Lace remains one of the most underappreciated and underpriced of all antique textiles, remarkable for its delicacy and intricate workmanship.

Over the centuries, lace has been made in four main forms: embroidered lace, which was common in the 16th century; needlepoint lace, popular in the 17th; bobbin lace, at its peak in the 18th century; and machine-made lace, including embroidered net, chemical lace and imitations of the other forms, produced in the 19th and 20th centuries. (more…)

Although a private room in the main, and a retreat from the bustle of the great chamber, this bedchamber of about 1600 still had a public to impress. A lady might work at her embroidery here, pursue religious studies, learn to play a musical instrument and talk with her closest friends. A gentleman would take guests to his bedchamber to talk business, play chess or backgammon, or have a meal.

This bedchamber is comfortable and yet grand, with an elaborate plasterwork ceiling and an ornate frieze above the panelled walls. A striking tapestry also enriches the room. The imposing bed is heavily carved on the oak headboard and on the posts that carry the tester or canopy. Ropes hold the mattress filled with rushes, wool, or feather and down. (more…)

A knife and fork may seem the perfect combination by modern standards, but before forks came into general use the knife and the spoon were the two vital, complementary utensils which served the needs at table. While eighteenth century examples of knives with handles of cast silver are available at a very high cost, the expense involved in making these in the heavier-gauge silver means that most eighteenth century examples available today are of the thinner silver produced at the end of the century.

Forks were used increasingly in England after the Restoration. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, has a two-pronged fork made in 1632, one of the oldest silver table forks, but this is a very rare example. (more…)

Electro-plate produced during the nineteenth century may become as collectable as certain other pieces of Victoriana, and for the beginner in particular it has several other things to commend it. At the moment it is usually very reasonably priced. It is also interesting since it reflects the amazing conglomeration of styles which jockeyed with each other for a place of supremacy in Victorian fashion. Also, although the age of mass-production had established itself, some of the hand techniques used in the making of Sheffield plate or sterling silver wares were retained and used for some years on their electro-plated counterparts. The colour of early electro-plate, although not comparable with sterling silver or Sheffield plate, is also far more mellow than the harsh tones of modern electro-plate. Certain examples, particularly teapots and coffee pots, were quite robust considering their low cost then and now, and in some cases might even be described as sturdy compared with the lightweight objects produced today. (more…)

Chambersticks

Modest and practical, the silver chamberstick was in use during the seventeenth century, but examples are not generally found before the last quarter of the century. In the line of the old nursery rhyme, ‘Here comes a candle to light you to bed’, the words refer to a chamberstick which consisted of a saucer-shaped base for safety, with a short candle-socket in its centre, and a simple handle by which to carry it around the house. Larger homes might later have an assortment of such chambersticks set upon a table in the hall, a person taking one when it was needed and lighting it from a special master taper. Usually made of a lighter metal, the diameter of the saucer-shaped dish varied but generally measured about six inches, the short socket standing about three inches high. Most late seventeenth and eighteenth century examples would have a shapely scroll handle soldered beneath the base and curving upwards. (more…)

Inkstands

Inkstands (standishes) were much favoured in both sterling silver and, from about 1760, Sheffield plate. Silver examples include the treasury inkstand: a rectangular box which contained an inkpot, pounce box and wafer box — a small adhesive disk for sealing letters — with a single- or double-hinged lid and perhaps a drawer below for quills. Another type, made in both silver and Sheffield plate, consisted of a rectangular tray, standing upon four small feet, which had three sockets. In the case of the silver version, the inkpot and pounce box would fit into the outer two sockets, while the middle one would contain a small hand bell, or taperstick for sealing. (more…)

My favourite chest of drawers is the simple “Country Sheraton” bow-front in plain mahogany standing about 3 feet 6 inches in height. There are plenty of these about, well worth the L15 to L20 asked for them in the bigger antique stores. But the smaller ones are getting hard to find and will cost you a great deal more.

But going back for a moment into the world of oak I am always taken by the extraordinary variety of carved cupboards one finds in substantial farmhouses, or perhaps having strayed thence to A corner cupboard, ear y some private house which, by its general character, calls out for old oak. At the moment there are bargains to be picked up in oak, for many dealers openly profess they know nothing about it. Indeed, as most of their clients seem to be dedicated to the eighteenth- century woods like walnut and mahogany, why should they? Some of this carved work is genuinely old, the pieces often showing by their styles an obviously foreign origin. Other pieces were made during the mid- and late- Victorian revival of the taste for “Gothic” fashions. (more…)

All kinds of words are used to describe all kinds of cupboards. To start with it was called a “cup borde”, so obviously in its origins it was simply aboard or plank on which you kept the plate or pewter. The “Court” cupboard, as seen below, is shown in Tudor paintings with a carpet or piece of tapestry draped over the top shelf with a display of pewter and delftware dishes. The drinking cups and mugs were usually kept on the lower shelf. Some say they are so called from the French court for short, but many of these cupboards are large affairs, and there is just as much reason to believe that they are named after the manorial court held in the lord’s hall. (more…)