Antique is an object from the past that has artistic or historical value. Antiques are commonly called decorative arts. They range from everyday household items to commissioned pieces not intended for personal use.
Opinions differ as to what is an antique. However, experts consider three factors in judging the quality of a piece and its value as an antique: (1) its age, (2) its artistic value, and (3) its historical importance. According to the United States government, which levies no import tax on antiques, an item must be more than 100 years old to be an antique. Most collectors also use this standard.
Antiques differ from antiquities and the fine arts. Antiquities are items created by ancient cultures. The fine arts include architecture, painting, and sculpture. However, the lines separating antiques, antiquities, and the fine arts are not always clear. Commercial objects known as collectibles—such as advertising items, postcards, and baseball cards—are not considered antiques.
Collectors seek out antiques for pleasure, investment, or profit. Museums and other institutions exhibit antiques. The variety of antiques is enormous. For example, people collect quilts, needlework, embroidery, costumes, clocks, arms and armor, musical instruments, dolls, toys, games, and lighting devices. However, antiques generally fall into four major categories—ceramics, furniture, glass, and metalwork. This article discusses these categories and their history in America.
Ceramic antiques
usually are divided into two categories—pottery and porcelain. Porcelain, commonly called china, is hard, thin, and usually white. Pottery is any type of ware made from baked clay. Porcelain was not made in America until the late 1700’s. Until then, the colonies imported pieces from China and Europe. Colonists began making pottery in the 1600’s because pottery making required simpler technology and clay was available. Many early pieces are decorated with painted flowers, animals, and other designs. Many of these pieces have a delightful simplicity and are collected by folk art enthusiasts.
Furniture
was made by some of the earliest European settlers in America, who brought their homeland traditions in joinery (skilled woodworking) and cabinetmaking with them. Few pieces remain from the 1600’s. Surviving pieces from the 1600’s and 1700’s often can be linked to a particular region. For example, the kas (large wardrobe) was made by the Dutch in New York and New Jersey. Furniture makers worked in such urban centers as Baltimore; Boston; Charleston, South Carolina; New York City; Newport, Rhode Island; and Philadelphia. The showy, highly decorated pieces from the Victorian Age (1837-1901) have become valuable. However, folk art collectors also prize pieces crafted in rural areas in a highly individual style that often includes paint decoration.
Glass.
During the 1600’s, several glassmaking factories opened in what is now the United States, but they all soon failed. The first successful factory to produce blown glass opened in 1739. During the mid-1700’s, colonial factories also began making blown-molded glass, which was glass shaped by being blown into a mold. During the 1820’s, American glassmakers invented the method of making pressed glass. Pressed glass was liquid glass that was pressed into a mold by a mechanical plunger.
Metalwork.
Antique American gold is extremely rare, but antique silver is not. Silversmiths were well established in the colonies and silver was a symbol of wealth. Many silver tankards (large drinking mugs) bear engraved decorations, such as coats of arms, monograms, designs, and inscriptions. In the British tradition, most silversmiths labeled their wares with their own unique mark. Because of its affordability, pewter was made in America in large quantities. Pewterers, too, often marked their wares. These marks enable collectors to trace the origins and dates of particular pieces. Other metal antiques include brass, copper, and wrought-iron household items. Painted tin called toleware was popular in the 1800’s.
