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.
WR Harvey’s book and autumn exhibition celebrate 65 years in the business – and one notorious woman
04 November 2016This mahogany and inlaid dressing table, which is on offer at WR Harvey Antiques 65th anniversary exhibition opening tomorrow, is remarkable in part because of its infamous original owner, an 18th century society woman whose crimes eventually sent two men to the gallows.
Salvador Dalí artworks from West Dean House to go to auction
18 October 2016A sofa in the form of Mae West’s lips and a lobster telephone are among the surrealist lots from West Dean House to go to auction in December.
Gordon Watson sells personal collection at auction
17 October 2016Art and antiques dealer Gordon Watson sold part of his collection at auction last week, raising £842,939, including premium.
Going, Going, Gomm: mahogany commode bid to £28,000
14 October 2016This early George III mahogany serpentine dressing commode with distinctive carved decoration forms part of a group thought to have been made by the London cabinet-maker William Gomm (c.1698-1780).
Pelmets, plinths and pedestals: fixtures from top London hotel go to auction
13 October 2016Fancy a piece of the opulent Mandarin Oriental hotel in your own living room?
Console tables lead O’Reilly lots, selling at €145,000
08 October 2016A pair of 18th century console tables led a selection of items previously owned by the former billionaire Sir Anthony O'Reilly offered at Irish auctioneers Mealy’s earlier this week.
Hidden attractions help cupboard to £60,000
07 October 2016Livery cupboards are a pretty rare species in the oak lexicon but what makes the example shown here particularly unusual is its early date combined with the presence of drawers.
Ornate Japanese cabinet from Leicestershire house takes £34,000 at Gildings’ auction
06 October 2016“It’s a super quality piece, the sort you can stand in front of for hours appreciating the quality and intricacy,” said Will Gilding in the wake of the sale of this Meiji period shodhana for £34,000.
Doing thy bidding – Stoneware from Canterbury Cathedral raises £210,000
27 September 2016Canterbury Cathedral’s prayers were answered when every one of the 144 lots from its cathedral stone sale were sold at Canterbury Auction Galleries at the weekend.
Cabinet with royal provenance goes west to the Getty
21 September 2016Not many cabinets can have been owned by a pope and a king but a piece of furniture bought by the J Paul Getty Museum at Sotheby’s Paris can make that proud claim.
Ex-Bonhams duo launch independent auction firm to champion furniture sales
18 August 2016Two well-known former London auction specialists are launching a new enterprise selling English and European antique furniture.
Canterbury Cathedral Great South Window stonework up for auction
16 August 2016It is not every day you get the chance to own a unique, original piece of the oldest church in England still in use. If that is your desire, on September 24 your prayers will be answered.
Italian cabinets from Castle Howard head to Fitzwilliam Museum
12 August 2016An impressive and richly decorated pair of early 17th century gilt bronze and pietre dura inlaid Italian cabinets, which stood in Castle Howard, Yorkshire for two and a half centuries, have been saved for the Nation by the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Sidney Barnsley furniture from maker’s family sells for over £30,000 at Salisbury auction
05 July 2016Five pieces of furniture consigned from direct descendants of architect and craftsman Sidney Barnsley (1865-1926) drew bidders’ attention at Woolley & Wallis’ latest Arts and Crafts sale in Salisbury.
Vaizey places export bar for Florentine pietre dure table top
27 June 2016Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has placed a temporary export bar on a 17th century Florentine pietre dure table top. It was sold in December at Sotheby’s in London for £3m.
Leading Paris furniture dealers face exclusion from Biennale fair
23 June 2016Kraemer Gallery and Didier Aaron & Cie, the two leading members of the Paris trade embroiled in a faking scandal, are expected to be excluded from the forthcoming Biennale des Antiquaires, a source close to the French trade has told ATG.
Top French furniture dealers respond to allegations of forgeries in Versailles
16 June 2016Two barons of the Paris antiques trade have been questioned in connection with the so-called Affaire Jean Lupu, a growing scandal surrounding fakes.
Dealer plans online market hub as fire destroys shop and stock
28 May 2016A Scottish dealer whose stock and business went up in smoke has vowed to carry on with an online venture
New fair launched at The Oval cricket ground
26 April 2016The Oval, the international cricket ground at Kennington, south London, which is home to Surrey County Cricket Club, is the location of a new annual fair run by the founders of the Midcentury Modern shows.
Fine Tudor oak panel fetches king’s ransom
10 March 2016Very much the pièce de résistance of Bonhams’ first oak interior sale held in their New Bond Street rooms was the final lot of the day, a 23 x 17in (58.5 x 44.5cm) Tudor oak panel carved in high relief with a portrait of a king holding an orb and sceptre, thought to represent King John.
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