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…)

Antique furniture is to be used and enjoyed as well as admired. Generations of owners leave their mark, adding to the character of pieces great and small.

One of the joys of antique furniture, as with all practical antiques, is that it is a tangible link with the past. Sitting at an 18th-century desk, it is easy to imagine an earlier owner leaning on the same surface, struggling with an important letter. An ink stain or a well-rubbed drawer edge adds to this sense of continuity. (more…)

Despite the fact that the English hallmarking system is ancient and well-tested, it cannot be relied upon purely for the authenticity of a piece. Its very reputation, respected and revered the world over, makes it vulnerable to dishonest use by fakers and forgers. Transposing marks from one object to another is not an uncommon practice and can be very lucrative when the piece is sold for a high price. Genuine marks may also be removed from an older, damaged object and `married’ to a far later example. This is why experts will sometimes breathe on a piece for, by doing so, the outline of the joins which are invisible to the naked eye should reveal themselves. Certainly when the object is oxidised the let-in silver usually shows fairly clearly. This practice of transposition is not a new one and has been used for many years. (more…)

If you should see handsome glass cabinets of the Sheraton or Hepplewhite period going cheaply you may reasonably expect knavery of some sort. Glass panes, for example,may replace original panelling, the glass being taken from a derelict piece. This sort of cannibalism goes on a good deal with all kinds of furniture.

But of course if you are buying not for a rise in values but for the pleasure of having a handsome piece of furniture, your twenty pounds or so will buy you something quite attractive. (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…)

If you have an old dresser full of odds and ends, why notmake a clean sweep of it? Why not give yourself the pleasure of “dressing” it with a real collection? To my mind, the best possible decoration for a dresser is the ware which was once made especially for it, that is, Staffordshire printed earthenware.

As you will see, it covers all those old plates with printed designs on them, from the famous Willow Pattern and other “Chinese” designs to views in town and country. Some people call it “Staffordshire Blue” but this can be misleading as it also came in such colours as pink, green, black, brown, grey etc.

At this point you may say that since you have not a large dresser, the rest of this chapter will not interest you very much. But why not buy yourself a dresser? There are a surprising number of them still about, and they are are not nearly as expensive as you might think. (more…)

Most of the things we have been talking about can also be found in Sheffield plate. This was a popular substitute for silver in the days before electro-plating. It became very popular with the early and mid-Victorian middle classes, and is now almost as much sought after by collectors as silver itself. It is made by fusing a thin sheet of silver on to a thicker piece of copper, then rolling it out so that it can be worked or stamped into the required shape. For this reason in worn pieces you will see the copper showing through the silver. Some people send their Sheffield plate to be electro-plated, but as this completely covers the article with a hard brightness totally foreign to the real quality of old Sheffield plate, it is not to be recommended unless the piece is very worn indeed. In fact a touch or two of copper is a great help in deciding that the piece is Sheffield plate: so, in the larger pieces, is a small shield of silver let into the plate for engraving a name or a crest. Sometimes one comes across pieces of plate which have been fused in precisely the same way as Sheffield plate, but using nickel silver, so that no copper colour shows through when worn. This is called German silver, after the country of its origin, but like Sheffield plate, it was eventually put out of business by electro-plating in the 1850’s and 186o’s. (more…)