Chats on Old Furniture: A Practical Guide for Collectors

XII

HINTS
TO COLLECTORS

XII

HINTS TO COLLECTORS

The demand for old furniture has become so great that there is an increasing difficulty in supplying it. In order to satisfy the collector many artifices have been practised which in varying degree are difficult to detect, according to the skill and ingenuity of the present-day manufacturer of "antique" furniture.

Replicas of old pieces are frequently made, and the workmanship is so excellent, and the copy of the old craftsman's style so perfect, that it only requires a century or two of wear to give to the specimen the necessary tone which genuine old furniture has naturally acquired.

In particular, French ornate furniture from the days of Boule to the Empire period has received the flattering attention of the fabricator by being imitated in all its details. These high-class French pieces are fine examples of cabinetmaking, and it is not easy for anybody who has not a special expert knowledge to pronounce definitely upon their authenticity. Doubts have even been expressed regarding certain pieces in the great national collections; in fact the art of the forger in regard to old French furniture, of which specimens change hands at anything from £1,000 to £10,000, has reached a very high level of excellence, having almost been elevated to one of the fine arts. If a clever workman possessed of great artistic feeling turns his attention to forging works of art, it is obvious that his triumph is complete over amateurs possessed of less artistic taste and knowledge than himself.

Many secret processes are employed to impart an appearance of age to the wood and to the metal mountings. The cruder methods are to eat off the sharper edges of the metal mountings by means of acid, and to discolour the newer surfaces by the aid of tobacco juice, both of which are not difficult to detect. The steady manufacture of these finer pieces goes on in France, and it has been found that the foggy atmosphere of London is especially useful in producing the effect of age upon the finer work, consequently many forged pieces are shipped to London to be stored in order to ripen until considered fit for the American market, where so many forgeries have been planted. The reward is great, and even considering the amount of trouble bestowed upon such pieces and the excellence of the artistic work where the highest skilled labour is employed, the profit is enormous. The parvenu buys his Louis XIV. or Louis XV. suite, and pays an immense sum for pieces which are stated to have come from some French nobleman's château, whose name must not be divulged, and so the interesting deal is brought to a successful termination.

As an object-lesson as to the truth of the above remarks, the Wallace Collection contains a modern French copy in facsimile, by Dasson, of the celebrated "Bureau du Roi" of the Louis XV. period, the original being in the Louvre. The original is fully described in the chapter on Louis XV. style, and it is not too much to assert that ninety-nine per cent. of the visitors to the Collection could not say that this copy was not an old French specimen of over a century and a quarter ago, and the remaining one, unless he happened to be an expert, would not question its genuineness.

Old oak has always been a favourite with the public, and from the modern Flemish monstrosities, carved in evil manner and displaying proportions in the worst possible taste, to the equally vulgar home production in buffet or sideboard, and stocked by many dealers in so-called "antique" furniture, the number of grotesque styles foisted upon the public within the last fifteen years has been remarkable. One wonders what has become of the high-backed oak chairs, nearly black with repeated applications of permanganate of potash, having flaming red-leather seats. They seem to have mysteriously disappeared from up-to-date "antique" stores of late. The public has taken to inquiring into art matters a little more closely. Nowadays the latest thing is "fumed" oak, which is modern oak discoloured by means of ammonia, which darkens the surface of the wood to a depth of a sixteenth of an inch. It is not infrequent to find an attempt made to represent this as old oak after an elaborate treatment with linseed oil, turpentine, and beeswax, though an examination of the interior edges of the wood will discover its modernity at once.

Of course, such tricks as these are not practised by any firm of standing, who cannot afford to damage their reputation by any misrepresentation. As a general rule a dealer will readily point out the details of workmanship and offer technical information of much value to a beginner, if he discovers that his customer is a collector desirous of acquiring only fine specimens. It is more often than not the folly of the public, and not the dishonesty of the dealer, which results in trade frauds being committed in the attempt to execute some impossible and imperative order, which the moneyed collector has given. The difference between the genuine and the replica is most clearly made by old-fashioned firms of high standing. It is only when the collector enters into the arena and endeavours to set forth in quest of bargains, where he pits his skill against that of the dealer in the hope of outwitting the latter, that he is obviously on dangerous ground. In the one case he pays a higher price and obtains the benefit of the experience of a firm with expert knowledge, in the other he relies on his own judgment in picking up a bargain from some one whom he believes to be possessed of less knowledge than himself. If he is successful he is not slow to brag about his cleverness; but if he is worsted in the encounter, and pays, let us say, five pounds for an object which he fondly believed was worth fifty, if genuine, and which he subsequently discovers is worth less than he gave, there is nothing too bad to say concerning his antagonist.

It is chiefly by the character of carved work that old pieces can be recognised. There are three classes of pitfalls to avoid.

1. Fraudulent pieces throughout, of modern wood and of modern carving.

2. "Made-up" pieces which often consist of genuine old pieces of carved wood pieced together ingeniously from fragments of carvings, with modern additions.

3. "Restored" pieces which are mainly old and should have received, if admitted to a collection, only the necessary repairs to make them serviceable.

With regard to the first class, fraudulent throughout, it is the hope of the writer that enough has already been written in this volume to point the way to the reader and to assist him to follow his natural inclinations in developing the necessary critical taste to readily detect pieces wholly false in character and feeling.

"Made-up" pieces present a greater difficulty. Considerable skill has been exercised in combining certain parts of old furniture into a whole which is, however, mostly inharmonious. In pieces of this nature there is an absence of feeling in style and carving. It is difficult to define the exact meaning of the word "feeling" as applied to art objects, it is a subtle expression of skill and poetry which communicates itself to the lover of art. It is so subtle and elusive that experts will tell one that such and such a piece requires to be "lived with" to test its authenticity. Mr. Frederick Roe, whose volume on "Ancient Coffers and Cupboards" displays a profound knowledge of his subject, writes, "it occasionally happens that pieces are so artfully made up that only living with them will enable the collector to detect the truth. In dealing with pieces of this suspicious kind one often has to fall back on a sort of instinct. With critical collectors of every sort this innate sense plays a very important part."

Two specimens of "made-up" furniture are reproduced, which will bear close study in order to appreciate the difficulty of collecting old oak.

The illustration of the buffet (p. 261) has many points of interest. The general appearance of the piece is not inharmonious. It has been carefully thought out and no less carefully put into effect. The middle portion, consisting of the three drawers and the three cupboards above, up to and including the shelf partition at the top, is the only old part. The handles, locks, and escutcheons of the two drawers are old, but the hinges above are modern copies of old designs, and the handles of the cupboards are modern replicas.

The massive stand with artistically turned rails in Jacobean style, is soft wood artfully fumed and generously beeswaxed. The whole of the top portion has been added and is soft wood very well carved. The carving of the panels is also well executed, and is evidently a copy of some old design.

The older portion is a fine piece of early Jacobean work, and it is not difficult to distinguish between the feeling of this and the expression conveyed by the modern woodwork. The patina of the wood after two centuries of exposure and polishing has that peculiarly pleasing appearance which accompanies genuine old woodwork. The edges of the carving have lost their sharp angles, and the mellowness of the middle panels are in strong contrast to the harsher tone of those of the upper portion.

Such a piece as this would not deceive an expert, nor, perhaps, is it intended to, or greater care would have been bestowed upon it, but it is sufficiently harmonious in composition not to offend in a glaring manner, and might easily deceive a tyro.

The next piece illustrated (p. 267) is interesting from another point of view. It is a more elaborate attempt to produce a piece of old furniture in which the details themselves have all the mellowness of fine old oak. In fact, with the exception of one portion, some eight inches by three, to which allusion will be made later, the whole of it is genuine old oak.

The three panels at the top are finely carved and are Jacobean work. The two outside panels at the bottom, though of a later period, are good work. The middle panel at the bottom is evidently a portion of a larger piece of carving, because the pattern abruptly breaks off, and it was most certainly not designed by the old carver to lie on its side in this fashion.

The two heads at the top corners have been cut from some old specimen, and artfully laid on. The carving on both sides, running below each head from top to bottom, is of two distinct designs joined in each case in a line level with the upper line of the lower panels. The two uprights on each side of the middle lower panel are exquisite pieces of carved work, but certainly never intended to be upright. They are evidently portions of a long, flowing ornament, as their cut-off appearance too plainly shows.

The top panels have done duty elsewhere, as part of the ornamental carving at the top and bottom of each lozenge is lost. The long line of scrolled carving above them is distinctly of interest. On the left hand, from the head to the middle of the panel, a piece of newer carving has been inserted, some eight inches long. The wood, at one time darkened to correspond with the adjacent carving, has become lighter, which is always the case when wood is stained to match other portions. The carving in this new portion follows in every detail the lines of the older design, and is a very pretty piece of "faking."

The cross-piece running from left to right, dividing the lower panels from the upper, is in three parts. An examination of the design shows that the last three circles on the right, and the last four on the left, are of smaller size than the others. The design evidently belonged to some other piece of furniture, and has been removed to do service in this "made-up" production.

In all probability the two uprights enclosing the top middle panel, and the two uprights on the outside at the bottom were once portions of a carved bedstead, as they are all of the same size and design. It is a notorious trick to slice an old carved bedpost into four pieces, skilfully fitting the pieces into "made-up" furniture.

There is a prevalent idea that worm-holes are actually produced in furniture, in order to give a new piece a more realistic appearance. There are traditions of duck-shot having been used, and there is little doubt that holes were drilled by makers who knew their public. But it is improbable that such artifices would be of much use for deceptive purposes nowadays. As a matter of fact, worm-holes are avoided by any one who gives a moment's thought to the matter. To get rid of worm in furniture is no easy task, and they eventually ruin any pieces they tenant.

The illustration (p. 274) shows a piece of Spanish chestnut badly honeycombed by furniture worms. In chairs, especially, their havoc is almost irreparable, and in the softer woods the legs become too rotten to be repaired or even strengthened. Metal plates are often screwed on the sides to prevent the chairs falling to pieces, but they become useless to sit upon without fear of disaster.

The insect is really the boring wood-beetle, which is armed with formidable forceps, to enable it to burrow through the wood. The worm, the larva of this beetle, is also provided with boring apparatus, and this insect, whether as beetle or as worm, is a deadly enemy to all furniture. The "death-watch" is also accused of being a depredator of books and of furniture of soft wood.

To remove worms from furniture is a costly undertaking, requiring the greatest skill. Large pieces of furniture have actually to be taken to pieces and the whole of the damaged parts removed with a chisel. In cases where the legs, or slender supports, have been attacked, the difficulty is one requiring the specialist's most delicate attention. Various applications are recommended, but cannot be stated to be reliable. Injecting paraffin is said to be the best remedy, and putting the pieces in a chamber where all the openings have been sealed, and lighting pans of sulphur underneath the furniture, allowing the specimens to remain in this fumigating bath for some days is another method resorted to.

With regard to Chippendale furniture, a word of caution is necessary. It is as impossible for Chippendale and his workmen to have produced all the furniture attributed to them as it is for the small factory at Lowestoft to have made all the china with which it is credited. As has been shown in the chapter on Thomas Chippendale, his styles were most extensively copied by his contemporaries all over the country and by many makers after him, and modern makers produce a great quantity of "Chippendale" every year. Only a careful examination of museum pieces will train the eye of the collector. The fine sense of proportion, at once noticeable in the genuine Chippendale chair, is absent in the modern copy, and, above all, the carving in the latter is thin and poor. In the old days the wastage of wood was not a thing which the master had in his mind. In modern copies the curl of the arm, or the swell at the top of the back, shows a regard for economy. There is a thin, flat look about the result, which ought not to be mistaken. Scrolls and ribbon-work are often added to later pieces made in the style of Chippendale, which have enough wood in their surfaces to bear carving away.

An ingenious device is adopted in cases of inlaid pieces of a small nature, such as imitation Sheraton clock-cases and knife-boxes and the frames of mirrors. Old engravings are procured of scrollwork, usually from the end of some book. The illustration (p. 259) shows the class of engravings selected. These engravings are coated with a very thin layer of vellum, which is boiled down to a liquid, and carefully spread over them. After this treatment they are ready to be glued on to the panels to be "faked," and, when coated over with transparent varnish, they present the appearance of an ivory and ebony inlay.

The frauds practised in satinwood and painted pieces are many and are exceedingly difficult to detect. Much of Sheraton's furniture was veneered with finely selected specimens of West India satinwood. These carefully chosen panels were painted by Cipriani and others. The modern "faker" has not the material to select from, as the satinwood imported is not so beautiful nor so richly varied in grain as in the old days. He removes a side panel from an old piece, and substitutes another where its obnoxious presence is not so noticeable. To this old panel he affixes a modern coloured print after one of Sheraton's artists, which, when carefully varnished over and skilfully treated so as to represent the cracks in the supposed old painting, is ready for insertion in the "made-up" sideboard, to catch the fancy of the unwary collector.

FINIS.

INDEX

• Adam, the brothers, and their style, 209, 241-256
• Adam armchair (illustrated), 243
• Admiralty, screen and gateway, designed by Robert Adam, 242
• Anne, Queen, furniture of, prices realised at auction, 153
• —— insularity of furniture in reign of, 136
• —— well-constructed furniture of period of, 145
• Apsley House, collection of furniture at, 209
• Armoire, see Glossary, 23
• Ascham, quotation from, 68
• Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, chair at, 115

B

• Baroque, see Glossary, 23
• Barrow, Sam, name of maker, on Queen Anne clock, 148
• Battersea enamel, its use on furniture, 252
• Bérain, Jean, 162
• Blenheim, chair from, 222
• Bodleian Library, Oxford, illustration of chair at, 82
• Bombé, see Glossary, 23
• Bookcase by Chippendale, 225, 231
• Boucher, 182, 195
• Boule, André Charles, and his marquetry, 160-162
• —— cabinet (illustrated), 165
• —— see Glossary, 23
• —— and counter-boule (illustrated), showing difference between, 163
• Bridal chest (German), 43
• Bromley-by-Bow, "Old Palace," oak panelling from, 65
• Brown and Bool, Messrs., specimens from collection of, 141, 150
• Buhl work, 160
• Bureau, see Glossary, 24
• Burr-walnut panels, 139
• Butter-cupboard, 104

C

• Cabinet, ebony, formerly property of Oliver Cromwell, 99
• Cabriole, see Glossary, 24
• Cabriole-leg, introduction of into England, 127
• Caffieri, 177, 191
• Cambridge, King's College Chapel, woodwork of, 63
• Cane seats and backs of chairs, adoption of, 117
• —— work in chairs, later development of, 122
• Carolean, see Glossary, 25
• Carving supplanted by cane-work panels, 117
• Caryatides, see Glossary, 24
• Cassette, (strong box) of period of Louis XIV., 158
• Cassone, see Glossary, 24
• —— (marriage coffer), the Italian, 42
• Catherine of Braganza, fashions introduced by, 114
• Cecil, Lord Burleigh, quotation from, 66
• Chair, Charles I., 93, 95
• —— Chippendale, 223, 224, 226, 227, 232, 233
• —— "Cromwellian," 96
• —— high-backed, Portuguese, 114
• —— Italian (1620), 94
• —— Jacobean, made from timber of Drake's Golden Hind, 83
• —— James I., 87, 89
• —— James II., 123
• —— Louis XIII. period, 159
• —— ribbon-back, 222, 223
• —— Oliver Goldsmith's, 215
• —— with arms of first Earl of Strafford, 93
• Chairs, test as to age of, 100
• —— types of Jacobean (illustrated), 97, 100, 105, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124
• —— types of Queen Anne period (illustrated), 143
• —— upholstered, adopted in late Elizabethan days, 75
• Chambers, Sir William, 216
• Chardin, picture by, showing ladder-back chair, 245
• Charles I. furniture, prices realised at auction, 106
• —— II. furniture, prices realised at auction, 129
• —— II., repartee of, 114
• Charterhouse, specimen at, illustration of, 227
• Chatsworth, work of Grinling Gibbons at, 121
• Chests of drawers, Jacobean, 117
• China collecting, influence of, on furniture, 127
• Chinese and Japanese cabinets, 148
• "Chinese" Chippendale, 213, 221
• Chippendale, Thomas, and his style, 213-238; his Director, 215
• —— bureau-bookcase, 225, 231
• —— furniture, tricks concerning, 272; prices of, 227, 236
• Cipriani, 249
• Classic models paramount, 205
• Claw-and-ball feet adopted by Chippendale, 216
• —— feet (prior to Chippendale), 146
• —— foot, introduction of, 127
• Clock, "Grandfather," introduction of, 127
• Clocks, "Grandfather," 147
• Colbert, the guiding spirit of art under Louis XIV., 159
• Collectors, hints to, 259-274
• Commode, see Glossary, 24
• Commodes (illustrated), Cressent, 171; Louis XIV., 173; Caffieri, 175; Riesener, 197
• Contre partie, see Glossary, 24
• Copeland, designs of, 247
• Copies of old furniture, 259, 263
• —— of fine French pieces, 185, 197
• Cottage furniture (Chippendale style), 232
• Counter-boule, see Glossary, 24
• ——-boule, 161
• Court cupboard, 70
• Cowley, quotation from, 85
• Cradle, with initials and date, 96
• Cressent, Charles, 177, 178
• Crispin de Passe, chair designed by, 159
• Cromwellian chair, 96
• Cromwell's ebony cabinet, 96
• Cushions for chairs when adopted, 75

D

• Darly, 248
• Dated pieces—
• • 1593, Elizabethan bedstead, 66
  • 1603, Mirror, carved oak frame, 71
  • 1603, Court cupboard, 73
  • 1616, Oak table, 85
  • 1623, Chair, 97
  • 1641, Cradle, 96
  • 1642, Chair, 159
  • 1653, Cabinet, frontispiece
  • 1760-69, "Bureau du roi," 185
  • 1769, Bureau, 196
  • 1810, Jewel cabinet, 207
• David, 195, 208, 209
• Derbyshire chairs, 103
• Diderot, 205
• Director, designs of chair-backs from, 222, 225
• Drake, Sir Francis, chair made from timber of Golden Hind, 82
• Drawers, chests of, Jacobean, 117
• Dressers, Normandy, 103
• —— "Welsh," 100
• Dublin Museum, illustration of oak chest at, 44
• Dutch art, introduction of, by William of Orange, 124
• —— house, interior of (illustrated), 111
• —— lacquer work, 151
• —— marquetry, 128, 146
• —— marquetry chair, illustrated, 143
• —— marquetry, prices realised at auction, 132

E

• Eassie, Walter, illustrations from drawings by, 171, 183
• Egyptian design, influence of, 247
• Eighteenth century, early, well-constructed furniture of, 145
• —— interior of room (illustrated), 235
• Elizabethan mansions, some noteworthy, 67
• Elizabethan woodwork, fine example of, 65
• Empire style furniture, 202-210
• —— its influence on English makers, 209
• England, Renaissance in, 37, 59-78

F

• Farmhouse furniture, 100
• Figure in wood, how obtained, 76, 118
• Fire of London, destruction of furniture by, 120
• First Empire style, 203-210
• Flemish wood-carving, its influence on English craftsmen, 49
• Fontainebleau, illustration of jewel cabinet at, 207
• Foreign workmen employed in England, 37
• Fragonard, 182, 195
• France, Renaissance in, 43
• Francis I., patron of the new art, 47
• Frauds perpetrated on collectors, 259-274
• French polish, see Glossary, 24, 236
• French Revolution, vandalism during, 204

G

• Gate-leg table, see Glossary, 24
• —— table, 95
• Gibbons, Grinling, work of, 121
• Gillow, 248
• Golden Hind, chair made from timbers of, 82
• Goldsmith, Oliver, chair of, 215, 216
• Gothic, see Glossary, 25
• —— revival, its influence on Chippendale, 221
• Gouthière, Pierre, 191, 192, 197
• Grandfather clock, 147
• —— clock, introduction of, 127
• Great Hall at Hampton Court, 63
• Grimm, quotation from, 205
• Grotesque design prevalent in Elizabethan furniture, 69

H

• Hall, Hampton Court, the Great, 63
• —— Middle Temple, carved screen at, 65
• Hampton Court, the Great Hall at, 63
• —— Court, work of Grinling Gibbons at, 121
• Hampton & Sons, Messrs., pieces from collection of, 59, 95, 99, 115, 120, 121, 135, 143, 147, 148, 250
• Harrington, Sir John, quotation from, 75
• Henry VII.'s chapel, Westminster Abbey, 63
• —— VIII., patron of the new art, 37
• Heppelwhite, the style of, 241-256
• —— chairs (illustrated), 243
• Herculaneum and Pompeii, influence of excavations at, 204, 209
• Hints to Collectors, 259-274
• Hogarth, William, 246
• Holbein in England, 37
• Honey, W. G., Esq., specimen from collection of, 151
• Huygens, Dutch lacquer of, 182

I

• Ince & Mayhew's designs, 247
• India office, specimen at, illustration of, 226
• Ingenious contrivances of Sheraton's furniture, 251
• Inlay, see Glossary, 25
• —— in Elizabethan pieces, 69
• Italian art dominates Elizabethan fashion, 68
• Italy, Renaissance in, 41

J

• Jacobean, see Glossary, 25
• —— furniture, its fine simplicity, 104
• Jacobean furniture, prices realised at auction, 106, 129
• James I., chair at Knole House, 86
• —— II. furniture, prices realised at auction, 130
• Japanese and Chinese cabinets, 148
• Japanese lac imitated, 182
• Jones Bequest, illustrations of specimens in, 165, 179, 193
• —— Inigo, his influence, 93

K

• Kauffman, Angelica, 249
• Kent, eighteenth-century designer, 246
• Kew Gardens, pagoda at, 216
• King's College Chapel, Cambridge, woodwork of, 63
• Kitchen furniture (Chippendale style), 232
• Knole House, James I. furniture at, 86

L

• Lac, see Glossary, 26
• —— Japanese and Chinese imitated, 182
• Lacquer, see Glossary, 26
• Lancaster & Co., Messrs. Harold G., specimens from collection of, 122, 123, 137, 231, 232, 241, 251
• Leather work, cut design, Portuguese chair-back, 128
• Le Bas, Rev. H. V., illustration of specimen in possession of, 210
• Lebrun, Madame, 205
• Leczinski, Stanislas, King of Poland, 196
• Linen pattern, see Glossary, 26
• Lock, Matthias, designs of, 247
• Louis XIII., chair of period of, 159
• —— XIV., period of, 157-167
• —— XV., period of, 171-187
• —— XVI., period of, 191-200
• Louvre, copy of picture in, 203
• —— illustration of portrait in, 209

M

• Macaulay, Lord, quotation from, 96, 136
• "Made-up" pieces, 265
• Madrid National Museum, illustration of specimen at, 52
• Mahogany period, 34
• —— how procured by British captains, 214
• —— Sir Walter Raleigh's discovery of, 214
• Mansions built in Elizabethan days, 67
• Manwaring, designs of, 247
• Marie Antoinette, furniture belonging to, 179, 180, 195
• Marie Louise, jewel cabinet of, 208
• Marquetry, see Glossary, 26
• —— Dutch, 128
• —— Dutch, 146
• —— elaborate, 180, 182
• —— in Elizabethan pieces, 69
• —— work, spurious, 273
• Martin, Sieur Simon Etienne (Vernis-Martin), 182
• Martin's varnish (Vernis-Martin), see Glossary, 28
• Meissonier, inspirer of rococo style, 177
• Middle Temple Hall, carved oak screen at, 65
• Mirrors, arrangement in Hampton Court galleries, 123
• —— at Nell Gwynne's house, 123
• —— Chippendale, 229
• —— made by French and Italian workmen, 124
• —— Queen Anne, 136
• —— various forms of, 124
• Mortise, see Glossary, 26
• Mother-of-pearl inlay, seventeenth century, 116
• Munich National Museum, illustration of specimen at, 39