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Wood.
Antiques tend to not be made using one type of
wood. Why? It simply didn’t make economic sense
to use expensive wood such as mahogany in areas
where no one would ever see it. That’s why the
bottoms of drawers and joints of antiques might
have lesser quality woods such as pine, maple.
Reproductions tend to be made top-to-bottom from
one wood and can be heavily stained to hide a
poor quality wood. Check the underside, if the
wood seems the same throughout the piece, it may
be new.
Upholstery stuffing.
Up until late early 20th century, horsehair and
hay were used to stuff upholstered furniture.
Synthetics such as foam were introduced around
1920s. Keep in mind that the horsehair or hay
may have been replaced in an antique during an
earlier reupholstering. It’s not necessarily
bad, it’s just no longer in original condition.
Signs of wear.
Do the signs of wear make sense? An antique
chair will show increased signs of wear at the
end of the arms where the hands would naturally
rest more so than underneath the arm. If the
wear is consistent through the piece, it’s
likely a reproduction that has been distressed
to appear old.
Signs of age.
Look for signs of cracks caused by shrinkage.
They indicate that the wood has expanded and
contracted over time. This is normal for an
antique.
Antique marble.
To find out if the marble is original to an
antique, check the back of the piece. If the cut
line at the back is jagged, the marble is likely
original to the piece. In the 18th century, the
tools to cut marble straight were not yet
available. If the marble is smoothly cut, it’s
likely post 18th century.
Hand carving.
Run your finger along the carving. Is it bumpy
or smooth? Hand carving is uneven and
asymmetrical. Machine carving is smooth and
symmetrical.
Dovetailing.
Handmade 18th century dovetails are large and
uneven. Machine-made dovetails are thin and
even.
Construction.
Phillips screws, staples and fiberboard are all
tip-offs to reproductions. On antiques with
large surfaces (tables, trunks, armoires),
furniture makers used wide boards with an uneven
width. Reproductions use narrow boards with an
even width.
Gluing.
On older pieces, cabinetmakers would reinforce
glued joints with dowels, mortise and tenon etc.
to ensure that they were good and sturdy. Poor
quality reproductions will often only be glued
which down the road will lead to them falling
apart. Slip a piece of paper between the joints
to see if it is reinforced.
Hardware.
Vintage hardware has patina. It doesn’t have a
lacquer finish to protect it from tarnishing and
it isn’t shiny and new looking.
Rebuilt/refurbished/reproductions.
Rebuilt furniture has some new elements added to
it such as new shelves, backs on an armoire.
It’s common in a lot of French country furniture
around today. Refurbished furniture has been
restored. Either the wood has been refinished or
the upholstery, caning, rushing replaced.
Reproductions have no old aspects. They are
completely new. Whether something is rebuilt,
refurbished or a reproduction is not necessarily
a negative, just as long as you are know that
you’re not buying an antique in original
condition.
Insert caning versus hand caning.
Inset caning (post 1900) has a spine bordering
the caning. Hand caning (pre-1900) doesn’t have
a border. Every now and then, hand-caned pieces
were converted to inset caning when a hand-caner
was not to be found. Check the underside of the
piece to see if it’s been converted. The
underside will reveal a series of holes that
were used for the hand caning.
Buying reproductions.
Buying good quality reproductions eliminates the
frustration of hunting for the right piece.
Having something custom made ensures you get
exactly what you want. For example, the narrow
dimensions of antique armoires 15 to 17 inches
don’t suit today’s electronic equipment. Some
dealers, including myself, do offer custom
reproductions to overcome this predicament.
Buying antiques.
The good news about antiques is they can be less
expensive than reproductions because you’re not
paying for materials and labor costs at today’s
prices. Plus, each antique has a history. The
patina, nicks and bangs on antiques reveal a
full life of use just as the wrinkles on the
face of an elderly person reveal a life that has
been fully lived. |
