Antique Furniture Leg Styles

Chippendale and queen anne chairs typically have an s curved cabriole leg with a knee and in curved ankle.

Antique furniture leg styles.

Look at this leg. It is derived from roman styles of the 6th century bc. A bracket foot on antique furniture is a simple designed foot shaped like a bracket. Leg and foot styles.

It has influenced modern chair styles as well such as the american empire style. A major telling feature of antique chairs starts from the floor and goes up. It s shapely curves identify it as a cabriole pronounced cab ree ole leg and that type of leg was first introduced in the 18th century. When different furniture designs put your mind in a twist examine the legs to determine the furniture s individual style.

But a leg can tell you when a style was first introduced and that is one important step in identifying an antique s age and period. Identifying antique furniture feet can help determine the approximate age of a piece along with the period in which it was made helping you research and value antique pieces more skillfully. The leg is usually a good indicator of type. The style began in france and england but eventually migrated to america where it evolved into two other furniture styles naturalistic and renaissance revival.

One of the best ways to identify an antique style is by observing the piece s legs and feet. Later styles show classic influence. Leg shapes help define the style and period to which the chair belongs. 2006 publications international chair and table legs exhibit many of the features that distinguish furniture styles.

When you know the styles you can combine antique or reproduction. Early 17th century furniture typically featured bun or ball style feet. It has a joined straight corner edge and curved inner edges and was often used on georgian furniture like chest of drawers. Listed below are foot styles developed in europe and the united states from the renaissance to the empire periods.

The bracket foot has been in existence since approximately the 1680 s and was one of the main types of feet used throughout the georgian period and was reproduced in the edwardian period. Early georgian furniture is based on queen anne.