Antique Inlaid Mahogany Sideboard, Stamped T. Wilson 1820s

• Signed or Stamped - A signed piece of furniture may mean that the maker has signed (and hopefully dated) the piece in the same way that we sign a cheque, but more likely, that it bears evidence of the name of the maker, wholesaler or retailer as a paper label, metal plaque, impressed into the timber or in later pieces after about 1880, stamped onto the timber with an ink stamp.
  
  The 'signature' or stamp will always be in an unobtrusive position: under the top of a table, on the underside of the rails of a chair, inside a drawer or on the back.
  
  The fact that a piece is 'signed' considerably enhances its value. Signed Australian furniture is extremely rare, and for imported furniture, it is a mark of quality of the item, as only the items by the top makers or retailers were 'signed'
• Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
• Inlay - Decorative patterns inserted into the main body of a piece of furniture, generally in wood of contrasting colour and grain, though brass, ivory, ebony, shell and sometimes horn have been used. Inlay may consist of a panel of well figured timber inset into a cabinet door front, geometric patterns, or complex and stylized designs of flowers, swags of foliage, fruits and other motifs. As a general rule, in pieces where the carcase is constructed in the solid, the inlay is relatively simple such as stringing, cross banding and herringbone banding. Where more elaborate and decorative work was required veneer was used. Inlay has been fashionable from at least the latter half of the 17th century, when a variety of elaborate forms were developed
• Mahogany - Mahogany is a dense, close grained red-coloured timber from the West Indies and Central America. It was first imported into Europe in the the early 18th century and its use continued through the 19th century. It was popular for furniture making because of its strength, the wide boards available, the distinctive grain on some boards, termed flame mahogany and the rich warm colour of the timber when it was polished.. The "flame" was produced where a limb grew out from the trunk of the tree, and this timber was usually sliced into veneers for feature panels on doors, backs and cornices.
  
  Some terms used to describe mahogany relate to the country from which it originally came, such as "Cuban" mahogany, "Honduras" mahogany etc. However unless the wood has been tested the names assigned are more a selling feature, rather than a true indication of the timber's origin.
• Willson, Thomas - The firm of Thomas Willson, cabinet makers and retailers was established in London in 1818 dealing in new and second-hand furniture. Some sources list the firm as furniture brokers only, but this is likely to be because the firm sold second-hand furniture, and overlooks the fact they also made new furniture.
  
  A makers label on a Willson piece reads: "THOMAS WILLSON, Cabinet Maker, Upholsterer, & Co. 68 GREAT QUEEN STREET, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. Every article of furniture for the Drawing, Dining, Bed Room and Library of first-class make."
  
  From 1830 to 1837 the business was run by Thomas Willson's wife Mary, and from 1838 to 1854 by their son Matthew.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• cabinets, period or style
  • Georgian 277
  • Regency 129
• Gillows of Lancaster (England) - furniture, designers and makers 69
• sideboards
  • Georgian 133
  • Regency 70
• Willson / Wilson, Thomas (England) - furniture, designers and makers 4