What Period Is My Furniture?

There's something about antique furniture that appeals to us. Maybe it's the quality of the craftsmanship or the beautiful finish of the wood. Maybe it's the nostalgic styles that evoke times past, the fact that it's pre-loved, or even that it provides a connection with periods of history where things seemed simpler somehow. Perhaps it's all of these and more.

Whatever the reasons, antique furniture is as popular as ever, as enthusiasts strive to claim a beautiful and tangible piece of history for themselves in these increasingly confusing and uncertain times.

If you have an antique piece of your own and you've been wondering which era it dates from, we've got some pointers to guide you.

Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/victorian-furniture-luxury-vintage-940933/

Identifying Furniture Styles

One of the best ways of discovering which period your furniture belongs to is by comparing its style to other examples.

Furniture designs have changed dramatically in style over the years, and it's not always easy to know which style dates from when.

So, when a furniture style is referred to as Queen Anne or Gothic revival, what does it actually mean?

Tall Back Upholstered Dining Chair with Queen Anne Style Legs

Here is an overview of this timeline with some of the furniture styles presented during these periods, linked to the reigns of British monarchs:

Elizabethan Era

Elizabethan furniture is extremely rare, so it's very unlikely that you have any at home! Most pieces are part of exclusive collections in museums or grand stately homes.

This period dates between 1558 and 1603 when Elizabeth I was on the throne and furniture from this time is regarded as Primitive style. During this time, English furniture makers were heavily influenced by Renaissance and Gothic styles from Europe, resulting in more ornamented pieces.

Key features:

• Grotesques, vine leaves and fruit are among the more popular designs.
• Mostly made from oak, although finer pieces used walnut.
• Bulbous turning on legs, often with roundels (large acorn-shaped blocks) known as gadroons. Often decorated with acanthus leaves or ridges, called nulling.
• Heavy, elaborate decoration to display wealth.
• Strapwork is widely used (bands of symmetrical, intricate carving).
• Chairs are wainscotted (high backs made from an oak panel) or turned.

Gold Antique French Style Throne Chair

Jacobean Era

This period runs from 1603 to 1649, taking in the reigns of James I and Charles I, although the latter half is sometimes called Carolean.

Key features:

• Strong symmetry with deeply-ingrained straight lines and geometric features.
• Simple structures with highly-detailed and intricate ornamentation, creating flow and movement.
• Dowelling is widely used for joining.
• Chairs and cabinets have very high strictly perpendicular backs, and seats are rectangular.
• Gadroons are usually plain and more oval in shape.
• Jacobean furniture is typically massive, very heavy and uncomfortable.
• Chairs evolve with fashion: arms are removed to allow for flowing dresses.
• Most famous cabinet makers use dark woods, sometimes with gold or silver embellishments.
• Velvet and leather are used in seats.

Cromwellian (Commonwealth) Era

England's Republican experiment lasted from 1649 to 1660, during which time Cromwell and his Puritan followers had a marked effect on all aspects of life, including furniture styles.

Key features:

• Furniture design in this short era is noted for its lack of ornamentation.
• Beds, cabinets, tables, and chests were mostly designed to be severe and sharply angled, reflecting man's unworthiness to own nice things!
• Utility and functionality were more important than luxury or decorative elements. Any outside influences (especially foreign) were frowned upon during this period.
• Some items were decorated with simple geometric patterns, and table and chair legs were often elaborately turned.

Restoration Period

From 1660 to 1689, after Cromwell's fall and the return of the monarchy, craftsmen went into overdrive, realigning their designs with European examples, often in extreme ways. It was a means of wiping out the austerity of the Puritan years.

During this era, taking in the reigns of Charles II and James II, baroque styles really took off.

Key features:

• Restoration furniture styles are marked by their elaborate colour and decoration.
• Marquetry, the use of intricately-cut wood veneers inlaid into the surface to form stunning patterns, is a prominent feature of this period.
• Floral motifs, cupids, acanthus leaves and birds are commonly used, and these are particularly fine.
• Chair frames were often silvered or gilded or upholstered in only the finest fabrics.
• Bookcases became popular.
• Wing chairs made an appearance, along with upholstered benches.
• Oak furniture was frequently covered with walnut veneer.

Green Antique French Style Sideboard

William And Mary Period

The William and Mary period lasted from 1689 to 1702 and is one of the most influential periods of British furniture history, even though Mary only reigned until 1694.

Key features:

• French, Dutch, Flemish and Oriental motifs become extremely popular.
• Trumpet-turned legs with claw and ball feet make an appearance in this time.
• Marquetry continues to be used to great effect.
• Furniture produced in this period is more lightweight and much thinner compared to previous examples (though still sturdy!), with graceful curves.
• Lacquer is widely used, providing a sense of opulence.
• This era is characterised by tall, elegant pieces.

Source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/540502392765242377/

Queen Anne Era

Lasting from 1702 to 1714, the Queen Anne era is another influential period in British furniture making, sometimes called Late Baroque.

Key features:

• Queen Anne style furniture is generally lighter and smaller than earlier examples.
• More practical and comfortable, and cushioned seats are widely used.
• Cabriole legs become popular, becoming the defining feature of this period, along with wing-back chairs and a lot of curved decoration.
• Rococo design elements are evident, and ornamentation becomes more restrained.
• Walnut, maple, cherry and poplar tend to be used more than oak.
• Scrolled decorations replace ornate carvings.

Baroque White Bedroom Collection

Georgian Era

This period is divided into two sections: early and late Georgian, covering the reigns of George I, George II, George III and George IV between 1714 and 1830, taking in the Regency period.

Key features:

• Mahogany is the most popular wood among furniture makers, while walnut rapidly falls out of favour.
• Chair backs are much lower and there is more variety in the styles presented.
• Cabriole legs persist and the rounded Dutch foot is replaced by claw and ball feet.
• Dutch influence declines as Chinese, French Rococo, Gothic and Louis XVI styles become popular.
• Clocks, desks and secretaries (desks with a pull-out surface for writing on), especially those with secret compartments, are particularly fine in this period.
• Furniture pieces are finely proportioned and delicate, often with tulipwood, ebony and satinwood inlay.
• Recurring motifs include acanthus leaves, garlands, laurel wreaths and ribbons.

Mahogany Antique French Style Console Table

Regency Period

This sub-period of the Georgian era technically dates from 1795 to 1830 including covering the time between 1811 and 1820 when Prince George IV stood as Regent in place of his sick father.

Key features:

• Regency furniture tends to lack elaborately carved decoration and marquetry.
• French polishing comes into fashion around 1810, producing a smooth, glossy sheen.
• Dramatic effects were achieved using rosewood and zebrawood veneers, although mahogany was still preferred for Regency period bedroom suites, libraries and dining rooms.
• Brass inlay and mounts are common features.
• Many Regency style cabinet-makers are inspired by Ancient Egyptian furniture styles.
• Ancient Greek influences are apparent, inspired by archaeological discoveries of the time, resulting in clean Grecian lines.
• Most pieces have straight legs.
• The lion head motif becomes very popular.
• Thomas Chippendale furniture becomes highly sought-after.

William IV Era

This period doesn't receive as much attention as others, but it is important nevertheless, covering the years 1830 to 1837 when William took over from his brother, George IV.

Key features:

• Laurel leaves, lions, mythological creatures, crowns and torches were all common motifs.
• Table and chair legs were straight, often with Marlborough feet (square in shape).
• Hardware is usually brass or bronze.
• More exotic woods are being used.
• Often has a clumsier look and feel than Regency furniture.
• Dining chairs with sabre-legs at the back and turned legs at the front.

Victorian Period

Victorian furniture tends to be eclectic, influencing styles between 1837 and 1901.

Key features:

• Early Victorian furniture tends to echo the Regency trend, retaining the scrolled decoration and curving backs.
• Gothic revival styles are popular, with pointed arches on chairs echoing those in architecture.
• Tables and chests of drawers have rounded corners.
• Later styles move away from Regency furniture as people wanted furniture that was more modern and showy.
• Most furniture makers use rosewood, mahogany and walnut in their work.
• Romantic and revivalist themes abound, copying some of the earlier styles.
• Heavy, luxurious fabrics feature prominently.

Rococo Antique French Style Bed

Edwardian Era

Oddly enough, Edwardian furniture dates from 1890 to 1911, even though Edward only took the throne in 1901. As with Victorian-era furniture, the styles remain eclectic.

Key features:

• Classic Art Nouveau furniture makes an appearance. This style is a significant departure from anything seen previously!
• Dark woods tend to be more popular.
• The sense of restraint seen in Victorian furniture is abandoned for a more free-spirited style with lighter colours and materials.
• As homes became smaller, furniture was adapted to fit in. The large, cluttered rooms of the Victorian era became a thing of the past.
• Carved legs, inlays, and brass mounts make a comeback.
• More furniture is geared towards the introduction of electricity, especially lampstands.
• Edwardian era furniture was eclectic, copying many earlier styles, which can make identification interesting!

The Furniture Makers

Many antique experts talk about the items by referring to the makers. This doesn't mean that each piece of furniture was individually made by that person! It simply refers to a specific workshop owned and run by a master designer that produced certain styles of furniture. Looking at antique furniture maker's marks can also help you identify antique furniture and it's originality.

Source: https://antiquesworld.co.uk/antique-furniture-by-johnstone-jeanes/

Here are some of the most highly regarded cabinet makers in the business, along with details of the styles that made them famous:

Thomas Sheraton 1751 - 1806

An accomplished draughtsman and designer, Thomas Sheraton influenced furniture design until the early 1900s. His designs are noted for their use of contrasting veneers, tapered legs, and fluting.

He is regarded as one of the big three, the most British furniture designers, along with Thomas Chippendale and George Hepplewhite.

Thomas Hope 1769 - 1831

Dutch by birth, Hope made England his home after travelling around Europe extensively and accumulating a vast collection of antique furniture that inspired his genius design elements that feature heavily in Regency style furniture.

Thomas Johnson 1714 - 1778

Johnson was a highly-gifted craftsman who combined the three most popular motifs (Louis XIV, Chinese, and Gothic) amazingly well. Birds, fish, animals and humans feature heavily in his work.

George Smith 1786 - 1826

Smith was a great fan of Thomas Hope, writing several books on his designs with the aim of making them accessible to the masses, not just the nobility.

His own designs focused on Greek, Roman, and Egyptian themes.

Thomas Chippendale 1718 -1779

Famous for his outstanding styles that incorporated rich carvings, especially those in his book, The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director which influenced master craftsmen from the Georgian period onwards. Oriental design in Europe prompted Chippendale to include them in his designs. He is one of the few British designers who ever achieved worldwide fame, as Chippendale furniture is known almost everywhere.

Robert Adam 1728 - 1792

One of the most important proponents of the Neo-classical style, Adam was inspired by Ancient Greek and Roman ideas, using them in his architecture and interior design work as well as furniture.

Considered one of the most influential designers of the time, his distinctive designs came to be known as the 'Adam Style.'

George Hepplewhite 1727 - 1786

Hepplewhite is an enigma. Despite being one of the big three, we don't know a lot about him at all! However, his designs are distinctive: well-balanced with pronounced curviness and very slender. They also feature shield-back chairs with shorter, curved arms and straight legs, without any carvings. Any other details were painted or inlaid at a later date.

Antique French Style Bookcase

Looking For Clues

Aside from identifying your furniture by its style or the wood used in its manufacture, you can get a rough idea of its age from how it was made:

Check The Joinery

Look for dovetail joints on the back or underneath of your furniture or the underside of drawers. Early furniture usually has one large dovetail joint with imperfections in the cut. This tells you that the piece probably dates to the 18th Century.

Several smaller joins, still with saw and tool marks, suggest a 19th Century date is more likely. If the dovetails are small, perfectly spaced and smooth, the piece is almost definitely machine-cut, meaning that it is post-Industrial Revolution or Victorian furniture dating from 1860 onwards.

Screws And Nails

Handmade screws are a good clue, as these were rough-looking with the slots often being off-centre. Cabinet makers often had to cut a slot into the head using a hacksaw on screws that were partially machine-made.

Although the earliest machine-made screws were around in 1790, it wasn't until 1856 that most makers started using machine-cut screws, and these are uniform in size and appearance. They are also tapered to a sharp point, whereas earlier examples were blunt and did not taper as much.

Nails, which were always handmade by blacksmiths prior to 1790, usually have a square rose head, where the end was flattened with a hammer. Modern nails have round heads.

Check For Slight Differences

Look at the drawer knobs, handles or spindles to see if they are perfectly identical. If so, your item probably dates from 1860 and later. Earlier pieces will never be absolutely identical as they are made by hand.

Which Period Is Your Furniture From?

Hopefully, you'll now be equipped with a little knowledge to be able to identify when your antique furniture was produced.

At the very least, you should be able to narrow down the possibilities and find an approximate date, and you'll be able to tell Jacobean from Art Nouveau!

Tudor furniture isn't included here as it is even rarer than Elizabethan, and the timeline cuts off around the Edwardian and Art Nouveau eras as anything from the mid 19th Century doesn't qualify as an antique - just yet!

Antique Grape Tiffany Small Table Lamp

The following article What Period Is My Furniture? was first published to Homes Direct 365 French Furniture

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