French Provincial Furniture

This is the beautiful guide to French provincial furniture that no serious buyer or enthusiast can afford to be without. It presents the key types of country antique furniture in fourteen separate regions of France, explains the differences in their construction and decoration which will enable you to identify them, and describes the twenty-one different woods used to make these provincial pieces. Separate chapters convey the techniques used by the traditional cabinetmakers who created these sought-after antiques and portray the delightful country interiors for which they were originally made. A helpful glossary of relevant French words and phrases is also included, and the book is illustrated with over 200 color and black and white photographs of representative pieces including value ranges. This is a new and welcome guide to the charming and distinctive provincial furniture of France.

Robin Ruddy has collected small antiques most of his life. A self-confessed francophile, he is now an antiques dealer with his wife, Paula, in Brighton, England, where he cultivates his original interests and specializes in big antiques as well.