Original paint helps authenticate age of antique furniture

For a time in the 20th century, folks thought they were enhancing their antique if they removed the paint. We have now come around to appreciating the properties exhibited by painted furniture, especially if it is less than perfect. Any authentic antique, meaning older than a hundred years, is going to be dinged and worn. A painted piece will tend to show those dings and wear a bit more than the unpainted piece.

Connoisseurs of antique painted furnishings look for evidence of age when shopping. They will note that the paint may be worn along the most touched areas, such as around knobs and top edges. They will appreciate the paint that doesn’t flake off, but shows signs of wearing off along the most handled sections. Those nicks along the feet or tops will add value in their minds because it will help authenticate the age. The colors would be significant in that this can often tell the geographic source of a piece. For example, the red and black often used in New England or the greenish blue used in the Hudson Valley. Most often they would not appreciate repairs to the paint.

The paint itself can often help tell the history of the table, chair or wardrobe. The pigments might have been imported from England or they might have been the result of home-grown vegetable coloring. Our ancestors painted furniture for many of the same reasons we decorate our surroundings. Not only was the paint an economical way of preserving the furniture, but it added beauty to the home. Painted furniture could be the result of a professional’s hand or an amateur homemaker.

There were as many styles of painting as their were individuals who painted the furniture. Even so, there were three basic types of painted finishes embraced by our predecessors. There were those that sought to imitate a piece of wood or marble. Then there were those that wanted to show a decorative flair with scroll work, flowers and such. Finally, there were those that just put a layer of colorful paint on a piece.

Even with all the variety, Fales & Bishop, in their book “American Painted Furniture 1660-1880,” comment that America comes up with its own national style of painted furniture by the 19th century. Painted antique furniture can be every bit as valuable as the naturally finished and just as beautiful.

Jean McClelland writes about antiques each Sunday for The Herald-Dispatch www.herald-dispatch.com.