Queen Ann Bedroom Furniture
"Queen Anne" was a quintessential style of 18th-century furniture that paired elegance with efficiency to respond to the new tastes of their contemporary consumer. The style endures today as one of the more popular and is still emulated and echoed by contemporary makers. What is Queen Anne-style furniture? Read on to learn about the history of the Queen Anne style and gain insight on the signature elements that collectors should look for.
The Origins of Queen Anne Furniture
Queen Anne furniture takes its name from Anne, who served as sovereign over England, Scotland, and Ireland (which, amid her reign, joined as the United Kingdom) from 1702 to 1714. Prior to Queen Anne's reign, the design aesthetic of her father, King William III (1650-1702) was the favored style. This earlier style, known as "William and Mary," or "Early Baroque," emphasized weighty forms that often showcased dense scrollwork, rounded contours, organic accents, and lavish embellishments. Read more about William and Mary style furniture here.
The designers of Queen Anne's day, though, actively evolved furniture-making into a style that maintained a sense of elegance, but that also proved more versatile. Furniture makers began to strip away the grand opulence of earlier furnishings to create forms that were multi-functional and adequately light enough to whisk around a room.
That's not to say that Queen Anne furniture was short on style. On the contrary, Queen Anne chairs, tables, desks, and other furniture all shared a striking, cosmopolitan blend of subdued Baroque flourish that echoed both Classical and Asian designs. S-curved chair backs, for example, could be seen as both borrowing east Asian elements while also alluding to the scrollwork that was characteristic of the Baroque era. This is one of the reasons why Queen Anne furniture is also known as "Late Baroque." Perhaps most exciting about the Queen Anne furniture revolution was the emphasis on comfort. Amply cushioned seats, combined with ergonomically-inspired back supports, made Queen Anne seating the ideal combination of class and comfort.
Queen Anne furniture proved wildly popular and spread across Europe and into North America incredibly quickly. The city of Boston, Massachusetts became one of the leading producers of Queen Anne style furniture, like this iconic Queen Anne chair , for the American colonies. By mid-century, though, furniture tastes were beginning to shift. Slowly the subsequent Georgian style (1712-1830), characterized by the wares of makers like Thomas Chippendale , filled well-appointed homes, such that by the end of the century the allure of Queen Anne had all but been absorbed into these later styles. Today, however, collectors and interior designers alike have come to appreciate the artful elegance of these Queen Anne style.
Identifying Queen Anne Furniture
If you are keen to find the perfect Queen Anne desk or table for your home, the good news is that Queen Anne furniture typically features an array of signature characteristics that can help you identify its stylistic origins. These include:
Medium
Collectors of Queen Anne furniture will tell you that richly toned woods, like maple, cherry, and walnut, were preferred by Queen Anne furniture craftsmen.
S-Curve
Queen Anne furnishings also typically bear some form of an "S-curve" element, from the gentle curve of the characteristic cabriole legs to the subtle swoop of the S-curve chair backs with a yoke-shaped top rail and a more organic vase-shaped back splat.
Ornament
Ornamentation on Queen Anne furniture is typically sparse thanks to the style's emphasis on streamlined form. Some Queen Anne pieces, though, feature delicate fan or shell motifs. In addition, surface pattern is sometimes seen in some splendid Queen Anne pieces through the art of " japanning ," which is a shellac-based process developed by Europeans in response to the Japanese lacquerware tradition. Japanning allowed for various patterns to be embossed onto the surface of Queen Anne furniture for added decoration.
Pad Feet
Queen Anne furniture often features pad feet, which entails soft, rounded corners that culminate in a flat disk that rests upon the floor. Sometimes, these pad feet come secreted away under clawfoot motifs.
In addition, if the upholstery of your Queen Anne chair has left you guessing as to its authenticity, fear not: many Queen Anne sofas or chairs original to the 18th century do not feature their original fabrics.
The Market for Queen Anne Furniture
Those keen to add Queen Anne furniture to their home décor can find a delightful array of pieces at auction today. Prices fluctuate depending on the size and condition of each work. A Queen Anne bedroom set, for example, that is marred with scratches or has cracked wood panels from poor maintenance over the years will sell for far less than one that has been carefully restored or maintained over its lifetime. As a general benchmark, here are some recent prices achieved at auction for popular types of Queen Anne furniture.
Side Tables or Tea Tables
Queen Anne tables can range significantly depending on size and level of detail and can reach prices anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $10,000.
Image 1: Queen Anne Figured Mahogany Porringer-Top Tea Table, Connecticut, circa 1760
Sotheby's, New York (January 2019)
Estimate: $6,000–$8,000
Price Realized: $7,000
Image 2: Queen Anne cherrywood tea table, New England, late 18th century
Freeman's, Philadelphia, PA (April 2015)
Estimate: $2,500–$3,500
Price Realized: $4,225
Image 3: A Queen Anne Maple Tea Table
Hindman, Chicago, IL (July 2019)
Estimate: $2,000 – $4,000
Price Realized: $2,125
Image 4: Queen Anne mahogany tea table, Rhode Island, 18th century and later
Freeman's, Philadelphia, PA (November 2014)
Estimate: $1,200–$1,800
Price Realized: $1,500
Image 5: Queen Anne walnut tea table, 18th century
Freeman's, Philadelphia, PA (December 2016)
Estimate: $1,000–$1,500
Price Realized: $344
Image 6: Queen Anne Style Mahogany Demilune Tea Table
Doyle New York, New York, NY (August 2018)
Estimate: $200–$400
Price Realized: $218.75
Highboys or Chests
The ultimate statement piece to accent a bedroom or dining room, Queen Anne highboys can be attained for prices between $3,000 and $5,000. More lavish pieces, like a japanned bureau, can sell for ten times that sum.
Image 1: Queen Anne Black-Japanned, Parcel-Gilt and Brass-Mounted Cabinet on Chest
Doyle New York, New York, NY (October 2019)
Estimate: $3,000–$5,000
Price Realized: $9,000
Image 2: Queen Anne Two-Part Highboy in cherry and pine
Eldred's, East Dennis, MA (November 2019)
Estimate: $2,000–$4,000
Price Realized: $6,500
Image 3: Queen Anne Two-Part Highboy in strongly figured tiger maple
Eldred's, East Dennis, MA (November 2019)
Estimate: $3,000–$4,000
Price Realized: $1,500
Image 4: A Queen Anne Walnut High Chest of Drawers Pennsylvania, 18th century
Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA (November 2019)
Estimate: $2,000–$3,000
Price Realized: $1,000
Image 5: A Queen Anne carved figural maple bonnet top high chest of drawers 18th century and later
Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA (November 2019)
Estimate: $2,000–$3,000
Price Realized: $950
Image 6: Queen Anne High Chest
Garth's Auctioneers & Appraisers, Columbus, OH (December 2019)
Estimate: $300–$500
Price Realized: $925
Chairs
Queen Anne chairs are relatively abundant in today's market, which has contributed a wider range of price points. Larger groupings, like this set of eight chairs , typically sell for more than singular seats. At the same time, some of the more unique chairs, like the Roundabout Chair , which has been known to sell for over $10,000.
Image 1: Very Fine Queen Anne Carved Mahogany Easy Chair, New York, c. 1765
Sotheby's, New York, NY (January 2018)
Estimate: $6,000–$12,000
Price Realized: $15,000
Image 2: Bromfield Family Queen Anne walnut compass-seat side chair, Boston, MA, circa 1745
Freeman's, Philadelphia, PA (April 2019)
Estimate: $4,000–$6,000
Price Realized: $5,500
Image 3: Queen Anne carved walnut side chair, Pennsylvania, circa 1765
Freeman's, Philadelphia, PA (November 2018)
Estimate: $3,000–$5,000
Price Realized: $3,750
Image 4: Federal Queen Anne Walnut Easy Chair, Massachusetts, c. 1760
Sotheby's, New York, NY (January 2019)
Estimate: $3,000–$5,000
Price Realized: $3,000
Image 5: A Queen Anne Walnut Armchair, early 18th century
Christie's, New York, NY (August 2019)
Estimate: $1,000–$1,500
Price Realized: $3,000
Image 6: Pair of Queen Anne side chairs in mahogany
Eldred's, East Dennis, MA (November 2019)
Estimate: $1,000–$2,000
Price Realized: $2,100
Image 7: Southern Queen Anne Mahogany Corner / Necessary Chair
Leland Little Auctions, Hillsborough, NC (December 2019)
Estimate: $800–$1,200
Price Realized: $800
Image 8: A Queen Anne Maple Side Chair
Hindman, Chicago, IL (July 2019)
Estimate: $400–$600
Price Realized: $500
Queen Anne furniture has proven to be a perennial favorite among collectors in part because it echoes the elegance of past regal creations while also looking forward to the functional freedom that furniture can provide. With the ample supply of exceptional examples still appearing frequently on the auction market, it is a prime time to tap into this exciting moment of 18th-century furniture history.
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Source: https://www.invaluable.com/blog/queen-anne-furniture/
