Antique Furniture

Today, we are reticent to add color to our wooden furniture. But craftsmen of the past did not have such inhibitions, and in most periods of furniture history, you'll find some painted and gilded features, if not entire pieces.

The painting on furniture in the Jacobean period, for example, was primarly on carving, where figures of humans and animals were painted various hues, and gilding was often lavishly applied.

William and Mary and Queen Anne painted furniture tended to be in colors of dull reds, greens and blues to match the upholstry of the piece.

Chippendale, however, is an exception, as there is so little painted furniture during the Chippendale period it's barely worth a mention. In contrast, the Brothers Adam are known best for their painted furniture, as are Hepplewhite and Sheraton.

In America, the first examples of furniture painting are to be found in New England, where chests and hutches were often adorned with flowers or foliage designs applied on natural wood or a background color.

Toward the end of the 18th century and the early 19th, the top rails of chairs and settee backs were often painted or stenciled with stiff flowery patterns, occasionally with a touch of gilding.

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The most common types of furniture from this period are:

• chairs
• stools
• forms
• settees
• love seats
• day beds
• bedsteads
• mirrors
• tables
• foot stools
• chests
• cupboards
• cabinets
• buffets
• dressers
  
• sideboards

The early part of the Jacobean period is a wide diversity in the contours and turnings of pieces because the native English traditions were beginning their mingle with continental influences.

Overall, though, the furniture of this period was bulky and, in spite of the heavy ornamentation, almost severe in form. All the different sorts of cupboards and dressers, and even the bedsteads, were low. The ceilings of the period were also quite low, so seeing pictures of the furniture in context can be deceiving.

As the period wears on, through the reign of Cromwell, some of the pieces become longer, and the occurence of dutch "bun" or ball feet became more prevalent.


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