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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Can you date furniture?

I love antique stores. I could walk through them for hours, but I'm "cheap" and hardly ever buy anything. A couple of weeks ago we were walking through our favorite local antique and collectible store and this armoire jumped out at me.
I instantly fell in love with it. My husband, who is not cheap, was shocked when I said I wanted it. It was listed at $200 and we bought it for $170. I was instantly drawn to the carvings on the front.

This piece did not come with any information and there are no markings on it to indicate where or by whom it was made. It was clearly built as an armoire as you can see the bar for hanging clothes and the mirror mounted on the door.
The liners on the shelf are cut up place mats from Target (By the way, I am one short and my Target is sold out of these mats so if you find a red and white place mat at your Target let me know!). I plan to use this armoire to store my plethora of quilting kitsch and fabric.

I would love to know the approximate date of this piece. Can you date furniture?

5 comments:

Teresa Wilson Rogers said...

I could be wrong but the carvings remind me of the Art Nouveau style which was popular between 1890 - 1910. However, this piece is more simplistic than the pieces you usually see of that era. It's a beautiful piece though, hope you learn more about it.

Heather Kuhn Roelker said...

I agree, I think the piece is a little simple for Art Nouveau. I was thinking Arts and Crafts. I'm sure that it was manufactured, not hand crafted. Perhaps the manufacturer felt like blending styles...

Nancy said...

When I look at the carvings I see Gothic arched windows with crosses in the upper center and outside of those, I see symbols of the Trinity. Surely this came from a rector's home or a monastery or some other religious home? I agree that it IS beautiful! So you quilt, Heather! We have two things in common.

Wendy said...

I'd say you got a DEAL (even at $200). Beautiful piece~

Michelle said...

I'm sure you have looked but perhaps somewhere on the bottom or on the legs there may be a marking of who constructed it and maybe even a date.