Antique Furniture Styles

Antique Furniture Styles

Antique Furniture Styles
By Aleks Batogevsky - Ezinearticles

Antique wood furniture is dated mainly from the XVI century and up to the XX century. There is also furniture older than XVI century, but it is very rare and in most cases it is not durable enough for practical use. If I had to write a detailed review of each style, a huge book would not be enough to fit in all the information, not to mention the illustrations. Therefore, I would like to provide you with a brief review of antique furniture styles with their dates and typical characteristics.

Gothic (XII - XV cc.)
Furniture of the gothic period is tall, ponderous and simple. During that period it became common to keep clothes in wardrobes whereas before that time chests were used for that purpose. Thus, by the end of the Middle Ages prototypes of the main modern furniture arose: closets, beds and chairs. In these household items it could be seen that the styles were dominated by church architecture. Frames were decorated with arrows, turrets, and transverse ribbed elements as well as misshapen figures. The main wood types are oak and chestnut.

Renaissance (XV-XVII cc.)
Renaissance furniture is determined by precise form and clear construction. Main features include columns of various forms, pilasters, chandeliers, carved statues of cupids and herms. In time, the range of embellishments such as lion paws, heads of sheep, various masks and arms became more widespread. The most popular wood used is walnut.

Baroque (XVII-XVIII cc.)
Baroque style is characterized by the decorative splendor of carved sculptural shapes and rounded forms with an abundance of decorations. The main themes of carving and fresco are cupids, geniuses, naiads, griffins, eagles, lions, shells and folded ribbons. Velvet with a large pattern was the main type of upholstery used in Baroque furniture, with the wood being mostly walnut and oak. Key furniture types are cabinets, upholstered stuffed armchairs and chairs.

Rococo (XVIII c.)
Rococo furniture is elegant and ornate. The typical style for Rococo is curved legs, backs, arm rests and couches. They are richly decorated with carvings and bronze plates in the form of garlands of flowers, plants, shells and scrolls. Later, bronze parts were replaced by varnishes imported from China.

Classicism (the end of XVIII c.)
Gilding and painting are replaced by the natural texture of wood. Marguetry, bronze planted medallions and porcelains inserts are used as decorations. Other defining features of this style are the rule of symmetry, straight lines and bas-relief carvings. For upholstery a special cloth - tapestry or fabrics embroidered with flowers, bouquets and pastoral scenes - was used.

Antique Furniture Styles

Empire (the beginning of XIX c.)
Empire furniture forms are strictly constructive, subject to the rules of ancient architecture, but delicate in design and proportion. The main material used was mahogany with bronze decorations in the shape of swans, eagles, military motifs as well as trophies and emblems of Napoleon.

Biedermeier (first half of XIX c.)
Typical characteristics for Biedermeier furniture are the preference for gently curved lines. This is evident in features such as backs and armrests on furniture like sofas, chairs, table legs and writing desks. Mainly a light wood was used such as ash, cherry, birch, pear and maple. Veneering is widely used. Biedermeier style furniture is simple and much more practical to use.

After the Biedermeier style came the Eclecticism and then Modern (also known as Art Nouveau). But due to certain specifics and enormous volume of information, it is better to write a separate article about these two.