Objects & Pieces

Furniture37 pieces

Forms studied one piece at a time: what each is, how it was made and how to recognise a period example.

Chairs & Armchairs
Lighting7 pieces

Antique chandeliers, lamps and sconces, and how to tell a period fixture from a later one.

Chairs & Armchairs6 pieces

Bergères, fauteuils, Victorian chairs and the restoration of old seating.

Antique furniture and decorative objects, studied one piece at a time: what each is, how it was made and how to recognize a period example. The section is organized by type of object, with furniture first, chairs and armchairs as their own group within it, and lighting alongside, from antique chandeliers to Tiffany lamps.

These are the types of antique furniture and related pieces the journal covers. New to the subject? Start with the bergère and the fauteuil, the Victorian settee or ormolu and gilt bronze.

Single forms are studied in depth too. Among the furniture are the antique French console table, the commode, the armoire and the bureau plat. Among the lighting are antique wall sconces, antique lamps and French chandeliers.

Types of antique furniture and decorative objects

Furniture37 storiesRococo style vs Baroque furniture: the Baroque side, a Rome console table with scrolled legs carved with female busts, a gilded base and a green porphyry topBaroque & Rococo

Rococo Style vs Baroque Furniture: How to Tell the Two Apart

27 October 2026 · 6 min readAntique chest of drawers in mahogany by John Townsend, 1765: a blockfront with three carved shells across the top and four tiers of drawers with brass handles on bracket feetFurniture

Antique Chest of Drawers: How to Identify and Date One

15 October 2026 · 6 min readRed-and-gold japanned secretary cabinet of about 1735 with both upper doors open to show rows of small decorated drawers, and the writing front lowered to reveal pigeonholes and tiny drawers above three long drawers; a secretary desk shown openFurniture

What Is a Secretary Desk? Types, History and How to Identify One

14 October 2026 · 8 min readIvory-and-gold Herter Brothers cabinet of about 1883, an antique display cabinet with a glazed center, a glazed compartment above and open shelves at each end, the interiors lined in deep red and set with small vesselsFurniture

Antique Display Cabinets: History, Vitrines and What to Look For

13 October 2026 · 9 min readWhat is a credenza? An Italian example of 1440-50, a long walnut cabinet on a plinth, its front divided into three pairs of doors carved with rose-window forms above rows of pointed lancets and square panels of geometric inlayFurniture

What Is a Credenza? Meaning, Origin and Renaissance Examples

12 October 2026 · 6 min readFrench Art Deco furniture and decoration in Ruhlmann's small salon, 1925 colour plate: pale panelled walls edged in gilt, a tiered crystal chandelier, a gilded relief above a mirror, a dark desk with a slatted lid, a cream armchair and a round painted panel of birds before the fireplaceArt Nouveau & Art Deco

French Art Deco Furniture: Ruhlmann’s Pavilion at the 1925 Paris Exposition

12 October 2026 · 8 min readBaroque furniture: a tall state bed hung with blue silk damask, with a deep fringed canopy and curtains, shown in a dark museum gallery beside an upholstered armchairBaroque & Rococo

Baroque Furniture: The Roman Baroque Bed

10 October 2026 · 8 min readBow-fronted mahogany sideboard on slender tapered legs with inlaid oval panels and a curved box on top, photographed in a period roomFurniture

What Is a Sideboard? A History of the Form and How to Read an Antique One

10 October 2026 · 6 min readAll furniture →
Lighting7 storiesGilt-bronze wall light shaped like a bunch of lilies tied with a ribbon bow, with three candle cups at the tips of the flower stemsLighting

Antique Wall Sconces: Girandoles, Candle Brackets and How to Read Them

8 October 2026 · 8 min readAntique Argand lamp in gilt and dark bronze, with a vase-shaped reservoir, two curved arms carrying frosted glass shades, on a pedestal base with paw feetLighting

Antique Lamps: Argand, Astral and Kerosene, and What to Check Before You Buy

6 October 2026 · 6 min readAntique French chandelier of gilt bronze with three tiers of scrolling arms, long clear crystal drops and a large crystal pendant at the baseFrench

French Chandeliers: Bronze, Crystal and What to Check Before You Buy

6 October 2026 · 7 min readTable lamp with a domed shade of blue and white glass pieces hanging like wisteria blossoms, on a bronze base shaped like a tree trunk with roots spreading at the footLighting

Tiffany Lamps: History, Models and What to Check Before You Trust the Name

5 October 2026 · 11 min readGilt-bronze chandelier with fifteen candle arms curving out from a glass-covered central shaft, hung with strings of glass drops and a large glass ball at the baseLighting

Antique Chandeliers: Periods, Forms, Crystal and How to Identify One

5 October 2026 · 8 min readGas lamp in gilt bronze and glassLighting

How to Light a Room Like a Photographer

24 February 2026 · 2 min readGas lamp in gilt bronze and glassLighting

The Case for One Good Lamp

15 February 2026 · 2 min read
Ceramics & Porcelain5 storiesChawan: a Black Raku tea bowl, hand-molded earthenware with an opaque black glaze, early 17th centuryAsian · Japanese

Chawan: How to Read a Japanese Tea Bowl Before You Buy

29 October 2026 · 4 min readSatsuma ware incense burner: a cream, crackle-glazed round burner on three feet, with a domed openwork lid and a band of pierced lattice around the bodyAsian · Japanese

Satsuma Ware: Japanese Earthenware, Crackle Glaze and How to Read It

23 October 2026 · 9 min readKutani ware plate: round dark green plate painted with overlapping fans, one section in gold and yellow, with a ribbed rimAsian · Japanese

Kutani Ware: Ko-Kutani, the Five Colors and the Arita Question

21 October 2026 · 7 min readImari ware: large round dish with a dark blue rim studded with gilt and red medallions, and white panels painted with pine, plum blossom, red cloud bands and a waveAsian · Japanese

Imari Ware: How to Identify Japanese Imari Porcelain

20 October 2026 · 9 min readAntique Japanese porcelain plate painted mainly in blue and white, with a figure under a parasol at the center and a border of small panels and a fine patternAsian · Japanese

Antique Japanese Porcelain: How to Tell Imari, Kakiemon and Nabeshima

19 October 2026 · 8 min read
Clocks2 storiesAntique French clock of about 1745, a gilt-bronze mantel clock with a scrolling case, small Chinese figures and a white enamel dial, shown against a gray backdropFrench

How to Identify an Antique French Mantel Clock: Signatures, Stamps and Cases

26 October 2026 · 8 min readMantel clock with a white enamel dial between two winged sphinxes in gilt bronze, on a white marble base with a gilt-bronze frieze of medallions, against a grey groundFrench

Ormolu and Gilt Bronze: The Gold on French Furniture, Explained

2 October 2026 · 10 min read
Decorative Arts2 storiesJapanese lacquerware: an eight-lobed incense box decorated with Chinese children playing with snowballs in gold maki-eAsian · Japanese

Japanese Lacquerware: How to Read a Maki-e Box Before You Buy

27 October 2026 · 4 min readMantel clock with a white enamel dial between two winged sphinxes in gilt bronze, on a white marble base with a gilt-bronze frieze of medallions, against a grey groundFrench

Ormolu and Gilt Bronze: The Gold on French Furniture, Explained

2 October 2026 · 10 min read