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How to Identify Early Painted Furniture

Painted furniture dates back to early China, when artists used resin lacquer to decorate and protect furniture. The art of painted furniture spread to Italy and beyond and became a popular technique for creating unique furniture items worldwide throughout the years. There are now many modern reproductions of early painted furniture, but a few techniques can help identify authentic early painted furniture items.

Instructions

- 1
  Examine the painted decorations on the furniture. If the handiwork depicts Germanic themes or decorations, the furniture is likely Pennsylvania Dutch from the 17th or 18th century, particularly if the wood is cherry or mahogany.
- 2
  Look for early painted furniture that has flowing lines, upholstery in rich materials, inlay and carvings of shells and flowers. This furniture is likely Louis XV furniture from the period between 1720 and 1760.
- 3
  Search for antique chests that are elaborately carved and painted. The hardware should be correct for the period and should not be shiny or modern, which would indicate a reproduction and not an antique.
- 4
  Learn about early painted furniture from reference books that include many detailed photographs and information, such as “American Painted Furniture” by Cynthia V.A. Schaffner or “The Best of Painted Furniture” by Florence de Dampierre.
- 5
  Check antique painted furniture for signs that the piece is an authentic antique and not a reproduction. If the item has drawers, pull one out and examine the dovetails where the two sides are joined together. The work should appear slightly uneven, and there should be only be a few dovetails, which indicates a piece created before 1860. Turn the piece over, if possible, or turn it around to examine the details of the wood. Pieces that have precise, identical pieces of wood were probably made by machine. Differences in the thickness of veneer and wood indicate that the piece is most likely an authentic antique.

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