Periods and styles.

It is quite common to classify an antique's age by historic period, referring often to the ruling monarch at the time, which tends to inspire a bit more interest than just a numerical date, it can also help to put periods of history in convenient memorable chunks.

The past monarchs had more influence on popular styles and the prosperity of the people compared to more recent monarchs. But of course there are many influences on the styles, construction, materials and quality besides the monarch; such as renowned designers of the time (themselves usually influenced by their studies and travels) , religion, new technology, social activities,  immigrant craftsmen, access to imported timbers, development of trade guilds , studies in classical architecture, increased literacy, roads, canals and rail, and the industrial revolution.

The trade often refers to periods or particular monarchs or a particular century, or any kind of approximation or range of time depending on how certain they are of their dating.  But generally be careful not to confuse descriptions in terms of style with actual historical period, this should be made clear but occasionally is not. Earlier styles have been reproduced at much later dates, although even they can be highly desirable antiques.

 

DATES	PERIOD	MONARCH	Most furniture made from Oak.  Gothic and Baroque styles, fairly simple joined basic furniture. Walnut now very popular. Thick decorative  veneers and cross grain mouldings, rococo styles. Few surviving due to walnut being vulnerable to woodworm attack.. Mahogany now used very much. Neo-classical styles, much varied types of cabinet made furniture Varied mix of styles and woods and quality
1558-1603	Elizabethan	Elizabeth I
1603-1625	Jacobean	James I
1625-1649	Carolean	Charles I
1649-1660	Cromwellian	Commonwealth
1660-1689	Restoration	Charles II - 1685, James II
1689-1702	William and Mary	William II & Mary II (died 1694)
1702-1714	Queen Anne	Queen Anne
1714-1760	Early Georgian	George I - 1727, George II
1760-1811	Late Georgian	George III king until 1820
1811-1830	Regency	George IV, regent-1820, then king
1830-1837	William IV	William IV
1837-1901	Victorian	Victoria
1901-1910	Edwardian	Edward VII

Although there are many knowledgeable members of the 'antiques' trades, do beware that quite a few have had no formal training in furniture history/construction or timber identification,  and can often misidentify items. Perhaps more importantly do not trust auction room descriptions to be completely accurate, their job is to sell an item for as much as possible and so lot descriptions are often vague. If you want to be confident in your purchase then buy from a reputable established dealer. A professional restorers opinion is  also valuable, they should have a good knowledge of furniture history , they can recognise the tell tale signs of previous work from a craftsman point of view, and will tend to have a better understanding of construction techniques and timber identification than a dealer.

Test1