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.

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ATG letter: Maybe an Irish whiskey spelt whisky explains rarity

16 November 2020

MADAM – your item on the Victor Mee auction of pub memorabilia (ATG No 2467) contains a minor, yet possibly significant error.

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Pick of the week: Fab pair from ‘Glasgow Four’ duo

09 November 2020

Two pieces by ‘Glasgow Four’ artists Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) and Frances Macdonald McNair (1873-1921) topped Lyon & Turnbull’s Decorative Arts: Design since 1860 auction on November 2-3.

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A looking glass believed to have been owned by Marie Antoinette is among the four lots to watch at auction this week

09 November 2020

With estimates from £1000-70,000, here are four previews of upcoming items this week.

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Georgian globes travel to Los Angeles

09 November 2020

This pair of early 19th century George III period terrestrial and celestial globes in mahogany stands are by Dudley Adams, (1762-1830) a member of the well-known Adams family of globemakers.

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Mirrors reflect the Mollys local magic

09 November 2020

Irish auction house Victor Mee (19% buyer’s premium) holds regular sale of pub memorabilia and collectables but the online-only October 5-6 offering was on another level.

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The web shop window: Aesthetic movement slipper chair

09 November 2020

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

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Slimline sale in Cheffins still one to remember

09 November 2020

Auctioneer makes his debut on the Cambridge rostrum with reduced but memorable offering

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Extraordinary hidden statuary brings demand out in the open at Summers Place

02 November 2020

An extraordinary group of garden statuary, unseen for decades, was offered for sale recently at Summers Place Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) in Billingshurst, West Sussex.

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An Arts & Crafts table and an early photography album are among the five lots to watch at auction this week

26 October 2020

With estimates from £100-70,000 here are five previews of upcoming items this week.

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The web shop window: Arne Jacobsen's Swan Chairs

26 October 2020

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

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Dunand’s dear deer: screen takes £75,000

26 October 2020

Bonhams’ new-format Design sale in London on October 14 was topped by Jean Dunand’s 'Les Biches' (the hinds), a lacquered wood folding screen, c.1926.

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Four methods dealers are using to showcase stock

26 October 2020

The firebreakers, circuitbreakers, alerts and tiers have made recent weeks feel chaotic. But dealers are carrying on regardless, devising new and different ways to sell their stock safely, whether online, through catalogues or in person.

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Martin Brothers bird among highlights of two-day decorative sale

26 October 2020

More than 700 lots of Decorative Arts and Design spanning the 19th through to the early years of this century were offered for sale by Woolley & Wallis (25/12% buyer’s premium) in Salisbury over two days.

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Art Deco consoles offered at Tajan

26 October 2020

Pictured here is one of a pair of Art Deco consoles by Gilbert Poillerat (1902-88) from c.1938 that will feature in a sale of 20th century Decorative Arts to be held by Tajan in its Paris rooms on November 17.

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Dealer hails ‘exceptional’ campaign chest

19 October 2020

An early 19th century campaign chest designed to be broken down into two parts for easier travel has been hailed as “exceptional” by the specialist dealer who bought it at an Essex auction.

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Dealer offers forerunner of the modern sofa bed

19 October 2020

In the campaign furniture market, provenance and an interesting story behind the owner are important.

Oak door by Sir Edwin Lutyens

An Arts and Crafts oak panelled door and a rare token of Napoleonic-era patriotism are among five auction highlights sold this week

16 October 2020

ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes an oak panelled door designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

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Rare glazed 14th century tiles to be returned to Uzbekistan with help from the British Museum and UK Border Force

13 October 2020

A collection of glazed tiles believed to be 14th century examples from a memorial complex near Samarkand are to be returned to Uzbekistan.

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Printz charming: Art Deco design

12 October 2020

Furniture ensemble sold in French auction had been in the same family since being produced

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Gallery buys up Art Deco archives

12 October 2020

Chrissie and John Masters of the Design Gallery closed their shop in the Kent village of Westerham last year and now operate from their large showroom and warehouse nearby.

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