Did You Know About This?

• A veneer is a thin layer of attractively grained, fine wood which has been applied to the surface of furniture made of a coarser wood. This technique was imported to England by Dutch cabinet makers in the late 17th Century.

• Many 18th century pieces of furniture have decorative veneers known as banding. These were used around the edges of drawer fronts, panels and on table tops to complement the principal veneer.

• Canterbury's - In 1803 Thomas Sheraton coined the name "Canterbury" to describe these popular music stands, because the first person to order one from him was the Archbishop of Canterbury.

• The variety of legs and feet found on chairs can help to date them, although many styles were also revived and produced in later periods. Having casters that are original to a piece is always desirable, especially if they are attached to decoratively carved feet.

• If the silver backing of an antique mirror has badly deteriorated, repair should not be attempted as any restoration will always substantially devalue the piece.

• Eighty per cent of reign marks on Chinese porcelain are retrospective, intended as a tribute to Imperial ancestors. Pieces that bear the correct mark for their period are more valuable than those with anachronistic marks.

• During the 18th century America often imported English-made movements and dials: the cases were usually manufactured in America, frequently of cherrywood and, in the 19th century, mahogany. Comparatively few complete longcase clocks were made in the United States and thus the American clocks are more sought after than the English equivalents.

• The best method of discerning whether glass has been pressed or molded is to touch the inside of the piece: pressed glass is smooth, whereas the inside of blown pieces bear the outline of the design.

• How cut glass is made; glass is carved with revolving wheels and abrasive to create sharp-edged facets that reflect land refract light to sparkle and achieve a prismatic effect.

• If a round table is truly old the shape will be slightly elliptical, as wood shrinks across the grain.

• Iman, the popular Japanese porcelain of predominately red, blue and gold decoration is named from the port it was shipped from, rather than where it was made, Arita.

• A BONHEURS DU JOUR is a lady's small desk and dressing table combined. The origin of the name is obscure, but the design first appeared in the mid-18th century in France and quickly became popular in England.

• Flow blue is a process used principally after 1840, in which flowing powder is added to the dye used in blue and white transferrer so that the blue flows beyond the edges of the transfer, rendering the pattern less sharply defined. Items using this process were primarily made in the United States, some in England.

• "Tallboy" an American term for it's English counterpart the "chest on chest"

• A "teapoy" is a piece of furniture in the form of a tea caddy on legs or a stand, with a hinged lid opening to reveal caddies and other tea accessories.