Hand-Crafted Home: Heavily Carved Antique Furniture

5 Comments

1. 

   Kathy

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   I have a carved french buffet with a breasted winged dragon. I also have the original dining table and 12 antique french chairs. My mother bought the set in france in the 1960's. I've been looking for the buffet on the web because it's so unusual. Do you know anything about it?? I can send a photo if needed.
2. 

   admin

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   Hi Kathy,
   It sounds like your mother has a French Renaissance Revival Dining suite. I'll paste a bit of information about the Renaissance Revival style that was so popular at the turn of the century - 1880s to 1900s:
   
   RENAISSANCE REVIVAL: HENRY II
   
   As the middle class rose in status and wealth with the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, more people were able to afford furniture. This flattening of society in combination with technological advancements created a surge of furniture production. Improved transportation meant a greater variety of wood was available at lower costs. For the first time, furniture became accessible and affordable to the common man. From the 1830s to the end of the 19th century, furniture makers reached back to earlier historical styles, and reinterpreted them with a great deal of creativity and experimentation. Although machines were used to increase speed and productivity, most of the carvings were still done by hand. Consumers were hungry for large, ornate and heavily carved furniture that would impress their friends and family and show off their newly found wealth. The Renaissance Revival style is marked by massive proportions and heavy, ornate carvings. Most furniture was produced in dark oak and walnut. There are actually several sub-styles that fall under the broader Renaissance Revival style and include the Henry II (Henri II) style, Hunting style, Mechelen style, and Louis XIII style.
   
   In France, the Renaissance style is often referred to as Henry II (Henri II) style, based on the reign of Henry II (1547 – 1559), although it is surprising that the style was not named for his father, Francis I. Considered to be the great French Renaissance monarch, Francis I (1515 – 1547), a contemporary of Henry VIII in England, was a great supporter of the Arts and the Humanities. Enamored with Italian Renaissance art and architecture, he convinced Leonardo da Vinci and other great Italian artists to move to France and work at his court, decorating his many palaces and chateaux (palaces out in the country rather than in Paris) in the lush Loire Valley. He actively collected artistic works by Raphael, Michelangelo, and Titian, which were the beginning of the magnificent art collection of the French kings on display today in the Louvre in Paris. Decorative hallmarks of the Henry II style include arches, pediments, columns, finials, carved flowers, fruit, scrolls and often references to Greek and Roman mythology, including male and female heads, faces or figures, or even winged dragons.
   
   A great place to find values of antique and vintage items is www.worthpoint.com - hope that helps!
   Best wishes,
   Aimee
   EuroLuxHome.com
3. 

   Rebecca Baxter

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   Looking for a heavily carved English buffet hunting cabinet. Someyjing not too pricey as I eould need to ship it to JENKS, Ok. 74037.
   1. 

      charlotte Donathan

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      Did you find what you were looking for. We are in McAlester Ok and are starting an estate sale that has several heavily carved buffets or cabinets . Will Post Pictures if you like
      Charlotte