The foot component of an antique furniture item describes the small piece of timber that is attached to the leg of a chair, table, or stool that supports the item, and there are many different styles, as you can imagine. If you decide to consult an appraiser, you can usually find an expert by calling or visiting local antique shops for referrals. Illustration: The Spruce / Ellen Lindner There were some very wealthy Colonial families that owned a Bombe chest, a rounded dresser on short legs; but, these are expensive and somewhat rare. Examine your antique dresser to look for a mark, stamp or signature. Books such as "A Dictionary of Marks: Metalwork, Furniture, Ceramics: The Identification Handbook for Antique Collectors" by Margaret Macdonald-Taylor might help you find out more about the signature on your piece. And that can help you surround yourself with even more of what you love. Jacobean: English style (1640-1700), medieval in appearance with straight lines, rigid designs, sturdy construction, ornate carvings and a dark finish. For example, is it stamped in ink, a paper label, a metal plate or a carving? Arts and Craft (1880-1910) The Arts and Craft is characterized by simple utilitarian design and construction. $800.00. Antique Dresser. Vintage Baker Furniture offers extreme value and style to the decorator or homeowner. This French bergère, circa 1788, is carved from walnut and upholstered in embroidered silk. Furniture made during Queen Victoria's reign -- from 1837 to 1901 -- drew heavily from Gothic, Rococo and Louis XV furniture with dark finishes or gilding, embellishments and heavy proportions. Look for nails or dowels. One or two nails in the back were used to keep a drawer from rattling. This is a natural mellowness attained with age and use. To be sure that the item you’re considering for purchase is authentic, a signal marker of the earliest Ercol pieces (from a date of manufacture circa. Dovetailing can appear at the front of the drawers. in art history and studio art with a minor in English literature from Hollins College. 0 bids. Most antique dressers which you will find will be from the Victorian era or later. Bedrooms in the colonial period usually had blanket chests for storage rather than dressers. $350.00 shipping. Check for signs of tool marks. Amboyna is commonly seen on fine quality pieces of antique furniture. When it comes to identifying antique furniture, there are certain characteristics of style and methods of construction that help in distinguishing original pieces from … Antique furnishings can tell a story one that may only exist in the imagination of the lucky person acquiring the piece. Check out 15 British Furniture Styles You Should Know and explore Fine Furniture & Objects from The Pedestal, as well as hundreds of examples from centuries past available from Susan Silver Antiques, Antiques on Old Plank Road, and more. Dresser drawers of the early 18th century moved on runners that fit into a grove about halfway up the side of the drawers. The Gothic Revival, 1840-1860: This is relatively easy to identify for collectors. Below are some examples of different carving used on antique furniture. They are found in mahogany furniture from the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian periods. Pia's Antique Gallery/RubyLane. Identifying Antique Dresser Styles By . The location and style of the mark may vary depending on whether your antique furniture piece was designed and built by an independent craftsman or someone who worked for a furniture company. Rudimentary utilitarian furniture made from local woods. Whether it's worth saving depends on its style and construction. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. American Furniture Styles and Tips on Collecting. Old nails are soft, resilient to rust and bend easily. Malzeke-McDonald has enjoyed many career challenges, from designing a nationally licensed character to creating and marketing new businesses. Take clear photographs of your dresser and the signature -- digital if possible. You also might feel undulated patterns under drawer bottoms. Ending Saturday at 12:25PM PST 2d 15h. $429.00. An owner of an antique must verify that the buffet or sideboard is, indeed, an antique. You may be searching for a handmade ink signature, a carved or engraved mark or a custom manufacturing stamp. What is thought to be an antique dresser may be something else. It’s unlikely that real antique furniture is made with the same type of wood throughout. Thorough detective work regarding the mark, stamp or signature on your dresser will require a physical examination of the mark along with research and perhaps the opinion of an appraiser or antique dealer. They can aid in deciding the approximate age of a dresser. Consult websites such as Antique Marks or Kovels to search for the maker identified on any marks or signatures you found on your antique dresser. // Leaf Group Lifestyle, “A Treasury of Antiques;” Robert M. McBride; 1946, “Building Early American Furniture;” Joseph William Daniele; 1976, “Emyl Jenkins' Reproduction Furniture: Antiques for the Next Generation;” Emyl Jenkins; 1995. or Best Offer. The Victorian period was the first furniture style of mass production. Many companies replicate antique styles. Learn 10 specific steps to establishing an accurate age for your antique furniture. Here is a brief description of some of the more common styles of furniture feet, which can help you to identify the period. Identifying Antique Furniture Styles by Clubhouse Interiors on 6th January 2017 in Art Deco In antique furniture which dates back more than 100 years, there are various styles that you can find and if you know what to look out for, you can identify antiques from replicas and reproduction pieces. This is a natural mellowness attained with age and use. The Victorian period overlapped the Industrial Revolution, making it the first style of furniture to be manufactured. Arts and Craft style furniture is also referred to as Mission. Websites such as Collector's Weekly and Your Antique Furniture Guide also offer helpful periodic updates. Identifying Antique American Furniture Styles. Examine your antique dresser to look for a mark, stamp or signature. What Colors Match Brown Furniture. Art Nouveau (1890-1910) Many times lesser value woods will be stained to look like expensive … Marsha holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-technical communication from Boise State University. Furniture - Dressers & Vanities - 1900-1950 Category List of Antiques, With Information and Images (Page 1) The signature on your antique dresser, along with other clues, can possibly help you learn more about its history and craftsmanship. Learn to identify antique furniture. Need some help with identifying antique furniture? The back of the dresser is the best place to check. You should feel a slightly wavy undulation on the surface of the wood. Find an appraiser if you wish to have your dresser officially appraised as an antique. Antique Mission Style Tiger Oak Dresser with Quarter Sawn Top & Tilting Mirror. image by Tom Oliveira from, How to Identify an Antique Brass Candleholder, How to Know How Much an Antique Morris Chair Is Worth, How to Repair & Identify an Antique Roll Top Desk, Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. All Rights Reserved. There are many different woods used to make antiques. A shorter, more squat variation is sometimes referenced as a blunt-arrow foot. This style of chair became lighter, more graceful, and more ornate as it developed during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV. The name is derived from Ambon Island in Indonesia, where much of the figured wood is believed to have been initially exported. Become aware of what to look for, and develop a trained eye. One of the most intriguing aspects of collecting American furniture and antique furniture, in general, is that it often isn’t considered “collecting” at all.When one thinks of a collection, what generally springs to mind is a conglomeration of similar objects with no real function or purpose except to satisfy the interests of the owner. British furniture is widely collected today for its elegant appearance and important ties to British history, culture, and taste. Early Colonial – 17th century . Study the color and texture of the wood. Furniture legs can provide clues to when a piece was manufactured, especially when considering how they are used in conjunction with foot styles. Learn to identify antique furniture. To avoid being fooled by forgers and fakes, check the dresser's out-of-sight areas, such as its back and side edges that would be placed against walls. Look for a date when you believe the piece may have been crafted, and make notes about the mark, especially if it is not clear or completely legible. The best way to evaluate an antique is to take it to an antique appraiser. On more elegant pieces, dovetailing is finer. Old dowels were never made exactly round or alike. In addition, the vintage antique style dressers usually fit perfectly into any type of furniture since having classic lines can bring a whole new style. antique desk image by Leticia Wilson from, handmade candle box. How to Find Out the Age of a Dining Table, How to Identify Antique Hand-Painted Lamps, Recognizing an Authentic Chippendale Secretary Desk, Collectors Weekly: Antique and Vintage Dressers, Your Antique Furniture Guide: The Antique Dresser Forum, Antique Marks: Tips and Advice on Identifying Antique Furniture, A Dictionary of Marks; Margaret Macdonald-Taylor, How to Determine the Age of an Antique Roll-top Desk, How to Check to See if a Vase Is Very Old, How to Tell Who the Furniture Maker Is on Very Old Furniture. See more ideas about antique furniture, furniture, antiques. Pine, birch, maple and walnut A single piece of antique furniture is more than a collection of nails, boards, and wood stain. See more ideas about furniture styles, furniture, furniture design. Multiple types of wood is a good thing. Study the color and texture of the wood. Marsha Jones began her creative and technical writing career in 1991, with published works in the fields of technology, antiques, home design and regional Idaho. When it comes to antique furniture, style is a good indication of the era the piece is from. Sep 4, 2013 - Explore Sandra Ramirez's board "Furniture styles", followed by 158 people on Pinterest. The ability to determine the age of antique furniture is a great skill.. It is usually plain, even if the attached leg is fluted (as shown in this example). The tendency is for the shade of natural wood to darken. Looking for more antique furniture? 27 watching. Run your hand over the surface of raw edges. How to identify Ercol Furniture . The appraiser is knowledgeable in furniture styles and time periods. All antique furniture reflects a style--what was in vogue during a well-defined historical time period. Amboyna is among the most expensive and sought-after of all burls in antique furniture and boxes and is frequently used as veneer. Picture this: You’ve curated the perfect Pinterest board filled with furniture styles you love but don’t know what to call that style.Our quick guide to traditional furniture styles and contemporary design can help you put a name to your favorites. Identify the style to judge the approximate date of a dresser. When you want to refinish old wooden furniture, the best place to look is the family attic, basement, or garage. This furniture foot style consists of a tapered cylinder that is separated from the leg by a turned ring. Dowels are usually found in primitive American furniture. A general knowledge of furniture styles throughout history is important for estimating the time period in which a dresser was made. It is usually an upholstered armchair with open sides. The bottom of the drawers of an antique dresser are apt to show split wood due to shrinkage over time. Determining the age of antiques is half the fun! Collect information about the signature that would be helpful to an expert. wood image by musk from Fotolia.com. Early American: Modelled after European furniture styles (1640-1700), particularly from England, France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Spain. Fakes exist, with dealers trying to make money from such furniture. Karen Malzeke-McDonald is both an illustrator and writer in the children's publishing market. She has an A.A.S in art and advertising from The Art Institute of Dallas and a B.A. A dresser is of a certain style if most of its features represent what was popular during a time period. Today, Baker Company operates out of North Carolina and creates mostly upholstered furniture. It is one of the few styles that celebrates elements found in the corresponding architectural themes: turrets, pointed arches and quatrefoils—designs found in 12th through 16th centuries that were adapted to this mid-century furniture style. Thursday, 26 March 2020 Edit. Federal Style Furniture Collecting Key Periods Furniture Identifying Antique Legs Table Identifying Antique Writing Desks And Storage Pieces How To Identify Antique Wooden Furniture Tips Howstuffworks American furniture styles have seen a significant number of style periods since the early Colonial era, with each period being to some degree influenced by the pieces being built in Europe (generally England and France). Styles from civilizations like ancient Greece and contemporary Japan contributed to the evolution of British furniture during the 18 th, 19 th, and 20 th centuries especially, resulting in a wide array of designs and techniques. Leg styles are key not only to the appearance and functionality of pieces, but they can also be used to successfully identify many types of antique furniture. 2. The appraiser will examine the dresser and its signature; note its construction, design, style, material and patina; note whether any parts have been replaced or refinished since manufacture; and give an estimate as to its age. Inspect the drawers. The appraiser can examine the signature and give you a written current value for your dresser, which is helpful for insurance purposes. It can be difficult to tell these woods apart and if the wood has been stained or painted it can be even harder to identify them. A genuine antique dresser will have a patina. Generally, early craftsmen placed a mark on the bottom, the back or inside a drawer. Their heads are squarish and sharply pointed at the tip. How To Identify Different Styles Of Antique Furniture. Baker Furniture has grown synonymous with stylish high end furniture. The fauteuil is a style of armchair originating in France. Early wood furniture crafters, much like other artisans, often left their signature, also known as a maker's mark, on completed furniture pieces. She has a passion for writing, hiking to ancient Native American dwellings, jazz, and the great outdoors, and she is working on a series of short stories about mysterious hiking adventures in the desert southwest. Most Queen Anne style furniture was produced using oak wood, but other varieties of wood are used as well. dresser. Was: $479.00. A genuine antique dresser will have a patina. Antique furniture. In the past 100 plus years, the company actually had a home in Michigan in the Grand Rapids Area. Queen Anne style furniture can also be identified by S-scroll carvings and intricate seashells engraved into the wood. Make a checklist of what to look for if you are in the market for an antique dresser. Jan 28, 2017 - Explore Queen City Salvage Design's board "Identifying Antique Furniture ", followed by 486 people on Pinterest. An acanthus is a leafy carved ornament in the top of the columns of the Corinthian. These signatures help buyers and collectors identify and authenticate the piece of furniture. The color also will vary on antique furniture. $259.00 shipping. Early 17th-century furniture typically featured bun- or ball-style feet. The color also will vary on antique furniture. One of the best ways to identify an antique style is by observing the piece’s legs and feet. The columns of the lucky person acquiring the piece Anne style furniture can also be identified by carvings! Into a grove about halfway up the side of the best way to an... Are found in mahogany furniture from the Victorian period was the first style of furniture holds a Bachelor of degree... Can provide clues to when a piece was manufactured, especially when how! 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