Identifying furniture & design.

A piece of furniture tells its own biography.

Wood species, construction method, joinery technique, hardware and attachment points, lacquer and finish layers, leg profiles, decorative carving, panel arrangements, an old piece of furniture carries its age visibly in every element. Those who read these signs fluently can determine: when was it made (1720 or 1820?), which style period (Rococo or Neoclassicism?), and which region (French, Flemish, English, Dutch?). This is not guesswork, furniture follows strict evolutionary patterns. Rococo curves do not exist in 1650 (too early). Dovetails at specific depths and angles indicate specific decades. Machine-made nails appear after 1850. Wood movement patterns and finish degradation tell age stories. A writing desk appearing Louis XVI upon first glance may reveal under examination to be 19th-century revival style (Art Deco-influenced), dramatically altering its market value. Leg construction alone, cabriole legs (curved, elegant) versus straight legs (neoclassical) versus block-like legs (Biedermeier), immediately reveals the style period. Rococo employs slender cabriole legs with carved feet. Louis XVI uses straight, elegant legs often fluted with cannelures. Art Deco uses blocky geometric legs. An 18th-century French armchair almost always has a sideways-flowing back (low and flexible), while 19th-century reproductions of the same style sometimes have a higher, stiffer backrest, this detail alone can mean €500 difference in value.

AntiqBot analyses furniture and design on multiple levels: stylistic period (via stylistic markers and proportions), wood type where visually identifiable (mahogany, walnut, oak, elm, each has different working properties and regional preferences), construction features (dovetail depth and angle, mortise-and-tenon proportion, nail type, hinge mechanism, lacquer composition), and stylistic details (leg profiles, panel arrangements, hardware position and type). We recognise the major European furniture traditions from the 17th to 20th century: Baroque (1600s-1700s), Rococo (1730-1760), Neoclassicism/Louis XVI (1760-1790), Empire and Biedermeier (1800-1830), 19th-century Revival styles, Art Nouveau (1890-1910), and Art Deco (1920-1940). Each period has recognisable construction logic: Rococo often uses elegant curved cabriole legs, Louis XVI uses straight slender legs, Biedermeier uses block-like geometric forms, Art Deco is geometric and luxurious. Many 19th-century "antique" furniture pieces are actually Victorian reproductions of Rococo (not original period). Dovetail construction is central to furniture dating. 18th-century dovetails are much coarser and thicker than 19th-century dovetails, the saw marks show characteristic sanding and wear curves. Machine-cut dovetails (after 1880) are perfectly uniform and rectilinear, no variation. For wooden cabinets: genuine 18th-century examples use solid wood for all visible surfaces, while 19th-century reproductions often use cheaper wood beneath a thin mahogany veneer. Marquetry (inlaid woodwork) is an expensive 18th-century technique that 19th-century Victorian revival frequently imitated very superficially. The depth of inlay varies dramatically: authentic 18th-century marquetry goes deep into the wood, while late-Victorian inlays are often only 2-3mm thick.

An authentic 18th-century Flemish wardrobe shows straight construction lines (not later curved elements), walnut or oak wood (not later substitutes), and hand-carved decorative detail with characteristic tool marks. A Louis XV armchair has curved rococo legs, carved wood frame, and originally upholstered in green or pink damask (usually replaced during previous restoration). An Art Deco writing desk from 1925 is geometric, mahogany or walnut, with chrome or gilt hardware. These three pieces look completely different, and each piece of evidence for originality adds significant market value. Collectors search for signs of genuine age: natural colour development and patina on wood (not artificially stained), wear on feet and edges where furniture has rubbed against floors, original screw placements and hinge mechanisms that match the style period, and traces of repair and restoration by the original makers (not modern restoration). An 18th-century cabinet door showing slightly different wood grain than the rest is normal, it indicates original door replacement when the originals wore or broke. Modern reproduction furniture feels smooth, lacking the characteristic roughness that genuine time and use create. This is why AntiqBot's visual analysis of texture, finish, and wear patterns is so important, authenticity cannot be faked without expert knowledge. The wear patterns are unique: how feet abrade where they repeatedly rub against floors, how armrests become smooth from centuries of hands resting upon them, how original corners round through use, all impossible to counterfeit convincingly. An 18th-century Louis XV armchair exhibits characteristic wear marks on the foot points where the rococo sculptures receive constant use. An original seat shows texture that artificial distressing cannot duplicate. Lacquer layers tell their own story: original 18th-century lacquer is thinner and more brittle than later 19th-century applications. When you examine a hinge and see original hand-forged ironwork with characteristic punch marks (not stamped), you know this piece is authentically 18th-century. The price difference is enormous: a genuine Louis XV armchair may command €3,000-€10,000, while a 19th-century reproduction reaches only €500-€1,500. These distinctions are economic realities that AntiqBot's detailed visual analysis helps clarify.

Details make the difference.

Photograph the piece frontally and in its entirety. Take separate photographs of the hardware (handles, locks), the leg construction, the back and any labels or stamps on the underside or rear.

Details of joinery techniques (dovetail, mortise and tenon), the wood grain and lacquer layers tell much about age and authenticity. The more detail, the better the analysis.