FAQs

Types of Antiques

Q. I sometimes get confused with all the types and names of various antique furniture pieces. Why are the same pieces called different names?

A. Good question. Many of the names of furniture are determined by the country in which they were crafted. For example, the term “armoire” which we commonly use, is French. The same piece could be called an “armadio”, a “wardrobe” or a “Schrank” depending on where it’s from. Dining room pieces are especially confusing. To eliminate as much confusion as possible, we call a “buffet” a dining room piece that stands upright. It may or may not have glass in the top. It could have wood, glass or metal cabinet doors. In our terminology, the long, horizontal pieces are referred to at STA as “sideboards”. In other stores they may be called sideboards or breakfronts. To us, a “vitrine” is a vertical cabinet with glass. A vitrine can also be used as a “china cabinet” but a “china cabinet” is not always a vitrine. A china cabinet can also be a tall cabinet with closed doors, but would have shelves for storage. A “sofa” generally seats three people, while a “settee” seats two. I don’t need to tell you what it’s called when it only seats one person! That’s right: a chair! In addition, these can be broken down to “side chair” or an “armchair”. There are various types of chairs, but to make things easier for everyone we generally stick to chair or armchair. We sometimes will use “bergere” or “Savonarola” or “monk’s chair”, etc.

Then there are types of furniture that have their own names and are only descriptive in their native language. “Cassapanca” is one of these. It’s always a horizontal chest, sitting on the floor. Sometimes the top is flat and can be sat upon, and sometimes it is carved elaborately. It can also have a back, either plain or with a mirror or even coat hooks. A Cassapanca is sometimes referred to as a “hall bench”. We call only the very special ones, with no back, cassapanca, from the Italian words “cassa” meaning coffin or also a place to deposit money, and “panca”, meaning bench.

At Steven-Thomas, however, we try to keep our terminology as simple as possible.

Q. What about woods? Which ones are the most common?

A. I suppose that is a question of location. The wood of preference in Germany, for example, is bleached oak, with tones of white or green washed through. In Scandinavia pine, oak and mahogany have always been the most popular woods. On the East Coast of the US, mahogany is more popular than it is here. Oak is popular in the middle parts of the country.

At Steven-Thomas, our wood of preference (and our customers’ as well) is walnut. While mahogany was the most popular in the 50’s, oak in the 70’s and pine in the 80’s, walnut has always been popular and classic. We try to buy as much walnut as we can, but it’s also one of the more scarce woods. We do bring in some beautiful oak and mahogany pieces, as well as the occasional cherry wood and elmwood from China.

Q. What does “circa” mean?

A. “Circa” refers to the approximate age that a piece of furniture or antique was made. On every price tag at Steven Thomas, we list the “circa” of each antique we sell. Basically, our pieces date from 1860 through 1940.