FAQs

General Nature of Antiques

Q. Has the definition of “antique” changed in the past 50 years?

A. Yes, it has. Up until World War II, a piece of furniture was considered antique, or period, if it was over 100 years old. At that time, 100 years approximated the beginning of the Age of Industrialization (circa 1840). Machine driven potential changed the way furniture was made, moving the western world away from exclusively handwork to machine work, improving efficiency and making furniture more affordable for a growing urban population.

Today, 95% of furniture in antique shops was made after 1840, thanks to machinery, the technology that re-defined “antique”! We have antique cars from the 1930’s and antique jewelry from the 20’s. The generally accepted standard defining furniture as antique is as follows: pre World War II furniture crafted and finished with handwork, in period style.

Q. What defines an antique style, and are some better than others?

A. Antique styles (Renaissance, Louis XV, Chippendale, etc.) come from the era (Renaissance), Victorian (Queen Victoria 1837-1901) or cabinetmaker (Thomas Chippendale) that the style was first created.

The resurgence of the major classic styles in the later part of the 19th century led to the use of terms revival or second, as in Renaissance Revival or Second Baroque. The significant antique styles to emerge as original styles thereafter were Art Nouveau (1890-1915) and Art Deco (1920-1940).

Classic styles come and go in popularity, even within a general style, for example, Renaissance. Spanish or 1500’s or early Renaissance is a heavy look that had greater popularity in the 1970 and 1980s. Today, Italian or Tuscan or late Renaissance is very much in vogue, as witnessed by the current home building craze for Tuscan architecture and interior design.  Gothic revival is also very popular now with serious collectors.