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Antique decor in a vintage room featuring a cactus, portrait, and wooden chair.

How to Examine Painted Antique Furniture

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Paint can be original decoration, a historic alteration or a recent finish. Each possibility affects interpretation differently.

What to examine

Inspect protected edges, joints, hardware shadows and chips for layer sequences. Ultraviolet examination by a specialist may help.

Avoid the common trap

Never sand to 'find the original colour.' Sampling and paint analysis should be minimal, documented and purposeful.

Record your findings

Photograph the whole object, the feature in context and a close-up with scale. Note what is observed separately from any conclusion.

Reliable starting points

  • [V&A collections](https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections)
  • [The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Heilbrunn Timeline](https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/)

Identification should combine several forms of evidence. Do not use destructive tests, and seek a specialist opinion where attribution or value matters.

Learn by looking closely

See workshop examinations and restoration details on the [Antique Repair Shop YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@AntiqueRepairShop).