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.

tub chair by Howard & Sons

A watercolour of Iran, a fashionable chair and a patriotic longcase clock – five auction highlights that caught bidders’ eyes in the last week

20 September 2019

ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week includes a rare watercolour depicting of Isfahan in Iran and an early 20th century tub chair by Howard & Sons. Both were bid to 10-times estimate.

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Antiques dealer Howe kicks off Battersea warehouse sale with discounts of up to 80%

20 September 2019

Longstanding furniture dealer Christopher Howe will open his warehouse to buyers with a big sale this autumn.

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Apter Fredericks ‘more flexible’ after closing Fulham Road shop

16 September 2019

English furniture dealership Apter Fredericks has closed the doors of its Fulham Road gallery after 73 years and will now focus its efforts online and at fairs.

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Made in Malines, sold in south Wales

16 September 2019

Estimated at just £40-60, this ebonised wood and alabaster table casket sold to a bidder using thesaleroom.com for £1600 at Peter Francis (20% buyer’s premium) of Carmarthen on August 28.

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English country house, Virginia style at Bonhams

16 September 2019

Bonhams is to sell the Eric Steiner collection in its Los Angeles rooms on October 10, under the title The Contents of a Virginian Country House.

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Battersea's Decorative fair celebrates the Bauhaus

16 September 2019

The centenary of the influential design school provides a theme for the final Battersea Park fair of 2019

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Mid-century in the mainstream but dealer highlights the eco difference between period and ‘style’

16 September 2019

Mid-century style is very much on the rise at the moment – as the organisers of the two Midcentury Shows in London know well.

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Rare version of Windsor chair is a highlight of upbeat Shrewsbury summer sale

09 September 2019

Early English oak and yew and ceramics from St Petersburg to Stoke-on-Trent were features of a 250-lot sale which left auctioneer Jeremy Lamond in a quietly upbeat mood after Halls’ (23% buyer’s premium) summer sale at Shrewsbury.

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PAD London: The prime design destination

09 September 2019

This Mayfair event provides an eclectic selection for professionals and public alike

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Runner races to top spot

09 September 2019

An unusual offering at the Chudleigh rooms of Michael J Bowman (17.5% buyer’s premium) was this 3ft 11in (1.19m) long Bokhara pattern runner.

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Read all about it: the Fairfax sale at Bonhams Sydney

09 September 2019

Selection of contents from Sydney house of media family comes to auction in Australia

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Sir Rod Stewart’s collection under the hammer again – Essex house move means more lots come to auction at Sworders

03 September 2019

Auction house Sworders is selling another batch of items from singer Sir Rod Stewart.

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Bonhams returns to Oxford with furniture sale

02 September 2019

Bonhams’ Oxford office is to reopen as a saleroom for two auctions in the autumn season.

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The web shop window: Regency-period teapoy

02 September 2019

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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Major attractions in Left Bank gallery

02 September 2019

The Left Bank Galerie Vauclair on the rue de Beaune is one of the participants in the Parcours de la Céramique but it is also is putting on an exhibition titled Majeur! This not only spans the Parcours’ dates but runs until October 31.

Mawley Hall in Shropshire

Contents from Shropshire’s 18th century stately home Mawley Hall come fresh to the market at Cheffins

26 August 2019

The principal contents of Mawley Hall, the 18th-century country mansion described by Country Life as 'Shropshire’s Baroque masterpiece', will come up for auction in Cambridge next month.

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Harvey has a game plan for Petersfield

26 August 2019

Dealer David Harvey of WR Harvey brings a remarkably versatile Regency games table, c.1815, to the upcoming Petersfield Antiques Fair.

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Tray brings exotic design to Horta saleroom

26 August 2019

This Gallé marquetry tray is to be offered by the Horta saleroom in its next auction taking place in Brussels on September 9-10.

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The sound of a William and Mary spinet sold for £5500 in Islington

19 August 2019

Relatively few English spinets from the 17th century survive but one surfaced at a Criterion auction in Islington. Loosely catalogued and estimated at just £100-200, it made £5500 (plus premium).

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Wainscot chair with top quality

19 August 2019

Better by a distance than nine similar items, a mid-17th century wainscot chair offered by Lawrences (25% buyer’s premium) in Crewkerne demonstrated the yawning price gap between the acceptable and the desirable in the early oak market.

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