Cane furniture is furniture in which the seats, backs or side panels are made from woven cane, the thin, glossy strips cut from the outer skin of the rattan palm. The term can also refer more loosely to furniture made from whole rattan or bamboo stems, although strictly the word cane describes the woven split material.
Caning was introduced to England in the later seventeenth century through trade with the East, and caned chairs became fashionable during the reign of Charles II, often with elaborately carved walnut or beech frames and tall backs. The technique offered a light, cool and inexpensive alternative to upholstery. Cane returned to favour in the late eighteenth and Regency periods for bergère chairs, settees and painted beech chairs in the Sheraton manner, and Victorian and Edwardian makers used it widely for bedroom chairs, rocking chairs and occasional pieces. Bentwood chairs by Thonet and others commonly had cane seats. Collectors examine the condition of the caning, which can become brittle or broken, and whether it has been replaced, which is acceptable if done in the traditional hand-woven manner. Antique caned furniture suits light, airy rooms such as bedrooms, garden rooms and dressing rooms.
