Tips and Tricks to buying Antique Furniture in Pittsburgh
By: Kristina Keffer
Submitted: 2009-06-03 02:20:45 | Word Count: 577
Unlike larger cities where antiques are a common, if expensive, commodity, there are only a few reputable Pittsburgh antique furniture dealers. If you are interested in getting into antiques or simply want to add some grace and class to your home, doing a little research will help you make more informed decisions and make you able to tell the difference between the real, the refurbished and the fake.
What Classifies furniture as "antique?
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Antique is a largely undefined term. It's usage today typically means any item over 100 years old. However, occasionally arbitrary dates like 1830 are used to benchmark antiquity. What matters more than these dates is the period that you would like to focus on. American furniture can be broken down into several major time periods. It's important to know about these time periods and what materials were used at the time in case someone tries to sell you something from the Pilgrim period that is made of mahogany (which was not available in America at the time.) If you are planning to buy your antique furniture from a reputable Pittsburgh antique dealer, you don't need to know quite so much, but it is still interesting.
American Antique Furniture Periods
The Pilgrim period lasted from 1640 till 1690. It typically has a heavy appearance and was made out of oak or pine and joined with pegged joints. Furniture from this time period is incredibly rare and is often only found in museums. There were a number of reproductions of this style created in the early 20th century, but there are many clues like the type of nail used, the type of jointing (dovetail was not yet used) and the depth and richness of the patina which is actually difficult to replicate.
The William and Mary period of furniture followed in the early 1700s. Both the Highboy and Lowboy types of furniture were introduced during this period and fruit woods and maple replaced oak as the favorite material. Surfaces were often veneered, gold leafed or accented in cast brass ornaments.
Queen Anne Furniture follwed the William and Mary period and featured elaborate scroll works as well as the cabriole legs that largely defined the era. Walnut, mahogany and cherry were the most popular woods of this time. It is not uncommon to see parts of furniture from this era reformed into other kinds of furniture, but whole pieces such as chests are extremely rare.
Chinese and Gothic arthes as well as claw and ban feet characterized the Chippendale period of furniture. Elaborate C and S form scrolls also made beautiful additions to pieces carved almost exclusively out of mahogany.
The Pleasure of Beautiful Furniture
Many people erroneously think of fine antique furniture from an "investment" point of view. Buying furniture simply for it's projected appreciation is more like speculating than actually investing because the market for styles and types of antiques continues to be highly volatile. However, making an investment in your own happiness is never a bad idea, and it is this sort of investment you should think of when searching for the right antique. A piece that makes you smile when you look at it and brings warmth and beauty to your home is priceless.
