The Journal of the
Antique Collectors' Club
| ANTIQUE COLLECTING The Journal of the Antique Collectors' Club |
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| Extract from the June 2008 Magazine | |
| ANTIQUE FURNITURE SO FAR A Review of the Spring Sales |
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| Far from the madding art market, the world of antique furniture was holding its breath as it watched price movements this spring. We present a pictorial summary of auction prices here, taken by period in the general sense and picking on mostly typical rather than exceptional examples. What emerges is that things of genuine quality have held up quite well so far this year. On the other hand, there is still lots of lesser quality and period-style furniture working its painfully low-priced way through provincial auctions. More than ever, a discriminating approach is needed when buying, but it has to be observed that many antiques are going for ridiculously low prices when set against current living costs. Victorian furniture, unless of the celebrated designers' type reported on in May's issue on the Paul Reeves sale, still languishes. OAK, WALNUT AND COUNTRY FURNITURE  Fireside seating for draughty houses and still symbolic of plain living. A Welsh oak bow-back settle of c. 1700-20. The curved back has fifteen panels between plain uprights with rounded terminals. The concave-fronted planked seat with lift-off lid accesses a box compartment behind a concave four-panelled front. 66in. wide x 20in. deep x 65in. high. £3,680. (Wilkinsons) |
Prices shown are inclusive of buyer's premium. With thanks to Sotheby's London, Wilkinsons Doncaster, and Hartleys Ilkley, for the use of images from February and March sales. Although our images are taken from London and the North, auctions in the Midlands and the South West have contributed to the research. 
Coffers seem to have made a mild comeback, even plain ones. This is perhaps the most desirable in carved coffers - an oak 16th century Romayne panelled version, with chip-carved plank top and a front with four Romayne panels flanked by run-moulded muntins. Each Romayne panel depicts a head and shoulder profile portrait within a foliate roundel with floral corner motifs and various scrolling cartouche surmounts. 29in. high x 25y4in. wide x 20in. deep. £5,520. (Wilkinsons)
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Dual purpose furniture
- a 17th century oak chair/table with circular top 33½in. in diameter, tilting on wooden pivots to form a chair back. The swept arms/table supports have scrolled ends on baluster turned posts leading to a box form seat with drawer on baluster legs united by a turned H-form stretcher. It was some-one like DrJohnson who observed that you can not eat at it when sitting nor sit at it when eating. £1,092.
(Wilkinsons)