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.

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The web shop window: 1960s rosewood worktable by Danish architect Finn Juhl

27 October 2021

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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Scottish ballet impresario's collection in step with decorative fashion

27 October 2021

It was not to high-end purist tastes, but ballet pioneer’s collection reeled in eager bidders

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Wartime work showing soldiers in Normandy joins Olympia fair highlights

27 October 2021

A “vanishingly rare” oil by Barnett Freedman (1901-58) showing a newly liberated Normandy town shortly after D-Day is among the star exhibits at the Winter Art & Antiques Fair at Olympia in London.

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Christopher Dresser jug stars in our weekly pick of five auction highlights

22 October 2021

ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes a Christopher Dresser electroplated jug that made 10-times estimate in Eastbourne.

c.1770 commode

Midlands furniture dealer sells 18th century commode to Temple Newsam in Leeds

19 October 2021

Thomas Coulborn & Sons has celebrated BADA Week by announcing the sale of an 18th century commode to Leeds Museums & Galleries for close to £200,000.

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‘Poohsticks’ bridge will return to Hundred Acre Wood after auction

18 October 2021

The original ‘Poohsticks’ bridge from AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books is to return to the ‘Hundred Acre Wood’ after it was bought by Buckhurst Park estate owner Lord De La Warr.

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Mirror is Printz charming

18 October 2021

An ensemble of furnishings by the French designer/decorator Eugène Printz (1879- 1948) that were created in the 1930s for a villa in Casablanca, Morocco, will feature at Briscadieu Bordeaux in the French city on November 6.

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Maori pendant boosted by fine notable provenance

18 October 2021

A Maori hei-tiki pendant offered in Cheltenham on September 16 had an old paper label verso stating that it originally belonged to Makoare Te Taonui.

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Single-owner collection of insurance company badges forms intriguing part of Essex sale

11 October 2021

It was in the wake of the Great Fire of London in 1666 that the first societies were created to protect against the losses caused by fire.

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5 Questions: Furniture dealer Rowland Leach

11 October 2021

Rowland Leach runs interior design and antique business French Loft with his wife Mary, specialising in 17th and 18th century French and English country furniture.

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Tiles speciality creates a hive of activity

11 October 2021

Anita Morgan, co-owner of The Hive in Cambridge, is an antique tile specialist and stands at the small annual niche tile fair in Nottingham organised by the Tiles & Architectural Ceramics Society (TACS), which was held this year on October 2.

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Cotswold fair makes its debut appearance at Compton Verney after enforced move

04 October 2021

Grand venues can work wonders for fair organisers helping to get punters through the door while providing an ideal backdrop for dealers to showcase their stock.

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Table and chest impress on Tyneside

04 October 2021

Although not catalogued as such, this occasional table offered at auction is made to a well-known Aesthetic movement design by EW Godwin.

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Classic country house offering brings spectacular selection of lots

04 October 2021

Irish castle home of earls about to be turned into hotel and spa furnishes a remarkable sale

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Dealers head to Cheshire for Tatton Park fair

04 October 2021

This mahogany inlaid bijouterie oval table by Victorian maker Edwards & Roberts is part of a large selection of antiques making their way to Cheshire this month.

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Dealer John Bly starts a new chapter

27 September 2021

To mark its 130th year in business, long-running antiques and decorative arts specialist John Bly has launched a new venture.

EW Godwin coffee table

EW Godwin coffee table stars in our weekly pick of five auction highlights

24 September 2021

ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes an Aesthetic table that made over 40-times estimate in Newcastle.

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The web shop window: Heal’s oak chest of drawers

20 September 2021

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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Writing desk demand is a sign of revival

20 September 2021

Prices for good-quality writing desks continue to recover – as was evident when a George II example more than tripled top hopes.

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Trigger pulled for first sale at new auction house

20 September 2021

A painted wooden shop sign that hung for many years from a store in Norwich sold at Norfolk’s newest auction house.

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