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Discover Mid-America - June 2004

Japanned furniture: How to tell old from repro

This 18th century English lng case japanned clock sold for $4,484 at Leslie Hindman Galleries, Chicago. (Photo courtesy of Leslie Hindman Galleries.)

Authentic pieces of 18th century, japanned furniture make rare auction appearances. If they are authentic, as labeled, prices can be in the high thousands of dollars. There is a dramatic drop in price if they are 19th or 20th century examples. At the Leslie Hindman March auction in Chicago, japanned pieces from the three different centuries proved this point. A Georgian, c.1780, japanned, long case clock by Jerimiah Standing, estimated at $4,000-5,000 fetched $4,484. A 19th century lot of four nesting tables sold for $1,416, while a 20th century japanned table brought a mere $82.60.  Japanning is the European and American version of a technique begun in China and Japan.

Basically, oriental motifs depicting people, scenes and flowers, (called chinoiserie) are first painted, then layered in lacquer, or raised with plaster that is lacquered. It first gained attention with a book of how-to instructions, “Treatise of Japanning and Varnishing,” published in London in 1688. By the end of the century European “japanned” furniture was being made in France, Italy, Germany and Holland.

Not all japanning was done by professionals. By the end of the 17th century it was considered a proper pastime for young women, who japanned everything from small chests to mirror frames and furniture. Needless to say, not all japanned furniture is of equal quality. Considering the vast number of objects japanned at the time it is surprising that more haven’t survived. Blame the whims of fashion. It went briefly out of fashion and many pieces were refinished. It made a comeback in England with amateur japanners who continued to decorate small pieces. Finally, by the mid 18th century, lacquer furniture again lost its‚ popularity. This time it was replaced by the designs of Thomas Chippendale. However, in a short time he was designing many pieces for japanned decorations. By the 1830s japanned pieces had once more been long out of fashion. Then, at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, Victorian versions made an appearance. They were combined with gilt and mother-of-pearl inlays.

America was far behind in furniture fashions. Japanning was done on Queen Anne style furniture in Boston well into the mid 18th century. It was considered a mark of status for wealthy colonials in New York and Philadelphia. Generally, American japanning was done on white pine. When the look of plain pine became popular, many japanned pieces were stripped. Even in the 1960s, when restoration became costly, some dealers stripped damaged 18th century pieces for a quick sale. I well remember encountering a Lake Forest, Ill., dealer at a strippers with a japanned Queen Anne highboy in need of restoration. I begged her to spare it. She refused saying, “costs too much to restore. Besides waxed pine gets a better price.“

CLUES

Japanned Queen Anne style furniture has been faked since the 1920s. So even if you can afford an authentic piece, how can you be sure of your purchase? Begin, if it is selling at auction, to read the “auctionese” in the catalog carefully. If it says, “18th century Queen Anne,” you have a fighting chance. If it reads, “in the manner of” or “the style of” it isn’t a period piece. With such a variance in pricing, it pays to be able to know the clues to age. If buying from a dealer get a certificate of authenticity and a money-back guarantee.

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