Modelled ceramic figures of all periods reflect something of their creator’s, and collector’s, view of the world — whether colourful, plain, romantic, statuesque, sentimental, serious or comic.

In most British home there is a fireplace. Above most fireplaces there is a mantel. piece. And on most mantelpieces there are ornaments, 0ften including a pair or several porcelain or earthenware figures.

Since man first discovered that clay could be formed with his hands, he has made figures and models of people, of animals, of situati0ns and of mythical or contemporary personalities in the world about him. Such figures continue to give glimpses of the human situation in which they were created. (more…)

Embroidered pictures, samplers and everyday objects survive from as early as the 16th century, when Mary, Queen of Scots was a noted needlewoman.

Although Elizabethan needlework is rare today, a surprising number of early pieces dating from the 17th century onwards have survived. They include both so-called needle paintings, which present a picture in the form of embroidery, and also decorative household items such as bed- hangings, fire screens and cushions. (more…)

From plain Edwardian school clocks to cartel clocks mounted in elaborate ormolu, clocks to hang on the wall come in many shapes and sizes.

The ubiquitous wall dial of the Victorian and Edwardian periods is familiar from countless schools, kitchens and waiting rooms. In fact, wall clocks come in many forms, the fundamental distinction being between spring-driven clocks (which mostly run for eight days) and weight- driven clocks (mostly running for 3o hours). (more…)

It is colour and size that generally count most in pricing a dining table, and these considerations are as important today as two hundred years ago.

Antique dinning table available to a buyer today vary enormously in style, quality and price. A 17th-century refectory table in original condition is very hard to come by, for example, and may cost many thousands of pounds, whereas a Victorian reproduction can be bought for a few hundred. Small, foldaway breakfast tables, which first appeared in the early 19th century as one answer to the space restrictions of small town houses, are still extremely popular, and for similar reasons.

Before buying any antique table, you should check it carefully for alterations, as marrying a table top to a different undercarriage is fairly common. (more…)

Space-saving, multi-seat furniture fetches surprisingly low prices and plays a highly practical role in these days of cramped living accommodation.

The terms sofa and settee are virtually interchangeable today, although they originated from very different sources.

`Sofa‘ comes from the Arabic word suffah or the Turkish sopha (the dais on which the Grand Vizier received guests) but came to refer to any movable seat on which it was possible to recline. ‘Settee‘, on the other hand, probably comes from the earlier English `settle‘, and described a seat with back and arms for two or more people. (more…)

The creation of the easy chair was an inevitable development in the search for comfortable seating. Today, the upholstery can be just as important as the frame in determining the value of these chairs.

It was a natural progression from the simple padded chair to one with arms and an upholstered back, and then to the fully upholstered easy armchair: This was first seen towards the end of the 17th century, and has remained popular ever since.

Most 20th-century easy chairs are mass- produced and consequently of little or no interest to collectors. However, there are some exceptions, including chairs by the Modernist architect-designers of the 1920s and 3os, such as Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe, and by the new generation of 1950s and 60s designers such as Ernest Race and Charles Eames, whose tubular steel and leather chairs already fetch £800-£ 1500. (more…)

Midway between the dining chair with arms and the comfortable easy chair are practical but elegant padded armchairs, best known as library chairs.

The distinction between the armchair and the upright, armless dining chair stems from the Middle Ages, when authority was symbolised by the lord’s more elaborate, armed seat of office. But although most early armchairs are an extension of dining-room furniture, specialist armchairs hat introduced in the early 18th century are distinctly different in form and use. (more…)

Originally found in taverns, country kitchens, gardens and poorer homes, these basic but attractive chairs are now snapped up by collectors.

Amid fickle fashion, country chairs remained largely unchanged for some300 years. Best known and loved are hoop-backed Windsor chairs, which first emerged in the 18th century and were made in various regions. Other familiar styles include Mendlesham chairs, ladder-backs (or Lancashire chairs), stick-back chairs with a shaped top rail, and the equivalents on rockers. (more…)

Dining and other upright chairs are among the most abundant of antiques and range in price from a few pounds to many thousands. Persistent hunting may enable you to assemble a set, one or two at a time, for a bargain price.

Among chairs with an upright back, comfortvaries a good deal. Dining chairs generally have an upholstered or caned seat and a wooden back, and may have arms — in which case they are known as arm or elbow chairs, or carvers. Upright dining chairs without any arms are also known as side chairs because they were placed around the sides of the room when not in use. Virtually identical chairs were also used as occasional chairs in the drawing room. (more…)

Probably the oldest type of seat furniture, stools have existed for thousands of years. Elegant late Victorian examples were inspired by finds in ancient Egyptian tombs.

Most stools have no back or arms, and seat just one person. There arestools for more than one — usually called forms or benches — and so-called backstools in which a leg is extended as a backrest or a separate backrest is added. But in general stools are the simplest of seats, and three-legged examples have been used in Britain for at least a thousand years. Indeed, their construction is so basic and unchanging that they can be very difficult to date. (more…)