Please help me tell the difference between Victorian Aesthetic movement furniture, renaissance revival, and Eastlake style furniture. I find all these styles beautiful and wish to learn more about them.
Please help me identify the style of these pieces in particular.
V.L., Check out a book called "Hints on Household Taste," by Charles Eastlake - it's a copy, of course - that has lots of drawings and pictures of the Eastlake aesthetic, along with his pithy comments. I bought it from amazon.com
Posts: 1085 | Location: San Francisco, CA | Registered: Oct 30, 2002
I will look into getting that book. I am looking at lots of antiques online as well as antique shops and I just got back from an auction so I am becoming more knowledgeable. Telling these styles apart is rather tricky because there are very similar shapes as well as materials and construction techniques used.
I am particularly found of aesthetic movement stuff especially if it is ebonized. This movement occurred in conjunction with Japan opening up to the west in the 1850's for trade. Prior to this, it had been closed off for about two hundred years. The ebonized treatment as well as flower carvings and asymmetrical boxes and bird paintings on panels are definitely Japanese inspired.
By the way, ebonized aesthetic movement stuff is going for a lot at auction (like three to four times the estimated value). This is too bad for me since I don't have the money to compete but this is a style I really like. I hope the craze dies down soon. At least I've got that ebonized pier mirror for only $800 as well as an ebonized gothic chair for $150. This stuff would have gone for about five times that at auction nowadays.
These two items were auctioned off recently at DuMouchelles for way over the estimate. I was hoping to get them but didn't. I am very disappointed but there will be other opportunities.
Towel Rack I collect dragons so I especially wanted this.
