| Period History: | | | | you're buying is the real deal. |
| Louis XV was the grandson of King Louis XIV and | | | | 1. Ask for Details on How the Cupboard was Made |
| ruled France between 1715 and 1774. He is most | | | | Make sure you ask the seller to explain to you how |
| commonly known for being one of France's most | | | | the piece was made, making sure to get him to |
| unpopular kings. During his reign, he managed to | | | | decribe to you the joints in the wood. If they are |
| upset almost every social group in his country, yet | | | | visible, and keep in mind that the joinery of an |
| surprisingly, in its own exclusive way, that | | | | 'antique' would not be machine cut but would in actual |
| segregation from his people has led to the Louis XV | | | | fact be hand cut, ask him to describe them to you. |
| period antique furniture being some of the most | | | | Chances are that hand cut joints will be rougher and |
| sought after French furniture in the world. | | | | perhaps not as exact as machine cut joints, which |
| Due to the unbalance of his country, the remaining | | | | should be a good indication of originality and the |
| Louis XV furniture is seen as a great treasure that | | | | antique you are buying is actually an 'antique' and not |
| heralds from a time of grave public unrest in France | | | | something that was knocked off a production line in |
| and symbolises the determination of its people as a | | | | ShenZhen, China, 2006. |
| whole but, in particular, in its furniture designers to | | | | The best way to find a cut is to remove a draw and |
| continue to inspire, create and deliver a legacy of | | | | have a close look at where the front and back of |
| beautiful, intricate and detailed furniture which remains | | | | the drawer are fastened to the sides of the drawer. |
| to this day a coveted style of design. | | | | If a joint was made by hand, it would be dovetailed |
| For all the things that went wrong with Louis XV's | | | | and have only a few dovetail joints, and they |
| reign as King of France, one thing that is undeniable is | | | | wouldn't be precisely even. If the dovetails are close |
| the detailed quality of the furniture that rose from | | | | together and precisely cut, it will have been |
| this dark time in France's history to reer a head of | | | | machine-cut. Handmade dovetails almost always |
| something quite the opposite, both elegant and | | | | indicate a piece made before 1860. |
| flowing, in a time of bleak misery. | | | | 2. Look for Imperfections such as Nicks and Cuts |
| What Makes Louis XV Furniture Louis XV Furniture? | | | | Another great way to help identify the validity of an |
| There are a number of tell-tale design characteristics | | | | antique or hand-made piece of furniture would be to |
| that articulate this style of design. It is quite common | | | | look closely for nicks and cuts on the back, sides and |
| to hear or see pieces of furniture incorrectly | | | | bottom of the draw. Nicks and cuts usually indicate a |
| described as Louis XV, when in actual fact, they are | | | | hand operated tool was used to plane, shave or cut |
| Louis XIV. What separates the two is actually quite | | | | the wood. Straight cuts, the kind you'd get from a |
| distinctive, and I'll list them below. | | | | straight saw, are also good signs whereas cuts that |
| Louis XV Furniture is: | | | | look circular in appearance mean that the cut was |
| - Designed more curvaciously | | | | made with a circular saw, again not in use until after |
| - Free flowing forms and shapes | | | | 1860. |
| - Not made with straight lines, straight cuts or | | | | 3. Exact Symmetry? No way! |
| anything that looks angular | | | | This is probably the easiest tell tale sign of machine |
| - Intricately carved and seemingly infinitely detailed | | | | made furniture compared to hand made. If something |
| - Hand painted | | | | looks exactly symmetrical, chances are its been cut |
| - Shells tend to form the focul points of each design | | | | by machines, so make sure you request lots of |
| - Symbolic of romance, sensuality and love | | | | pictures of the piece of furniture you're buying. |
| - Light and gracefull | | | | 4. Ask for a Detailed Description of the Finish |
| Louis XV Furniture is not: | | | | The style of finish is also a great way of identifying |
| - Reliant on presence to state its claim, such as | | | | the age of a piece of Louis XV. Certain finishes were |
| Gothic Furniture | | | | in use in different periods which is an excellent way |
| - Made with straight cuts | | | | to identify the age of your antique furniture. For |
| - Big, bulky or angular | | | | Louis XV, it should all be hand painted. Hand painting is |
| - Strong and masculine | | | | often identifiable by slight imperfections in brush |
| - Machine painted | | | | strokes or edges, although some of the finest Louis |
| - Machine cut | | | | XV won't show any signs of human error, because |
| You will find that Louis XIV furniture is quite the | | | | the quality was so high, it is always advisable to ask |
| opposite in style to Louis XV, and where I've listed | | | | for pictures of all paintwork, especially so for |
| the points above that are not associated with Louis | | | | imperfections as these can actually ADD to the value |
| XV, you will tend to find these same characteristics | | | | of your furniture. |
| present in Louis XIV furniture, for example, it will be | | | | 5. Make Sure the Seller Explains the type of Wood |
| more angular and less graceful, more inline with a | | | | used in Manufacture |
| masculine strength of style than a graceful, romantic | | | | This is often a simple method of gauging an age |
| wisp as seen in Louis XV furniture. It is a very | | | | because generally, as a rule of thumb, anything |
| common mistake, most probably due to the | | | | before 1700 was made from oak, 1700 onwards (our |
| similarities in name, but it is vital when identifying your | | | | Louis XV era), mahogany and walnut were the choice |
| antique furniture to get the periods correct as | | | | woods. if its pine, it normally indicates an American |
| unsurprisingly, it can cause chaos for the buyer at | | | | furniture piece and is normally indicative of slightly |
| auction! | | | | cheaper works. The really valuable, old antique Louis |
| The next problem I tend to see quite often in my | | | | XV treasures will be made from mahogany or walnut. |
| field is misselling replicas as originals. | | | | Conclusion |
| Identifying Real Louis XV Antique Furniture | | | | Always be careful when buying antique furniture but |
| Yes, as sad as it is, there will always be those | | | | if you are thinking of buying, make sure you arm |
| amongst us who feel the need to misrepresent | | | | yourself with as much research as possible prior to |
| antiques for personal gain by selling copies or replicas. | | | | attending auction houses. It is also very advisable to |
| When buying antiques, especially online, make sure to | | | | go to an auction with a particular object in mind. Visit |
| use a respected reseller, such as LJR Windwake | | | | the open days, make your notes, go home and |
| & Sons, or a seller who specialises in your | | | | research what you've seen and then attend the |
| desired style, in this case, a Louis XV Antique | | | | auctions with renewed knowledge about your |
| Furniture Specialist. It is vitally important to be utterly | | | | purchase and always, always try to get as much |
| scrupulous when buying antiques online at auction | | | | information out of the seller as possible, whether |
| sites or dealers, but fortunately, I have some good | | | | buying online or at an auction house. |
| tips on how to make sure that the piece of furniture | | | | |