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.
![Churchill Forbes Collection (4)](/media/99740/churchill-forbes-collection-4.jpg?rxy=0.47,0.81272949816401474&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133512628470000000)
Churchill's personal writing desk sold in New York
01 February 2024Winston Churchill’s desk which he used to write his Second World War memoirs has been sold by Peter Harrington Rare Books at The Winter Show in New York (January 19-28).
![Wood and antler chandelier](/media/99734/2630-ie_stair05.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133511964900000000)
Last hurrah for the Ann and Gordon Getty collection
31 January 2024Finding antiques with the wow factor was Ann Getty’s forte and she did it with great dedication, some good advice and an outstanding bank balance.
![Jessus on crucifix](/media/99727/crucifix.jpg?rxy=0.42394014962593518,0.30564784053156147&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133511772600000000)
Appeal for statues stolen from Salford church
31 January 2024A group of statues from a church in Salford have been stolen.
![Dining table](/media/99686/img_6-1.jpg?rxy=0.49820788530465948,0.32930513595166161&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133509979940000000)
Interior designers target traditional antiques at Battersea's Decorative Fair
29 January 2024Traditional antiques are very much still in demand, according to reports from dealers at Battersea’s winter Decorative Fair.
![TSR January 26 Turpin Hats](/media/99553/tsr-january-26-turpin-hats.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133507398680000000)
White-gloves and a trilby hat for Dick Turpin sale
26 January 2024Sworders enjoyed a white-glove sale and a £406,000 total for the personal collection of Maurice Turpin (1928-2005).
![img_29-5.jpg](/media/99453/img_29-5.jpg?rxy=0.49012567324955114,0.32089552238805968&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133503928010000000)
Eye on an object: Victorian stained glass window
22 January 2024Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.
![Doyle Chairs 1](/media/99347/doyle-chairs-1.jpg?rxy=0.24,0.43190661478599224&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133500575540000000)
Exceptional George II chairs lead Manolovici collection at Doyle
19 January 2024Three exceptional George II period chairs lead the line in the upcoming Old Masters, English & Continental Furniture auction at Doyle New York.
![Drew Pritchard](/media/99315/drewpritchard1.jpg?rxy=0.44206008583690987,0.34405144694533762&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133499554510000000)
Salvage Hunters' TV star Drew Pritchard is selling his personal collection at auction
17 January 2024TV presenter and antiques dealer Drew Pritchard is to sell items from his personal collection at Dreweatts in March.
![img_40-1.jpg](/media/99230/img_40-1.jpg?rxy=0.48884381338742394,0.39384615384615385&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133497930700000000)
Louis XV table returns home for public display after auction
15 January 2024A piece of furniture produced for the French king heads back to former repository now open to the public
![img_46-2.jpg](/media/99250/img_46-2.jpg?rxy=0.35496957403651114,0.5463709677419355&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133497932090000000)
The wow factor: remainder of remarkable Getty collection comes up in New York
15 January 2024Stair Galleries in Hudson, New York, will sell the remainder of the remarkable Ann and Gordon Getty collection in two forthcoming sales.
![img_42-2.jpg](/media/99236/img_42-2.jpg?rxy=0.45841784989858014,0.13552361396303902&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133497936100000000)
Gobelins pietra dura panel picked out at six figures at Paris auction
15 January 2024It was in the hope of saving on the huge sums spent procuring works of art from abroad that Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV’s minister of finance, began inviting craftsmen to work at the Gobelins royal manufactory on the outskirts of Paris.
![img_18-1.jpg](/media/99148/img_18-1.jpg?rxy=0.58823529411764708,0.21947194719471946&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133497877060000000)
A corking vernacular selection on offer in South Yorkshire saleroom
15 January 2024A large collection of corkscrews and all things vernacular were major features of the two-day sale held by Wilkinson’s (20% buyer’s premium) in Doncaster.
![Furniture book](/media/99083/part-of-the-furniture-01.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133493609100000000)
Extensive furniture book library on display in Leeds
12 January 2024A major collection of books on furniture from the late dealer John Bedford are on display as part of a new exhibition at the University of Leeds.
![blue john vases](/media/98904/george-iii-blue-john-vases-2623pv-10-01-2024.jpg?rxy=0.42166666666666669,0.38242280285035629&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133489460930000000)
Six lots from upcoming auction of ‘legendary’ dealer’s collection
10 January 2024Maurice ‘Dick’ Turpin (1928-2005) was one of the best known antiques dealers of his day.
![Regency side cabinet](/media/99076/regency-side-cabinet-2626web-09-01-2024.jpg?rxy=0.50367647058823528,0.27333333333333332&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133492825360000000)
Six highlights selling at Dreweatts’ auction of artist’s collection
09 January 2024Items from the private collection of contemporary artist Pablo Bronstein (b.1977) formed a 289-lot dedicated sale at Dreweatts in Newbury.
![Yomut Asmalyk carpet](/media/99026/img_41-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133491914840000000)
Carpets galore in a German saleroom
08 January 2024A German collector consigned 28 carpets for the November 25 sale at Rippon Boswell (25% buyer’s premium) in Wiesbaden.
![img_35-1.jpg](/media/99010/img_35-1.jpg?rxy=0.47645951035781542,0.27083333333333331&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133490474320000000)
Chest chimes with Harrogate fair
08 January 2024A late 17th century moulded chest with bone inlays is among the offerings from a new exhibitor at this month’s Pavilions of Harrogate Decorative Antiques & Fine Art Fair.
![img_41-7.jpg](/media/99032/img_41-7.jpg?rxy=0.47509578544061304,0.69426048565121412&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133491803060000000)
Dagobert Peche chandelier proves leading light at auction
08 January 2024Only a few months after several ornamental pieces of silver by the Viennese designer Dagobert Peche, one of the leading lights of the Wiener Werkstätte, caused a sensation in Düsseldorf (ATG No 2613, the auction house Kinsky (28% buyer’s premium) achieved an impressive result for a work by him.
![img_14-1.jpg](/media/98938/img_14-1.jpg?rxy=0.582441113490364,0.33499170812603646&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133491832590000000)
Grotesque proves attractive when it comes to Martinware
08 January 2024Latest ceramics sales demonstrate how Martinware demand has moved on beyond Wally Birds
![Louis XVI gilt walnut chair](/media/98868/img_9-8.jpg?rxy=0.43849206349206349,0.397196261682243&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133486655810000000)
Marie-Antoinette’s chair sets an auction record
02 January 2024Among the star attractions at the 60-lot evening sale of works from the collection of Hubert Guerrand-Hermès (1940-2016) at Sotheby’s Paris was a carved and regilded Louis XVI chair.
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