Classic antiques at home: centuries old, and made to last
In this photo: Antique 19th-century mirror with griffins and console table (€ 300) · Empire Fire-Gilded Mantel Clock, circa 1820 (€ 1.195) · Pair of 18th-century Delft vases – Pieter van den Briel, ’t Fortuyn (price on request) · Nineteenth-century French carved chair with red velvet (€ 345)

Classic antiques
Centuries old, and made to last
In this photo: Carved oak column with twisted shaft, beaded borders and acanthus base – 19th century (€ 450) · Blackened wooden column with turned spiral shaft – Napoleon III, second half 19th century (€ 295) · Life-size carved wooden head of a man – Southern Europe, circa 1700 (€ 1.795)
What are classic antiques?
Classic antiques are everything made by hand before about 1900 in the great European styles: from the heavy oak cupboards of the seventeenth century to the gilt mantel clocks of the Empire.
The names often come from French rulers. Louis XV (1715–1774) stands for the flamboyant rococo, Louis XVI (1774–1792) for straight, strict neoclassicism. Under Napoleon came the Empire style (1804–1815), followed by Louis-Philippe (1830–1848) and Napoleon III (1852–1870).
In Holland and England things were more sober. There it was all about oak: cushion cabinets, pewter cupboards, joint stools. Less gold, more wood.
Why are antiques so loved again?

Because it already exists. A cupboard from 1700 has survived three hundred years of use and can take three hundred more. Furniture does not get more sustainable than that.
Look at this Dutch oak pewter cupboard of around 1700: almost two metres high, 157 centimetres wide, with a work surface and open shelves for plates. It was made for a kitchen and that is still where it looks best.
In front of it stands an English joint stool from the seventeenth century, with turned legs. On the top, a Spanish brass candlestick of 24 centimetres. Three pieces, three countries, and they go together because they are made just as honestly.
In this photo: Antique Dutch oak pewter cupboard – circa 1700 (€ 3.295) · 17th-century oak joint stool with turned legs – England (€ 1.450) · Large Spanish brass candlestick with low bell base – circa 1680–1730 (€ 245)
The strength of antiques: wood, hand and time
Antique wood is different. It grew slowly, was sawn and planed by hand, and was then rubbed for centuries. No stain in the world gives you that deep colour.
You see the hand of the maker. A carved edge is never entirely symmetrical, a turned leg never exactly the same as its neighbour. That makes it alive.
And then time itself. A worn stretcher on a stool, a discoloured spot where a hand always rested, gilding that has gone dull. We call that patina, and it is the most precious thing a piece has.
How do you combine antiques without it looking old-fashioned?
By giving it space. What looks old-fashioned is not the piece of furniture, but the room full of rugs, little lamps and yet more furniture around it.
Put one cabinet against an empty, light wall. This seventeenth-century cabinet with a carved portrait and a shell is 124 centimetres high: low enough to hang a painting above it.
Here a still life by Marjolein van den Berg hangs above it, with a seventeenth-century Jan Steen jug and chestnuts, 35 by 45 centimetres. New work next to an old cabinet, in the same calm. A small Louis XV candlestick of 19 centimetres completes it.
In this photo: Unique 17th Century Cabinet with Portrait and Scallop (€ 1.245) · Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with 17th-century Jan Steen jug and chestnuts, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011 · French 18th-century brass candlestick – Louis XV (€ 195)

What to look for when buying antiques

Look first at the construction. Hand-sawn dovetails, wooden pegs, a back made of wide boards: these are signs of age. Machine-made, perfectly straight joints are later.
Then look at what has been replaced. A new top, different handles or a later lock need not be a problem, as long as you are told. This walnut washstand from the time of Louis-Philippe has a white marble top and towel rails on the sides.
And watch for the words ‘in the style of’. This trumeau mirror with urn and dolphins is in Louis XVI style, but made in the twentieth century; the Dantesca chair with lion heads is a later look back at the Renaissance. That is not a flaw. It simply belongs in the description, and in the price.
In this photo: Walnut washstand with white marble top and towel rails – Louis-Philippe, France, 19th century (€ 625) · Trumeau mirror in Louis XVI style with urn and dolphins – painted and gilt (€ 495) · Dantesca chair (Dagobert armchair) with lion heads and mascaron – Renaissance Revival, 19th century (€ 575)
Antiques in a light, calm interior
Dark wood and light walls are made for each other. Against limewashed stone an oak cabinet stands out like a silhouette.
But antiques need not be dark. This small Dutch cushion cabinet from the seventeenth century is painted white and stands on a base: 160 centimetres high together. It almost disappears against the wall.
In front of it stand two nineteenth-century British Windsor chairs, made for the army and therefore extremely strong. A chair does not get simpler.
Keep the floor empty, and the windowsill too. One book, one chair standing in front of something.
And let the daylight do the work. Antiques were made in a time without lamps; by a window they are at their best.
In this photo: Rare Small 17th Century Dutch (Nursery) Cushion Cabinet, Oak, White Painted (€ 1.795) · Set of 4 nineteenth-century British military Windsor chairs – WD stamped (€ 895)

Start small
You do not have to start with a cupboard. A candlestick, a mantel clock, a pair of Delft vases on a console table: that alone brings another era into the room.
A wooden column is a good start. Put a bowl, a bust or a plant on it and you have made a place.
In the great hall below, a Sèvres-style clock garniture stands on the mantelpiece, an Empire tazza on a twisted column, and in front of it a chair with red velvet next to an oak stool. Five pieces in a great hall: no more is needed.

In this photo: Gilt Bronze Sèvres Style Clock Garniture, 19th Century (€ 1.520) · Carved oak column with twisted shaft, beaded borders and acanthus base – 19th century (€ 450) · Empire tazza in fire-gilt bronze, marble and glass – France, early 19th century (€ 845) · 17th-century oak joint stool with turned legs – England (€ 1.450) · Nineteenth-century French carved chair with red velvet (€ 345)
How would De Huiszwaluw use classic antiques?
We like to place antiques in a house that is itself old: light walls, a stone floor, tall windows with a view of the garden.
We mix the centuries. A seventeenth-century stool next to a chair from the nineteenth century, an Empire clock on a farmhouse table. It is about quality, not about the correct period room.
We hang art with it that brings calm: a still life, an etching, a drawing. And we leave out what can be left out.
Below you can see the classic antiques and classic art we currently have in the collection. Each piece exists only once.
Now in our collection: classic antiques
Small globular celadon jarlet with lobed body – Chinese, Longquan typeprice on request
Set of 2 Chinese stoneware jars with crackled celadon glaze – Southern China, late Ming, 16th–17th century€ 275
French demijohn in mouth-blown glass with iridescent patina – 19th century€ 120
Porcelain figural candlestick with a Chinese figure in chinoiserie – French or German, second half of the 19th century€ 95
Large French lidded vase in the Chinese famille rose style – hand-painted porcelain, first half 20th century€ 295
Large antique travel trunk – grey painted canvas with black slats and leather handles, early 20th century€ 95
Antique red copper kettle with dovetailed seam – handmade, 19th century€ 135
Antique bentwood piano stool – adjustable swivel stool with pressed seat, Thonet style, c. 1900–1920€ 295
Pair of bronze pricket candlesticks on three ball feet – late Gothic style, 19th century€ 195 per pair
Curtain tieback with pine cone – bronze, Louis XVI style, late 19th century€ 65
Curtain tiebacks (set of 2) – bronze, Louis XV style, c. 1900€ 95
Old woven basket with red buttoned interior – late 19th century€ 75
Antique oak chair with high back – chaise lorraine, 18th – early 19th century€ 275
Plant table with openwork tiers – cast metal in Victorian style, second half 20th century€ 65
Biscuit porcelain group with horses and sedan chair – Scheibe-Alsbach porcelain, first half 20th century€ 175
Candlestick – tinned bronze, Régence/Louis XV, 18th century€ 115
Large candlestick – brass with square base, 19th century€ 125
Antique wall cabinet with mirrored door and drawer – red-brown stained wood, c. 1900–1930€ 125
Small demountable table – burr wood with curved legs, plant stand€ 85
Bronze tazza with relief – Minerva and the arts, Napoleon III, 19th century€ 245
Maria Theresa crystal chandelier with tall scrolls and drop pendants, five lights – mid-20th century€ 375
Maria Theresa crystal chandelier with leaf-shaped pendants, six lights – mid-20th century€ 245
Black leather box with leather medallion and red laced edge – vintage jewellery or glove box€ 65
Walnut washstand with white marble top and towel rails – Louis-Philippe, France, 19th century€ 625
Ebonised column with fluted shaft – classic sellette, 19th century€ 395
Blackened wooden column with turned spiral shaft – Napoleon III, second half 19th century€ 295
Carved oak column with twisted shaft, beaded borders and acanthus base – 19th century€ 450
Gilt wooden candlestick on plinth – Italian Neoclassical style, cream and gold, mid-20th century€ 65
Pair of terracotta roof ornaments with palmette – Greek Neoclassical akrokeramo, c. 1880–1930€ 295 (samen)
Nicolas Lecorney – Girl picking a daisy, biscuit porcelain, late 19th century€ 545
Chinese kneeling camel with loose saddle – painted terracotta in Wei/Tang styleprice on request
Chinese earthenware horse with detachable head in Han style – painted terracottaprice on request
Wooden plant stand with twisted legs – 101 cm high€ 125
Dantesca chair (Dagobert armchair) with lion heads and mascaron – Renaissance Revival, 19th century€ 575
Trumeau mirror in Louis XVI style with urn and dolphins – painted and gilt€ 495
Rosenthal Winifred dinner service with bellflowers – ivory porcelain, c. 1930–1950€ 195
Small round coffee table in Swedish Gustavian style – cream painted, early 20th century€ 225
Antique oak door with frame and ornate openwork wrought-iron lock – 16th–17th century€ 3.995
Antique French binoculars Lemaire Paris with leather case – First World War€ 165
Chinese blue and white plate with shou character and precious objects – Fujian, 19th century
Chinese lobed dish with peony tree and fence – blue and white Kangxi, c. 1700–1720
Chinese lobed dish with flowering tree and fence – blue and white Kangxi, c. 1700–1720
Chinese blue and white plate with peony and butterfly – Qianlong, 18th century
Chinese blue and white plate with radiating motif and mark 永和 – South China, 19th century
Chinese blue and white dish with lotus scrolls and Jiaqing seal mark – late Qing
Japanese octagonal blue and white inban dish – Meiji, c. 1870–1900
Small Chinese blue and white dish with spiral lotus decoration – Fujian, c. 1790–1850
Chinese Kangxi blue and white plate with silver handle – c. 1700€ 395
Small Westerwald stoneware jug with cobalt blue decoration – 18th century€ 145
Westerwald stoneware jug with numeral 3 and bunches of grapes – 18th/19th century€ 185
Octagonal Chinese blue and white plate with peonies – Qianlong, 18th century€ 145
Chinese blue and white plate with garden fence, peony and bamboo – Qianlong, 18th century€ 160
17th-century oak joint stool with turned legs – England€ 1.450
Chinese Swatow dish with pagoda landscape – late Ming, c. 1600€ 395
Brown stoneware jug with handle – 19th century€ 75
Late Gothic bronze drip-pan candlestick on hexagonal base – 16th century, archaeological find€ 895
Set of 4 Chinese blue and white bowls with lotus scrolls – 19th century€ 145
Black bobbin chair with armrests and rush seat – c. 1900–1930€ 245
17th-century farmhouse chair with carved motifs – wabi-sabi€ 275
Silver bonbon basket with bows – Van Kempen, Begeer & Vos, 1934€ 195
Pair of Spanish 17th-century carved wooden angel candlesticks€ 1.595
Nineteenth-century French carved chair with red velvet€ 345
17th-century French oak monastery table / trestle table – 240 cm€ 4.295
17th-century French brass candlestick – circa 1690€ 345
Large Spanish brass candlestick with low bell base – circa 1680–1730€ 245
Early 18th-century French bronze candlestick€ 195
French 18th-century brass candlestick – Louis XV€ 195
17th-century Spanish brass candlestick with square base€ 145
English Art Nouveau candelabrum with 5 arms – silver-plated€ 95
Faience vase from Nevers – Antoine ‘Gabriel’ Montagnon, circa 1915€ 195
Life-size carved wooden head of a man – Southern Europe, circa 1700€ 1.795
Pair of Japanese bronze cloisonné vases – 19th century€ 195
Pair of 18th-century Delft vases – Pieter van den Briel, ’t Fortuynprice on request
Nineteenth-century French holy water font in green onyx and champlevé enamel€ 345
French provincial oak chair from Lorraine – late 17th / early 18th century (no. 3)€ 245
French provincial oak chair from Lorraine – late 17th / early 18th century (no. 2)€ 245
French provincial oak chair from Lorraine – late 17th / early 18th century€ 245
Pair of antique northern French black-stained chairs with rush seats – circa 1900€ 295
Set of 4 nineteenth-century British military Windsor chairs – WD stamped€ 895
Antique Dutch oak corner chair with turned spindles and new rush seat€ 295
17th-century salt-glazed stoneware jug€ 145
Rare antique Dutch oak armchair with rush seat€ 345
Antique Dutch oak pewter cupboard – circa 1700€ 3.295
Antique bronze lock lamp with red signal glass – Tiel, circa 1900€ 395
Set of 4 solid ebony Anglo-Indian chairs – Rococo Revival, Ceylon, 19th century€ 4.795
17th-century French bronze candlestick€ 110
Empire tazza in fire-gilt bronze, marble and glass – France, early 19th century€ 845
Old French wooden plant column with carved grape motifs€ 495
Large French mirror in architectural panel with gilt frame€ 595
French Neoclassical carved wood chandelier – circa 1950€ 295
Large antique Chinese wooden sculpture with child – wabi-sabi€ 345
French black-patinated pedestal with time-worn patina – circa 1880€ 345
18th-century French wooden angel ornament with gilding€ 845
18th Century French Provincial Confiturier Cabinet€ 795
Antique Oak Barley Twist Pedestal / Plant Stand – 109 cm Height€ 595
18th Century or Earlier German Primitive Cabinet on Sledge Feet with Hand-Forged Hardware€ 635
Exclusive Empire Style Gilt Metal Floor Lamp, 1950s€ 445
Empire Fire-Gilded Mantel Clock, circa 1820€ 1.195
Gilt Bronze Sèvres Style Clock Garniture, 19th Century€ 1.520
Antique 19th-century mirror with griffins and console table€ 300
Unique 17th Century Cabinet with Portrait and Scallop€ 1.245
Rare Small 17th Century Dutch (Nursery) Cushion Cabinet, Oak, White Painted€ 1.795
Wabi-Sabi Perfect Imperfect 19th Century French Horse with Real Horse Skin€ 495
XL antique candle lamp / floor lamp, gold€ 245
Neoclassical Torch Lamp with Swans and Eagle, 19th Century€ 245
Gold and grey château armchair€ 180
Set of 19th-century Japanese vase lamps with dragons and birds€ 260
17th Century Alpine Carved Walnut Board Armchair (Brettstuhl) with Grotesque Mask€ 1.395Now in our collection: classic art
Unknown artist – Ladies of the court at a banquet, intaglio print, c. 1900–1910€ 75
G. Rentmeester-Wynman – Farmhouse on the Brinkweg in Soestdijk, pen drawing, 1927€ 65
Unknown artist – Flowering cactus on the windowsill, linocut, c. 1920–1940€ 55
Unknown artist (signed ‘B. Jorin’) – Twilight, forest path with trees, watercolour and mixed media, mid-20th century€ 65
Unknown artist – Portrait of a woman with a large hat, oil on canvas, c. 1905–1915€ 50
After Renoir – La Loge (the theatre box), pastel, 20th century€ 65
J.J. Boerendans – Still life with green bottle, jug and copper oil lamp, watercolour and gouache, c. 1925–1945€ 135
Jac. Snoeck – Rothenburg Town Hall, hand-coloured reproduction, c. 1925–1955€ 35
Jacobus Houbraken – Robert Walpole, Earl of Orford, copper engraving, 1746€ 120
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with pewter pot and garlic, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with roemer and small chest (archaeological find), acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with pewter dish, Jacoba jug and clay stoppers, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with pewter archaeological finds on a chest, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with small apples and white bowl, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with pewter jug and small apples, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with pewter dish, small book and beaker, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with Westerwald jug on pewter plate, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with blue Westerwald jug with pewter lid, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with Bartmann jug and pewter spoon, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with three pewter tea caddies, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with pewter inkstand and old books, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011€ 1.295 * GERESERVEERD / ON HOLD *
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with long-necked bottle and archaeological finds, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with 17th-century Jan Steen jug and chestnuts, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with pewter chamber pot (archaeological find), acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with Jacoba jug and balls, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with jug and brazier (archaeological finds), acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Marjolein van den Berg – Still life with pewter Schleifkanne of the Potters’ Guild, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011
Set of 11 photogravures after the Hague School – wabi-sabi prints, 1907–1912€ 40 (voor de hele set van 11)
Sheepdog rescuing a sheep from the snow – charcoal drawing after Landseer, signed J.W. Simpson, c. 1900€ 345 – doe gerust een bod
Jan Wilmink – Sint-Joriskerk, the market on the Hof, Amersfoort – pen drawing€ 85
Pastel of tulips in a red vase – signed€ 45
Pencil portrait of a young girl – 19th-century drawing study, signed€ 75
Pastel of a mill by the river, after Jacob van Ruisdael – signed D. v. Zomeren€ 95
Watercolour of an Amsterdam cityscape with domed church – signed J. Parson, 1984€ 85
Fishing boats on the slipway – oil on canvas€ 145
Pencil portrait of a man with a cap – 19th-century drawing study, signed€ 75
Albert Servaes – Winter landscape, ink wash and gouache, signed and dated 1930€ 750
Still life with ginger jar, copper dish and fruit – oil on canvas, signed€ 125
C. de Zeeuw – Etching of Woerden Town Hall, signed€ 65
Etching of the Cunera Church, Rhenen – signed€ 65
Red chalk portrait of a girl with a bow – signed Weiner, March 1945€ 65
Pen drawing of Château de Blois – courtyard with gate, dated ’62€ 35
Original hand-coloured engraving of an ornamental vase with flowers – Maurice Jacques, published by Daumont, 18th century€ 145
Wood engraving ‘The Empress of Austria in the Hunting Field’ – The Graphic, 1881€ 65
Hand-coloured lithograph ‘The goodnatured husband’ – Jos. Scholz, Mainz, mid-19th century€ 55
Etching/heliogravure of an Amsterdam gable ‘Anno 1648’ – signed D.F. Eberhardt, c. 1920–1935€ 35
Steel engraving ‘The Game Dealer’ – W. French after Pieter Aertsen, c. 1850–1860€ 35
Lithograph portrait of Maria Manning after a daguerreotype by Laroche – London, 1849€ 110
Etching ‘Koffiemalen’ (Grinding coffee) – Bram Steelink after August Allebé, 19th century€ 45
Etching ‘Coffret de mariage’ by Boulle for the Grand Dauphin – L. Gaucherel, L’Art 1880€ 35
Etching ‘A Yeoman of the Guard’ – Ch. Waltner after J.E. Millais, L’Art 1878€ 45
Set of 9 botanical plates – Atlas van Nederlandsche planten, L. Klaver, c. 1905€ 175
Entomological print of wasps of Madagascar – Lebrun / Geny-Gros, late 19th century€ 55
Watercolour of a pink house among trees – signed and dated 1913€ 65
Pen and ink drawing of an oriental street scene – signed J. Bosboom, 20th century€ 75
Vintage photograph ‘Diapason’ – organ of Eton College Chapel, prize winner 1943€ 75
Stipple lithograph of a post mill – signed and numbered 5/100, 1920s–1940s€ 45
Charcoal and pencil drawing of plums on a branch – drawing study, late 19th century€ 65
Etching of a Red Cross nurse ‘O tempora O mores’ – Johannes Nicolaas jr., 1917€ 110
Old engraving / print of a reclining woman – framed – 35 × 37 cm€ 75
Frans Lebret – Evening landscape with resting sheep – circa 1875€ 1.395
Pair of Dutch Neoclassical flower still lifes, signed F.M. de Spaen née de Bylandt – 1809€ 1.195
(Circle of) Jan van Ravesteyn 1572–1657, Head of a Bearded Man, Oil on PanelRead on about other styles
Scandinavian designScandinavian design at home: light wood, calm and simplicity
BohemianBohemian at home: free, warm and full of stories
Postmodern & MemphisPostmodern & Memphis at home: colour, form and a wink
Dutch designDutch design at home: sober, clever and surprisingly warm
Art nouveauArt nouveau interior: lines that grow like plants
BrutalismBrutalism at home: heavy wood, raw iron and shapes with weight
French countryFrench country living: wood, stone and the calm of country life
IndustrialIndustrial living: honest materials, clever shapes and a rough edge
Art decoArt deco: clean lines, warm materials and a touch of daring
Mid-centuryMid-century design: timeless, warm and still modern
Wabi-sabiWhat is wabi-sabi living, and why does imperfection make an interior more beautiful?