Throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, furniture for the majority of people consisted of a few basic, functional items. A cottage might contain a stool or two, a simple table and a wooden box in which to store a few possessions. It was not collected in any serious way until the mid 1800’s and it was not until the early years of the 1900’s that furniture began to be appreciated as a work of art in its own right rather than being catalogued only as part of the chattels when the contents of a house came up for sale.
In the early 1700’s for the first time furniture began to be designed with purely decorative aspects tacked onto their practical functions and new types of furniture began to be made as customs and habits changed. Bureaux came into being as more people learnt to write, and bureaux bookcases began to appear as mass printing made books cheaper and more readily available.
Formal dining rooms were established in Europe and the United States by the end of the 1700’s. The sideboard was invented so that food could be served from the surface and napery and cutlery stored beneath. Dumb waiters, wine coolers and cheese coasters were created to take care of other aspects of dining. The rapidly expanding and prosperous middle class wanted to spend their increased leisure time in luxury and comfort. As a result more upholstered furniture began to be made, and glass became cheaper, enabling decorative mirrors to be produced in great quantity to reflect light. Boudoir furniture was constructed for the lady of the house and solid library pieces for the master.
These along with the huge variety of objects made for the 1800’s home, form the bulk of the furniture collected today. The choice is vast, but more than in any other area of antiques; furniture has been changed or improved, whether for practical or commercial reasons. Pieces have been cut down or added to, tops and bottoms separated or married up and rooms stripped of panelling to make “antique” pieces, so collectors need to be on their guard.
Some altered pieces though, have a value in their own right, but your first task is to learn when various types of furniture first appeared, and the main areas open to alteration. Knowledge of the woods used at different times and in different countries will also help.
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