Antiques expert David Lindquist shows what to look for in early colonial-period antiques. Furniture of any period tends to have specific dominant stylistic characteristics. Pieces from the early colonial period, 1700 to 1750, are predominantly made of walnut, then considered the most beautiful wood, and dominated by curves, particularly S-curves and C-curves. Construction of a piece is the key to its authenticity. A collector will note how a chair is constructed at the back to help determine its period. Early period chairs have a shoe -- the part the back splat fits into -- made of multiple pieces. A multiple-piece, or detached, shoe was easier to make and saved time and energy. A curvy Dutch chair from the early colonial period has a detached shoe, indicating that the piece was handmade (figure A). A 19th-century chair exhibits an integral shoe, made in one piece (figure B), characteristic of later, machine-made pieces. It's interesting to note that the curve of the back splat of both the Dutch and English chairs exactly match the curve of an early Chinese chair. The Chinese design influence came from the Dutch, who traded with the Chinese, and was then passed on to Great Britain and beyond. The dominant characteristics of a 1730 walnut chest include half-round molding around the edges, banding around the drawers and, the most important construction characteristic of the period, dovetail drawer construction. Dovetail construction eliminated the need for nails and other more crude methods of holding wooden furnishings together (figure C). A 1735 covered flagon from France illustrates that the curve was dominant in accessories of the time as well. The handle is curved, the general form is round and bulbous, and even the flip-top lid has curves (figure D).
GUESTS :
David Lindquist
1213 E. Franklin St.
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: 919-942-3179
Fax: 919-942-6600
Email: WHCHNC@aol.com
Website: www.citysearch.com/rdu/whitehall
Whitehall at the Villa Antiques
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