Category Archives: Antique Furniture

The Ho ho bird comes from the mythical Japanese version of the Phoenix. Although most commonly referred to as the Ho ho, the mysterious creature, with a long beak and curving neck, flowing tail, claws and crest takes on many … Continue reading →

  When we bought this mahogany whatnot last week and turned it over, we were not surprised to see the label ‘Norman Adams’ attached to the underside. The name has become synonymous with the finest quality English furniture of the … Continue reading →

  Brass mounts were used on furniture from the 17th century onwards – the metal was popular because it had a good colour which enhanced the surrounding wood; it was also relatively soft and easy to work – and could … Continue reading →

  The firm of Edwards & Roberts was founded in 1845, and had premises at 21 Wardour Street, London. They were primarily cabinet makers and produced some of the very finest furniture of the late Victorian and Edwardian era. By … Continue reading →

  Currently taking place at Petworth house, and running until 12th March is ‘Turner’s Sussex’: an exhibition examining the artist’s work in the county of Sussex. To celebrate this, we have considered here what was happening in terms of furniture … Continue reading →

A tambour is a sliding door consisting of a series of narrow mouldings or reeds of wood glued side by side to a stout canvas backing. Once dry, the tambour is the then ‘cracked’, whereby the glue between between each … Continue reading →

  In the 18th century trays were often mounted on legs or folding stands and used, in Thomas Sheraton’s words, ‘as a sideboard for the butler, who has the care of the liquor at a gentleman’s table’; others served as … Continue reading →

  While ‘grain’ refers to the orientation of the fibres within timber, ‘figure’ describes the various distinctive patterns that result from this. More simply put, it is the surface pattern. Many things create and shape a wood’s figure, from the … Continue reading →

New in this week is this elegant lamp table veneered in Kingwood. Sometimes known as ‘violet wood’ because if its slightly purple hue, Kingwood [Dalbergia Ciarensis] is an exotic hardwood originating from South America. It is a small diameter tree, … Continue reading →

One of the pitfalls to be avoided when buying antique furniture is buying a ‘marriage’. This is a piece, such as a table, which has the wrong top on it – either from another table or ‘made-up’ especially. Usually this … Continue reading →