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I am
often asked about the condition of antique French furniture in which a client
is interested. I am often torn with conflicting emotions about describing every
little mark, which some is relevant to some, and describing the elements
regarding the piece that caused me to buy it in the first place. Condition is
always important to me, just as it is for prospective purchasers. In trying to
understand what matters to buyers (I'm one too!), I thought it might be helpful
to put forth the criteria of condition into its proper place in the series of
reasons why we buy.
While
it may seem obvious just what antique furniture is, understanding its age has a
lot to do with its condition. I think
it is important to clearly define what I am talking about. U.S. Customs rules
declare that an antique is anything 100 years old or older. So that oak icebox
from the 40's doesn't count. Objects that are no longer made and are old, but
not 100 years old, are often considered "vintage." Usually these have
faded from public view by virtue of a
change of style or taste, the most obvious being clothing and furniture.
Objects less than 100 years old, but just considered old but not vintage would
be items like bottles or telephone pole insulators. These are considered
"collectible" and are not being produced anymore and are growing more
rare, but did not fade away because of fashion but because of changing ways of
doing things. They are just old. Their value lies in their rarity and the
desire to own them. So 100 years old is the threshold; at least 5 generations
must pass before something becomes "antique." One hundred years is a long time and gives
many an opportunity for furniture's condition to change.
European
furniture at least 100 years old has survived at least two World Wars, as well
as the less well known ones to Americans. War has taken its toll on furniture
by completely destroying a lot of it, and by the secondary damage that results
from conflict. Roofs collapse, because of bombardment, on tables ; water pipes
and other liquids are liberated from their containers to splatter or soak
chairs; furniture is consumed by fire to stay warm; hurried exits from combat
areas, lead to a plethora of dents and dings.
These are but some of the kinds of damage war causes not just to people
but to their possessions as well.
A
corollary to war, is the even greater number of natural disasters, fires,
floods, storms and accidents, to name a few, that have befallen, European
furniture in the last 100 years. Most of these events were localized in
countries and not well known to Americans, as we were coping with our own such
events. The same kind of damages that war brings are also often the result of
these disasters, both national, local and personal. Floods lead to furniture
soaking for lengthy periods. with resultant warping. finish failure and
dissolution of glues. Storms and fires often lead to hasty relocation of
furniture with its attendant lack of concern for its finish and appearance, the
idea being, to hurriedly preserving its value to its owner. Accidents lead to
dropping of chests while in transport, or the process of other objects breaking mirrors or smashing doors on cabinets.
Some of
these events also intrude upon the integrity of furniture simply in their daily
use in the home. Dining tables are today, and were then, used for other
activities than dining, leading to dents, scratches and finish irregularities.
Children often inflict their unique play experiences on furniture's finish and
construction, just as today. Bun feet, sitting on a tile floor may get a
regular dousing of mop water when the floor is wet-mopped, leading to rot and
decay. Cigarettes, pipes, candles, lanterns and the like also hold out the
possibility of burns and poor repairs. In short, 100 years allows a lot of time
for regular abuse of these domestic items.
When
speaking of natural disasters, one must never forget the effects on wood of
wood eating insects, like termites, or the equally destructive tunnels in the
wood caused by what many call "worm", but which is really a boring
insect. These creatures usually work on the structure of furniture, weakening it, but may also destroy
decorative elements as well. Furniture also falls prey to dogs teeth, turnings
providing a ready source of relief for teeth and gum problems. Rats, too,
require regular gnawing to maintain their teeth, and do plenty of damage.
The
burrowing insects damage is comparable to the damage brought on by what the
English call "rising damp" and what we often call "dry rot." Wooden furniture left to itself in damp
conditions, attracts fungi that slowly bleeds
the wood of its strength, so that it is reduced to powder, or maintains
its shape, but only so long as it is not touched. This condition sometimes
occurs for years, before it is detected, and then the structure is compromised.
And
finally, every time the furniture is moved, from one household to another; from
a burning house to a cart; to avoid a flood; whatever the need, the people
doing the moving are not always as respectful of the item as is its owner. They
may well have been in a rush as well, especially if the nazis are over the
hill, or the river is rising. For economic reasons, maybe the movers were not
trained how to take a large buffet apart, so in desperation, a hammer may have
been used.
The
results of these occurrences, are the "life marks," the evidence of
what the furniture has been through, yet survived. In an earlier time, most
furniture was functional and its appearance was not much of an issue. As the middle
classes grew, they entertained and sought the additional status that more
ornamental furniture bestowed on them. This is the furniture I am concerned
with. There were repair specialists, usually the makers as well, who were
engaged to perform their magic on the damaged items. Then, as now, the
techniques used for repairs were proprietary secrets, usually learned from an
apprenticeship that were not known or even interesting to the owners. All they
cared about was how it came out. In many cases repairs could have been
performed with different woods, their difference being concealed with a good
concealing finish. Damaged carvings may have been similarly repaired using a
softer wood to speed duplicating the original hard woods in the carving; or if
one of two matching symmetrical carvings was missing or damaged, sometimes the
other good one was removed as well as the damaged one, so that no repair was
evident. New pieces of poorly seasoned wood may have been used to replace more
seasoned ones that were damaged or missing with resultant splitting due to
shrinkage. Original hardware went missing or was damaged and pieces that were
not compatible or not quite so, were substituted with the result that their
function was not quite the same, with unintended consequences. All of these
kinds of repairs could lead to problems that would not be revealed during the
life of the owner seeking the repair. It also occurred that due to financial
circumstances, the damage was not repaired, but simply lived with.
We then
come to the issue of why repair at all?
After all, this stuff is old, and old stuff shows signs of age, doesn't
it? But a "sign of age" may
be intolerable to some buyers. It is not uncommon for buyers to have
expectations of condition that are unrealistic. In fact, furniture from the
18th century that is perfect, should send up flags about why that is so, in
light of use for 200 or more years. Maybe it was in a museum for that long, or
maybe never used, or worse, maybe it's not really as old as it's supposed to
be. Con artists have always existed, and maybe the marks of age were phony.
Sometimes the ability of the piece to
function as was intended is impaired. A table with a wobbly leg or an extension
that doesn't work as it should, a chair with a rotten leg that will not support
weight, a door that will not stay closed on a cabinet, because of missing
hardware to latch it, all are some of many reasons for repair. Without these
repairs, the items are functionally
useless, and might well be discarded or become firewood if not for
repairs to restore functionality. And remember a decision to discard is often
made in light of the styles that are popular at the time disposal is
contemplated, styles that may become popular again.
The
quality of repairs varies widely, based on economic conditions of the owner,
and his expertise regarding repairs. Furniture that was once owned by someone
of middle class status may have been bequeathed to a less well off heir. With
fewer financial resources, he may choose to do the repair himself, or to use a
less distinguished repairman. Not unlike today, the repair may be ill executed,
or not conducted at all. I am reminded of the automobile that suffers the
damage of a hailstorm, that does not affect drivability, but surely affects its
appearance. For the owner covered by insurance a repair will restore its
appearance, but with no insurance, driving it as it is, may be the only
alternative. For those whose economic or aesthetic options are open, there are
now, and always have been, top-notch repair people. I am reminded of a longtime
Paris dealer, Perrin, whose merchandise from the periods of the Directoire,
Napoleon III and Louis XVI looks as if it was just made. Whoever performs his
work is extraordinary.
This
restoration of pieces to remove any signs of age or use is most commonly
thought of as the province of museums, but it is available to everyday people
as well, for a commensurate expense. These shops use old woods, old, salvaged
hardware and materials from the past to stay consistent in appearance,
materials and quality. Where something cannot be obtained by finding old parts,
they may manufacture one using old
techniques from drawings or documents from the period. And the labor to
replicate, costly today, versus the past, matches the effort and skill of past
artisans. Individuals who need these services are not in abundance, but they
are very particular. Contrast this process with the individual who had an old
armoire in 1899, and a piece of glued molding fell off. He chose to nail it
back on, rather than gluing it. The result is nail holes that get covered up
with wax and dirt and maybe filler over time, and a piece of furniture whose
appearance is diminished, but maybe still beautiful, and always unique.
When
the repair is performed has a substantial impact on the quality of the repair.
Consider the molding in the above example. Suppose it is not nailed on quickly,
but is lost before the repair is performed. The piece functions well, but its
appearance is compromised. Suppose a dealer buys it one hundred years later and
seeks to repair it. The shape of the molding is not available in a molding
cutter, the aged wood is not readily available, the skill and the materials to
duplicate the finish and the quality of labor to do all of the work is no
longer available. Had the repair been accomplished earlier, there is little
doubt that it would have been less expensive and more in keeping with the style
and appearance of the original.
Over
time the methods of construction and repair have changed considerably. My
favorite example is in the plethora of exotic "modern" glues that are
used today. Veneers were glued in place in the past with animal glues that are
considered unsatisfactory today. What makes them unsatisfactory is their cost
and their unsuitability for modern production methods. They are slow drying as
well as expensive and have been largely replaced my modern contact cements,
which are fast drying and relatively cheap. However, they are not reversible as
are older glues. Hide glues will re-liquefy with heat and water, as if they are
new, no matter how old they are. There is no such process for contact cements.
These same glues were used for joints in furniture and allow for relatively
easy disassembly and re-gluing to allow replacement of parts and restabilizing
of a joint. There are so many kinds of glue available today, that it is easy to
use the wrong one and create a mess that impairs either the appearance or the
function of the piece being repaired. And in antique furniture, you may find
glues or other materials that were popular at any time in the last 100 years.
Nails
are another of the banes of repairers and restorers. Old European furniture was
"joined" together with the wood itself, not with any mechanical
devices like screws and nails. The ends of pieces of wood were cut and formed
in shapes that interlocked with each other, which when glued and
"joined" with each other made for very sturdy construction. These
joints were made by hand, and are vastly superior to today's power tool created
joints. And remember that when they failed, the glues that were used, allowed
the joint to be easily repaired. Since the invention of the nail and screw,
they have constituted a fast and skill less method of joinery. When there is no
movement on the joint that they join, they are fine. But let it be on a chair's
leg or a drawer's corner, and they will fail quickly and require another repair using the original system of construction,
but leaving the results of the failed repair.
The
superficial damages of dents and dings vis-a-vis structural are probably the
most common damage that one faces in the purchase of antique furniture. All of
us know the damage done to contemporary furniture by the assortment of impacts
we visit upon our own furniture. Most of us have never experienced the results
of wood destroying insects or funguses on
our furniture, because we never have it all that long. Insects boring in
furniture, and dry rot, seem to be a
unique problem of antiques since they are relatively rare today, due to
pesticides and climate controlled housing. In the past though, doors did not
seal as they do today, allowing the entrance of wood-eating insects, and the
proper moisture conditions that allow for rot.
When the dent or ding knocks off the nose of the proud lion on your
buffet drawer, it may be an aesthetic disaster, but does not damage its
usability. But if insects have eaten the lower leg of the cabinet away, when
the leg collapses from the weight of
Grandmother's china in the cabinet, it can be a disaster of a very
different kind.
So when
buying antique furniture what do you need to know in order to make a wise
choice regarding the condition of the piece? The first thing that comes to my
mind is to be certain the piece is suitable for its purpose. Can you sit in the
chair? Is the table steady? This is pretty obvious, but there are a surprising
number of people who just like the look of the thing, and its function is
secondary. This is not a good decision. If the piece is no good for its
purpose, it may well prove unacceptable for any purpose. Secondly, is the
structure sound, i.e., can it be used for its purpose or just looked at.
Weakened legs or feet, or supporting members can be the result of some of the factors
I've discussed, and are usually difficult to replace due to the costs of
disassembly and the difficulty of finding matching wood. If the table is to
be used as a table, it better be sturdy, or perhaps you should reconsider its
purchase.
A third
item to consider is the dealer's disclosure of damage or weaknesses. Most
dealers will be truthful on this because they do not wish to argue over a
return of a piece that they will have to either repair, or on which they must
refund the purchase price. The obvious dents and dings are not usually
disclosed, as they are self evident. How well and why drawers slide and doors
close, require the buyer to self test. If they work poorly, then it is time to
determine why and assess whether or not they will be used enough to justify
correcting their operation. In line with this disclosure is revealing any known
previous repairs. Some will have been done well and may be unknown, but the bad
ones need to be revealed, because they inevitably will need to be dealt with.
So
after considering the specifics of many events, natural forces and events that
may affect a piece of antique furniture, how do you balance all of these
factors with one another and decide if the piece is for you? My most serious
criteria is whether or not It is affordable. If you think it costs too much,
its just not for you. Educate yourself in the prices of similar items in your
locality, always comparing as closely as possible similar pieces. Ask the
dealer to explain to you why its so expensive (or not). Verify his statements
with other opinions or experience. Sometimes it is just necessary to realize
that this is just not for you at this time. But always remember that wonderful
maxim, that the best time to buy antiques is when you find them. Real antiques
are unique and often sold when you decide later, that now you want it.
How
unique is it? Consider the Savonarola chair. It is basically a chair with an
"x" structure, that folds, a distant relative of the deck chair. They
are made today and have been for over a thousand years. But each was different
due to the skills of the carver/creator, the kind of materials available, and
the predominance of certain styles at the time of its making, and its current
condition. So while they all are Savonarola chairs, some are better ( a
subjective decision) than others. Many French buffet cabinets were made in the
renaissance style, but when you have seen a number of them, you begin to see
that some of their makers were very creative, and others bear the mark of
conventionality.
Does
the piece suit my needs? Is it the style or the kind of wood that I prefer? Is
it useful for the purpose for which it was built, remember the table must be
suitable for its use as a table. Will it wear well as I age and my tastes
change? Antique furniture is both a blessing and a curse. We are blessed with
its beauty and élan as well as how well it functions for us, but cursed (?) by
its long life, the vagaries of fashion and its relatively illiquidity.
Inevitably
these are tough choices that are relevant to the condition of antique
furniture. Condition should come in relatively early in the decision making
process, and hopefully this essay has created a consciousness of the kinds and
seriousness of poor condition and placed the proper emphasis on it. Dealers
must make these decisions everyday using these criteria, and now you can too.
Copyright
Ó2004 The Markley Group, Inc.
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