Reproduction furniture is furniture made in the style of an earlier period, copying or closely following historic designs without being of that period. It ranges from faithful hand-made copies of Georgian and Regency pieces to factory-made interpretations produced in large numbers during the twentieth century.
Revival and reproduction work has a long history. Victorian and Edwardian cabinetmakers produced a great deal of high-quality furniture in the manner of Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton, and many of these pieces are now antiques in their own right and are valued accordingly. Later in the twentieth century, firms such as Bevan Funnell, Arthur Brett and others made well-regarded reproduction furniture for the domestic market. Reproduction should be distinguished from faking: an honest reproduction makes no pretence to be older than it is, whereas a fake is deliberately made or altered to deceive. Buyers learn to tell the difference by examining construction, timber, tool marks, wear patterns, hardware and the way surfaces have aged. Good reproduction pieces offer the look of period furniture at a lower price and are often sturdier for everyday use, but they should always be described and priced as what they are.
