Antique English Furniture - Woods, Other
Woods
While oak, walnut, mahogany and satinwood are recognized by most
people, and one or more of them is present in almost every home, there are a large number
of other woods used by cabinet-makers in the past that are not so easily identified. To describe them in words so that they can be named positively is not
possible, but a general indication of their appearance and uses may be helpful.
Amboyna
A wood from the West Indies with a distinctive burr, looking like
closely curled hairs over the light brown surface. It was used in the form of veneer.
Cedar
The harder varieties of this wood, known as Red Cedar, were used for making
the linings of drawers in some better-quality eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
furniture. It is not to be confused with the spongy open- grained cedar used for making
cigar-boxes, which it resembles in sharing the same pleasant smell.
Ebony
A black wood of very close grain and heavy in weight, which was popular for
veneering at the end of the seventeenth century. Later, it was used in inlay and
especially for the dark lines in stringing.
Elm
Somewhat similar in
appearance to oak, this wood was in use during the seventeenth century and later. It is as
hard as oak, but it tends to twist with age and is susceptible to woodworm. Harewood. The
veneer of the sycamore, stained a grey colour, was called 'harewood' in the eighteenth
century. It has pleasing rippled markings, and was popular both as a veneer or for use in
inlaying.
Lignum vitae
A hard, heavy West Indian wood, of a dark brown colour with black
markings. It was used occasionally as a veneer, but was principally made into bowls and
cups, and similar pieces. Maple. The American 'bird's eye' maple has small markings all
over its yellow-brown surface, and was popular during the nineteenth century. It was used
particularly for veneering picture frames, but is found also on furniture.
Rosewood
An East Indian wood with a close grain and distinctive blackish
lines on a brown ground. Although it was in use during the eighteenth century, it became
widely popular during the nineteenth both as a veneer and in the solid when it was
imported also from Brazil. It is a heavy timber, and chairs made from it are often found
to have been broken from their own weight when carried.
Yew
The familiar tree of English churchyards makes a wood of a medium brown colour
used sometimes in the solid and also for veneers. Furniture using either type is much
sought after, and when found is usually expensive.
Papier mache
This
material, an imitation of wood, was made in England from the second half of the eighteenth
century. The more usual method of making it was to stick layers of paper together and
leave them to dry, either flat or in moulds. The article was rubbed down until smooth and
then painted several times and decorated; each layer of paint was baked gently in an oven
to harden the coat and produce the final high gloss. Trays and tea-caddies were among the
earliest articles made from papier mache, but during the nineteenth century small tables,
chairs and even bedsteads, were also produced.
Collectable Antiques: