Thread: On a roll!!!

All very nice pieces......maybe it's just the era but they have a sort of William Morris look to them.

Originally Posted by seanz

All very nice pieces......maybe it's just the era but they have a sort of William Morris look to them.

They are reputed French and over 150 years old.

I am waiting for Woodwould's opinion.

Family memory is notoriously fickle when it comes to ancestors and their belongings. I'm afraid this chair is Edwardian and was made circa 1900-1910, most likely in England.

The feet are known as 'spade feet' - for obvious reasons and were first popular in the late eighteenth century.

Thanks for all that WW.

I will post pics of the cabinets as time permits.

I actually like the furniture and it is quite well made. I suspected it could have been at least factory made as there are differences in the details of some of the inlay work. The circular piece on the leg with the strip running towards the bottom of the leg is different an some chairs. This makes me wonder if at least 2 people weren't involved in making them

The reason I like the furniture is the elegant , airy design and the lack of any dreaded over decoration. The colours also appeal to me.

Originally Posted by artme

Thanks for all that WW.

I will post pics of the cabinets as time permits.

I actually like the furniture and it is quite well made. I suspected it could have been at least factory made as there are differences in the details of some of the inlay work. The circular piece on the leg with the strip running towards the bottom of the leg is different an some chairs. This makes me wonder if at least 2 people weren't involved in making them

The reason I like the furniture is the elegant , airy design and the lack of any dreaded over decoration. The colours also appeal to me.

I'm pretty sure the inlay, at least, would have been done manually and could well be the work of more than one person.

Lovely chairs nevertheless.

I've raised a few hackles in the family!!!

Apparently the furniture was brought out from Switzerland By FIL's grandparents on his mother's side. So it is about 140-150 years old.

It all needs restoring as for a number of years now it has lacked any sort of ten TLC. Some crude repairs have been done with ply and,glue and staples, But the work is strong and has stopped a couple of the chairs falling apart. If we come back here I will take them one by one and repair and restore them. They are just too nice to let go.

Originally Posted by artme

I've raised a few hackles in the family!!!

Apparently the furniture was brought out from Switzerland By FIL's grandparents on his mother's side. So it is about 140-150 years old.

I'm afraid someone is mistaken. I am 101% certain of my dating. The shape, style, material grade, inlay and finish all point precisely to the pre-war period. It is a recognisable style datable to the period mentioned.

Perhaps your father-in-law did bring over some 150 year old furniture from Switzerland, but these pieces you've shown us certainly aren't of that age. Maybe the family acquired some new furniture around the turn of last century and it has been subsequently assumed that all the furniture brought over there dates back 150 years.

If you compare the style of your chairs to other Edwardian furniture, you'll notice close parallels. Conversely, there is no furniture, of the age you mention, that looks remotely like the furniture in your pictures.

Sorry Artme, I just tell it as I see it. When I had my shop, I regularly had to bite my tongue when people brought in spurious pieces of furniture for appraisal or restoration. Dating furniture is akin to dating cars - the clues are all there and very well documented. Every car nut knows precisely what date the MGB changed from chrome bumpers to rubber bumpers.

WW your knowledge scares me. I would have loved to serve an apprenticeship under you when I was younger.

Originally Posted by Wongdai

WW your knowledge scares me. I would have loved to serve an apprenticeship under you when I was younger.

Funny, sometimes my ignorance scares me!

No Woodwould, I'm not upset at all. Just the rest of the family!!!

What would I know?? I'm just an ignorant Australian!!


I have told them that my belief is that they are not that old because I believe furniture of that age they state is more ornate. Am I wrong.

Originally Posted by artme

I have told them that my belief is that they are not that old because I believe furniture of that age they state is more ornate. Am I wrong.

Furniture of 150 years ago was generally grossly ornate and heavy (Victorian - or Louis-Philippe if the furniture was French), so yes, you're quite right. The furniture you've shown in recent posts is much simpler.