Antiques Council

Home  |   Antiques Dealers  |   Antiques for Sale  |   Articles  |   Sold  |   What's Hot  |   What's New  |   Newsletter Signup    
Search     for     
     Advanced Search | My Account     




   Articles about antiques > Furniture


Collecting With Passion – Biedermeier and Neoclassical Antiques 1790-1830

Description:
Views: 5206 Added: 06/22/2009 Updated: 06/23/2009

It has been said that antique furniture is like an old book, a collection of sorts just waiting to be discovered and shared.  Whether your passion for collecting is driven by a desire to be connected to the past, the thrill of the hunt for treasures, or just the love of certain fine things, it is your own unique passion. With this in mind, we approach each individual client with a desire to learn what makes them excited about collecting antiques and how we might assist them in building their own collection.

 

Our personal passion has evolved from a love European travel and art history. We are specifically interested in the Neoclassical period of 1790-1825, and motivated by the desire to find and preserve fine pieces from it.  During our buying trips to Europe, we are most excited when we discover Biedermeier or Neoclassical furniture that requires “assistance.” It brings us great personal satisfaction to acquire furniture that we can restore and bring back to its original splendor. Any required restoration is expertly done at a workshop outside of Prague. It is often difficult to maintain and control museum quality restoration standards, but it is a must. When a piece is found and properly restored to its original condition, and thus brought back to life,  we feel that we are a making a small contribution to art history and preserving  some of it for the future.

 

Given the current economic climate, we think that it is important to assist collectors in finding not only beautiful and unusual furniture for their collections, but also to offer pieces that are correctly priced. When purchasing and selling our furniture, we do so with several important factors in mind. First, the piece must be unique and beautiful to our eye. Second, the piece must be as close to its original condition as possible given its age. Third, the piece must be fairly priced in its market. We often pass on buying antiques which are wanting in one or more of these factors.  With these criteria in mind, we have been able consistently to offer our clients unique objects at fair market value.  We also offer clients the option to resell, trade, or consign previous purchases from us for the original price they paid. We believe this plan allows both new and seasoned collectors to purchase from us with a sense of confidence.

 

We have remained true to our passion for Biedermeier and Neoclassical antiques over the last fifteen years by not changing our focus or following new and perhaps ephemeral decorating trends.  Although we cater to a small portion of the antique market, our specialty has allowed us to work at a very personal level with collectors. Depending on the individual, we have helped build collections based on one’s personal taste, sometimes based around various artwork collections, architecture, or even just one special piece that ties the whole room together. Identifying and respecting our client’s passion is how we approach our entire business.

 

The Biedermeier style was popular throughout northern Europe during the early part of the 19th century.  Biedermeier furnishings are commonly defined as beautifully veneered pieces with clean lines that are architectural in form and have few adornments. The post-Napoleonic design of furniture made a clear political statement it its movement away from the ornate  furnishings, redolent of wealth and glamour, that were the fashion during the reign of Napoleon, and toward design that was much less opulent and much more restrained. This timeless and classic design has been a favorite of many collectors over the years, and has served also as an inspiration to the Art Deco movement and to contemporary furniture design.

 

Our collection of fine antiques features Austro-Hungarian Biedermeier furniture, circa 1815-1830, with an emphasis on Viennese designs. We also offer Vienna Empire, circa 1790-1815, timeless European Neoclassical furnishings from late 18th to early 19th century, and select pieces of European Art Deco, circa 1920-1930.

 

Author:   Annette Bashensky
Phone: 617 283 5050
Web-site: http://www.savenkovgallery.com
E-mail: Ask for Details

Click thumbnail
to view larger
Small Product Photo
Austrian Neoclassical Walnut and Cherry Occasional Table with Intricate Fruit Wood Parquetry Inlay, Circa 1780
Small Product Photo
Pair of Fine Austrian Biedermeier Walnut Side Chairs, Circa 1820
Small Product Photo
Vienna Empire Walnut Console with Polychrome and Parcel Gilt Caryatids and Marble Top, Circa 1800
 






My Favorites | Sitemap | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

Powered by Esvon Classifieds. The makers of powerful Classified Scripts solutions.
Copyright © 2001-2008, Esvon LTD. All rights reserved.