It takes decades and decades to really become an expert in authenticating antiques. Even those of us in the business tend to focus on a narrow period and style, e.g. 18th and 19th century English Antiques. If you truly want to be an expert, study, read, hit shows and museums but most importantly get out in the field to talk to dealers and other experts.
Many of us don’t have the time or inclination to become expert, but want to learn enough to avoid being pegged as absolute novices by asking: “Excuse me, is this old or new?”
These tips are designed for people who are interested in spending a few thousand dollars on a piece for their homes and want to know what they are buying. Old Wood believes there is good, bad and ugly in all periods and styles; choose what pleases you. That said, you need to know what you are getting.
If you’re planning to spend big bucks or wish to acquire museum quality pieces, these tips are not for you; hire a consultant you can trust.
1) Read the tag and talk to the dealer. Most dealers are very knowledgeable about their wares and enjoy sharing. The tag should contain information such as country of origin, materials, circa (translates as “approximate”), and a description of the piece.
2) Assuming the exterior proportions, appearance, polish and brasses are pleasing to you, ignore the exterior and look at the hidden parts. I like the surreptitious “snake the old hand around” approach to “see” hidden parts without tearing the piece apart.
3) Snake your hand around the side and feel the back of the piece. The older it is, the rougher the back will be (time was money even then). 18th century or early 19th c. back boards will feel rough with ridges from hand planing and minimal sanding. That’s good. 20th century backs are smooth, the result of machine planning and sanding. Plywood backs are a dead giveaway. Really wide backboards usually signify an older piece as wide boards were more commonly available in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
4) Open a drawer a few inches. Again, snake the old hand underneath to feel the outside drawer bottom. Does it feel old and rough? Is the chamfer around the perimeter uneven as though it was cut with a hand plane? That’s good. If the bottom is smooth with a crisply defined, almost sharp, chamfer, that usually means machine made, late 19th c, or 20th c.
5) While you’re at it, check out the dovetail joints fastening the drawer front to the sides.
English dovetails are usually finer with sharper points than American, but don’t take that as gospel. An English cabinetmaker didn’t change his dovetail style the day he got off the boat in Philadelphia. French dovetails are usually larger; some French country pieces have only 1 dove tail on each side of the drawer front.
Hand cut dovetails are never perfect; absolutely uniform dovetails is usually a sign they were machine made. Scribe marks were used to establish the depth of hand cut dovetails but don’t take their existence as gospel. Lot’s of reproduction furniture makers, then and now, will add a scribe mark to machine cut dovetails for “authenticity”.
6) Brasses are always a hot topic – original brasses or not? Unless you are dealing in the rarified air of museum quality pieces, “original brasses” on a period English piece are fairly rare. Brasses, ie, pulls on a chest of drawers, were viewed as a fashion item and often changed with the times as fashion changed.
One of the easy ways to partially authenticate an 18th c. chest of drawers is to look at the various hole patterns on the inside of a drawer front. You may see a pair of holes 3” apart for the original Chippendale pulls. Between these holes is a single ½” diameter hole drilled to accommodate a wooden knob, the height of fashion during the Victorian period. Finally, there may be another pair of small holes that were drilled in the 20th c. to accommodate reproduction Chippendale style brass pulls.
We’re hoping these few simple tips will add to your enjoyment as you are poking around shops and auctions. Reputable dealers are always willing to share their expertise and add to your knowledge – ask lots of questions.
