Queen Anne of England 1665-1715. It has always been a matter of wonder to observe the various changes in design which came along in parallel with the accession of a new monarch to the throne of…
Antique Bureaux – A Brief history
A brief history of antique bureaux Antique bureaux are pieces of furniture which always have a writing function. More usually referred to in England as a ‘fall front’ bureau. Originally it was a simple box with…
Antique Dressers – A brief history
A brief history of antique dressers Antique dressers first appeared in the mid-17th century replacing plain storage cupboards and separate plate racks fixed to a wall. The dresser initially was destined for the kitchen and…
Antique Chests – a brief history
Any medieval household in England would have possessed at least one antique chest. Large houses would have had many. They were used mainly for storage of linen, clothes and documents. Some functioned as strong boxes to store…
Antique Pictures
Antique pictures created by humans date from pre-history, some cave examples date from 40,000 BC. Probably most at that time were associated with tribal rituals. Few early paintings survive, some for example on Roman murals…
Objets d’Art / Vertu
Objets d’Art can also come under the general heading of curio, ephemera or (objets de) Vertu. This word is from the French for ‘virtue’ carrying the meaning of ‘merit’. www.objetsdevertu.tumblr.com/ Origins of the Terminology…
History of the Plague, The Crossrail find and the Plague Pan
As an antique dealer I am most interested in history including the history of the plague. One of the rarest items in my collection is a steel handled plague pan with a hinged, perforated lid.…
Antique Clocks History
Antique clocks history The earliest antique clocks for measuring time would have been water clocks and sundials. These were replaced later with such inventions as calibrated wax candles and the ‘hourglass’. These in turn were to…
Antique Mirrors – A brief history
Man has always been fascinated by his own reflection. The earliest forms of antique mirrors were fashioned out of polished surfaces and mysterious black obsidian used ritually around 4000 BC. The Chinese developed polished bronze mirror…
Earliest recorded gaming tables
Backgammon was first recorded as a ‘table game’ some 3000 BC in Persia. Later games tables and backgammon spread to Egypt, Mesopotamia, Rome and China in various guises. In medieval Europe the first ‘gaming tables’ appear in the…
