What is a bentwood coat stand?

A column of beech steamed and bent into shape, with scrolled hooks at the top and splayed feet at the base. Steam-bending made light, cheap stands possible in quantity from the middle of the nineteenth century. On Sellingantiques it is the dominant form: 73 of 173 titles say bentwood, and most of those are described simply as a bentwood coat stand.

Are hat stands and coat stands the same thing?

Usually the same object, named by whichever part of it the dealer led with. The hooks at the top take hats, the shaft takes coats, the well at the bottom takes sticks and umbrellas. Titles combine the words freely, and hat, hall, umbrella and stick often appear two or three at a time in the same line.

What does demi lune mean on a coat stand?

Half-round in plan, so the stand sits flat against a wall rather than out in the room. The same idea is written as half round, flat back, against the wall, or 1/2. It is a recognised sub-type within the bentwood group, not a one-off variation.

How old are most antique coat stands?

The weight of the category sits between about 1880 and 1930. Where listings give a clean year the range runs from 1850 to 1930, with 93 of the 173 carrying one. The rest are dated by period word. Plain 19th Century is the largest single label, with Victorian and Edwardian close behind, and titles sometimes disagree with the dated field. Georgian appears twice.

Which coat stands sit at the top of the range?

Animal subjects, not furniture. An antler coat stand of about 1850 is the highest-priced thing in the archive, and a carved Black Forest bear hall stand comes next. Black Forest work is a persistent minority, and every one of those pieces sits in the upper half of the range.

Do many coat stands carry a maker's name?

Few do. Nine titles in the whole group name a bentwood firm and one mentions a label, so the bentwood majority is sold unattributed. Where a name or a firm does appear in a title, it sits above the unnamed equivalents.