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Regency Furniture 1800 – 1830

William IV Furniture 1830 – 1837

Prince George (Prince of Wales) was Regent from 1811 – 1820 but Regency became a convenient name for the first 30 years of the 19th Century.

Regency furniture was the neoclassical antique style mixed with empire style and the later Georgian style of furniture, elaborate and ornate.
Antiques from Greece , Rome and Egypt were a source of inspiration for furniture designers, attempts were made to make actual copies of ancient furniture and there was even a vogue to copy some of the stone furniture, producing them in mahogany.
The regency style of furniture carried on through the William IVs reign, but introduced a few more curves and some elegant decoration.

Antique Regency furniture was plain, slender and elegant. Brass was used for decoration, rosewood and zebrawood veneers were used for a striking look. Mahogany was still the wood of choice for most furniture makers.
French polishing came into vogue around 1810 and allowed for smoother shinier finishes which suited the new elegant pieces.
Some characteristics of the regency period were Saber legs, reeding and lion paw feet.

Very popular pieces in the period were tilt top dining tables and pillared extendable tables. The sofa table and drum table were well liked as were pedestal sideboards and pedestal card tables with lion paw feet. The most popular chair was the double sabre leg chair, sometimes with a rope twist carved back.