major rug collection from employer
17 April 2001ORIENTAL rug expert Simon Crosby had launched a global appeal after his cleaning woman made off with part of his collection.
Blackpool pub dresser is toast of sale in Dales
17 April 2001There was the familiar wide mix and flash of quality at this Dales auctioneers’ weekly sale, where the top price came from a piece over the Pennines – an 18th century yew wood dresser base that had originally graced a pub in Blackpool.
Calculating the extra value of six plus two and eight plus six...
17 April 2001UK: RESOURCEFULNESS is a characteristic of the successful dealer, and there are occasions where profit margins can be improved by, say, slipping an extra leaf into a dining table, or turning a dressing table into one of those rare kidney-shaped desks.
Oak chest lifts quiet day
17 April 2001AFTER a slow start, this Henley event picked up with the furniture section in which an early 18th century 2ft 5in (74cm) wide oak chest of three drawers with original handles, shot past its £300-500 estimate to sell at £3100.
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