Antique Wood Explained through the Centuries
Antique Wood Explained through the Centuries – Different wood was used in certain periods. You will get a detailed explanation of wood used from the Regency period to the 19th century.
Types of Wood that you will find in Most Antiques
- Bird’s-eye maple – Regency Period
- Calamander – Regency but also used in Victorian
- Kingwood – Imported to Britain from Brazil in the late 17th century.
- Burr walnut
- Elm – Georgian Period
- Oak – 19th Century with the Arts and Crafts
- Mahogany – Britain from the mid-18th century
- Rosewood – 17th century
- Satinwood – 1765
- Sycamore – 17th century
Bird’s-eye maple
Bird’s eye maple, or American sugar maple, cieytiöes the very attractive figuring in maple. it was popular for veneers during the Regency period, and was also used in Victorian and Edwardian bedroom suites. The wood of the maple whitish, and responds well to polishing. Bird’s-eye maple is also popular today for picture frames
Calamander
Calamander is a member of the ebony family and derives from Ceylon. Popular in the Regency period, it is light brown in colour, striped and mottled with black, and was used for veneers and banding. Calamander was also used in the manufacture of small decorative boxes. Ebony is close-grained, black in colour, and is resistant to decay.
Kingwood
Kingwood is related to rosewood, which was first Imported to Britain from Brazil in the late 17th century. It IS a rich brown with purplish tones, giving it an alternative name of violet wood. Also known as princewood, it was used as a veneer Or for parquetry decoration. particularly in France From cl 770 It was used for crossbanding and borders.
Burr walnut
Burr walnut is the term used for walnut knotty whorls in the grain where injuries occurred on the trunk or roots of the tree. often used in decorative veneers. Walnut close-grained hardwood, the colour varying between light golden brown to dark grey-brown in colour with dark streaks, often With a rich grain pattern.
Elm
The English variety of elm is hard and durable, but liable to warp, and prone to woodworn Chairs were made from elm from the Georgian period, and the seats of Windsor chairs were from the 18th century. The wych elm has 8 particularly attractive grain and polishes well. Burr elm was used for veneers and cabinet-work in the early 18th century.
Oak
Oak is a slow-growing tree, taking between 150 d 200 years to reach maturity. The wood is hard d pale in colour, but darkens to a rich brown th age and polishing. Furniture made from oak ßually heavy and solid, and simple in design. ‘m the middle of the 17th century oak was used linly for the carcases of furniture and drawer linnings, but became popular again in the late 19th Century with the Arts and Crafts movement.
Mahogany
Mahogany is a close grained northern and central South America and the West Indies. It varies In colour from dark brown to red and sometimes has a spotted effect. Furniture made from mahogany became very popular with cabinet-makers in Britain from the mid-18th century followed France and the of African mahogany which is lighter weight, was used from the 1800 onwards.
Rosewood
Rosewood is a very dark brown hardwood. with an almost black wavy grain. The name comes from the scent released when the wood is cut. Rosewood was used for inlaid decoration in the 17th century, and for veneer, but was not used for making solid furniture until the early 19th century. It was also used for decorative banding and small panels from the late 18th century
Satinwood
Satinwood was used widely for veneers and inlaid decoration. The pale colour making it particularly suitable for painting. The grain varies from plain to rich figuring, the latter having a more transparent ain under polish or varnish. Cabinet-makers of the ith century preferred the West Indian variety, which darker than the East Indian variety, and was used a veneer in fine furniture from c1765. It was rarely ed in the solid, and not for chairs until c1800 The Eastern type was imported in the late 18th century, as pale yellow and used mainly for crossbanding.
Sycamore
Sycamore a European wood related to the North American maple, and as as strong as oak. It is hard, milky-white, with a tine even grain With natural lustre. In medieval times furniture was made in solid Sycamore, and from the late 17th century it was used in floral marquetry on walnut furniture. When quarter-sawn the figuring is known as fiddleback as it was often used in the manufacture of violens. Sycamore treated with iron oxide or stained green or grey was known as harewood.
Antique Wood Explained through the Centuries
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