Where a piece is combined with another from a different period
The Concept of Marrying Antique Furniture – A significant amount of two-part Continental furniture has undergone a practice known as “marriage,” where a piece is combined with another from a different period
One can easily envision this scenario with an 18th-century bureau that has been supplemented with a bookcase at a later time. The bookcase could either be a contemporary addition, taken from another furniture item, or purposefully crafted to fit.
In terms of value, the bookcase itself holds little significance, while the bureau’s worth, or at least its practicality, is enhanced by this addition. To determine the compatibility of both parts, a cursory examination of the entire piece is necessary. Observing the back panel should reveal whether the woodwork matches appropriately, indicating that both components share the same period. Similarly, examining the sides can disclose whether the decorative elements or veneer align harmoniously. Furthermore, lifting the top part away from the bureau allows for an evaluation of the bureau’s upper section—is it veneered or adorned?
It’s unlikely that cabinet makers would invest resources and effort into materials that would remain unseen, and certainly not the counterfeiters. Today, few stands survive alongside their cabinets. This is due to the fact that during the 16th and 17th centuries, these stands were often mobile pieces that traveled between various households. Additionally, larger stationary cabinets have also lost their original stands, with some repurposed into aesthetically pleasing pier tables.
The Concept of Marrying Antique Furniture
Many other pieces in this collection were dubious and most of them now lie unseen in the museum’s stores. But the display of both the Cluny and the Soulages collections led to copying and this may explain the wealth of eclectic pieces that came onto the market from the 1870s onwards, when the Renaissance style gathered commercial momentum.
Alterations of Married Antique Furniture
A popular alteration was to reduce the size of a piece to accommodate it to contemporary apartments. Taller pieces were especially vulnerable. In a commode a drawer can be removed easily and neatly, though a loss of proportion may give the game away. Look at the drawers is the graduation even? Are the drawers numbered on the back by an earlier repairer and if so, are the numbers now consecutive? Reducing in width or depth is both far more complicated to do and much easier to spot.
Certain items were altered in the 19th century for a specific use and are now being converted back to their original state. The Louis XV and Louis XVI petite commode or table en chiffoniere is a very popular item in today’s small apartments.
In the 19th century, these were often altered into the delicately named “night tables”. The three small drawers were taken out to make a cupboard for a chamber pot. Today they are very popular, either as bedside tables or drawing-room furniture, and so the drawer linings are put back Do not therefore be puzzled by an old-looking carcase with new drawer linings. Another common alteration was to remove the end cupboards from French commodes and make them into corner cupboards; this is, however, rarely satisfactory to the eye.
The remaining chest of drawers can be veneered at the sides though again the proportions would be unsatisfactory. Fine 18th century commodes have also been altered to accommodate wash basins. No one would even consider making such a drastic alteration to an expensive piece today but similar alterations, on a lesser scale. must be being made to pieces that are considered of little value in today’s market.
Alterations and Adaptations of Antique Furniture
Within the collection, numerous pieces were deemed dubious, resulting in most of them being hidden away in the museum’s storage, unseen by the public. However, the display of both the Cluny and Soulages collections sparked a trend of replication, potentially explaining the abundance of eclectic pieces that flooded the market from the 1870s onward, as the Renaissance style gained commercial momentum.
One prevalent alteration made to married antique furniture was the reduction in size to suit contemporary apartment settings. Taller pieces were particularly susceptible to this modification. In a commode, for example, a drawer could be easily and neatly removed, although a loss of proportion might reveal the alteration. When examining the drawers, it is important to assess if the graduating sizes are consistent. Additionally, look for numbers on the back, which may indicate previous repairs, and check if the numbers are now consecutive. On the other hand, reducing the width or depth of a piece is a more complex process and easier to detect.
Certain items were altered in the 19th century to serve specific purposes and are now being restored to their original state. The petite commode or table en chiffoniere in the styles of Louis XV and Louis XVI, for instance, were commonly transformed into “night tables” during that period. The three small drawers would be removed to create a cupboard for a chamber pot. Today, these pieces are highly sought after as bedside tables or drawing-room furniture, resulting in the reinstallation of drawer linings. Therefore, do not be perplexed by an old-looking carcass with new drawer linings.
The Concept of Marrying Antique Furniture
Another prevalent alteration involved removing the end cupboards from French commodes to fashion them into corner cupboards. However, this transformation rarely satisfies the eye. The remaining chest of drawers could be veneered at the sides, although the resulting proportions might be unsatisfactory. Fine 18th-century commodes were also altered to accommodate wash basins. Nowadays, such drastic modifications would not be considered for expensive pieces. However, similar, albeit lesser, alterations are likely being made to pieces deemed of little value in today’s market
The Concept of Marrying Antique Furniture
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