Painted furniture is back – and in a big way. Instagram is now packed with talented creators who create whimsical or folk art-inspired pieces, take a look at Tess Newell or A Fabled Thread as a starting point, these people are turning things such as an unloved pine wardrobe into a thing of beauty. A search for #paintedfurniture on Instagram currently yields over 1.8 million posts to date, and as this trend grows momentum, the demand for antique examples has risen in tandem.
Painted furniture is nothing new, and its roots can be found in the ancient world. Examples of painted furniture was found when excavating the tombs in Egypt, no more so than the wonderful items discovered in 1922 when the tomb of the boy Pharoah, Tutankhamun, was discovered. It declined in the Middle Ages, and it wasn’t until the Baroque period that painted furniture became popular again. However, 17th and 18th centuries were the pinnacle of the trend, and exquisite examples could be found adorning the interiors of Italian palazzos.
A mid-19th century Swedish marriage chest, sold for £1,800 in 2021
Painted furniture has always been an important part of interior design in Scandinavia. Marriage chests of the 18th and 19th centuries are wonderfully decorated and are almost timeless in their appearance. These are usually marriage chests, wardrobes, or cupboards, painted with flowers, birds and animals in primary colours. By unknown artists, they were created to commemorate a special event and marriage chests will often bear the initials and date of a wedding. The true, antique examples can be hard to come by and their rarity is helping to add to their appeal. These fantastic pieces have been gracing interior design magazine pages over the past twelve months and seem to be really starting to get some traction, for example Kit Kemp is a fan, and has sold examples from the company’s loft space at Bergdorf Goodman. The best examples can now achieve well into the thousands at auction, as they create a fantastically colourful focal point for any room. Value for these is driven not only by their rarity, but also their popularity. There are simply not enough examples to satisfy the demand and finest examples can be difficult to come by.
In the Fine Sale later this month, we will be offering an early 19th century Scandinavian painted wardrobe. Estimated to sell for between £500 and £800, we expect this beautiful piece to generate quite a bit of interest at the sale. In 2021, Cheffins sold a similar 19th century Swedish marriage chest for £1,800, well above its presale estimate.
An early 19th century Scandinavian painted wardrobe, available at The Fine Sale
The other section of the painted furniture market is the late 18th and early 19th century Baroque-style examples. Usually less colourful than the Scandinavian pieces, these tend to be more subtle, painted in muted colours and with tons of detail. With Scandi versions having a real folk-art feel, this other part of the trend is far more serious, featuring classical or chinoiserie motifs, created in a soft colour palette.
Painted furniture was also produced in Britain, the main designer associated with such pieces is the acclaimed architect, Robert Adam (1728 – 1792). The renowned furniture maker, Henry Clay, (1772–1812), is also associated with art of painted furniture and he japanned and decorated smaller items of furniture wares such as trays, dressing cases and caddies with classical scenes. Having started out painting panels for carriages, his newfound artistry grew in popularity, and he graduated to painting tables, consoles, and bookcases, with commissions flooding in from the Royal family and nobility. The more exceptional of Clay’s pieces can make well into the thousands, for example in 2011 a pair of George III painted cabinets by Clay sold for over £35,000 at auction. Even small items like trays or tea caddies by Clay can make into the thousands.
Thankfully, there were several artists working in this style in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and we frequently see furniture decorated with the most delicate of Etruscan scenes coming to auction. For example, last year, a George III style chinoiserie style bookcase which was painted in incredible detail with a beautiful peppermint-toned interior sold for £4,000, well over its pre-sale estimate of £1,000 - £1,500.
A George III-style chinoiserie bookcase, sold in 2022
For those looking to purchase antique painted furniture, there are a few specialist dealers out there, for example The Tolstoy Edit by Alexandra Tolstoy, which features some fabulous Scandinavian finds. Auction rooms will also occasionally yield examples, as will antique furniture warehouses. The key here is investing in something which you love, whether that’s a super bright but battered Scandi example, or an immaculately preserved Henry Clay piece of delicate beauty. Values can vary wildly, provenance is always important, but also with trends such as this, it is a case of snapping something up when you see it. Failing that, you can always look to paint your own furniture, à la the Bloomsbury Group at Charleston. There are specific paint companies out there who specialise in furniture paint, stencils can be picked up on Etsy and House & Garden and a number of other magazines have published tips on how to do it. Good luck!
To view the catalogue for the Fine Sale, please click here