Antique furniture

The value of a piece of furniture depends on five things: the period, the quality of execution, the signature or stamp, the condition and the provenance. A piece by a great cabinetmaker, in original condition and with a prestigious provenance, can be worth a hundred times an anonymous piece of the same style.

Condition is decisive: a light restoration is accepted, but replacement of structural elements, a redone veneer or a changed top considerably reduce value.

A piece of furniture is a "marriage" when two elements of different origin have been assembled, for example a desk placed on a base from another period. It is one of the most common frauds, because it allows a "period" piece to be made from authentic fragments.

The signs of a marriage are: differences in patina, inconsistent wood species, unused keyholes, odd proportions. Only a thorough examination by an expert can confirm it.

20th-century furniture (Art Deco, modernism, post-war design) is now the engine of the segment: its median price reaches €4,800 and its index rises by more than 7%. Designers such as the Bauhaus workshops and Scandinavian or Italian designers appeal to a young clientele.

This furniture raises specific questions: numbered editions, authorised reissues, copies. Original documentation (publishers' catalogues, invoices, correspondence) is a decisive price factor.