Caned Furniture Case Study: Conclusion

IMG_1829Conclusion

Very little has been written about the history of rattan and its use in caned furniture.  It has proved difficult to find definitive details in many situations, but the above information has been collected and refined over a long period and the sources checked where possible, so it is presented with reasonable confidence.  The origins of caned furniture are in South East Asia, but it is the development of the design and skills in London and then in High Wycombe from the mid-seventeenth century to the mid-nineteenth century, which contributed to the subsequent significant expansion and further development of such furniture outside England.   Current traditional caning activity by a small number of skilled crafts persons in the United Kingdom is centred on the re-caning of existing furniture, generally pre 1940.  Virtually no caned chairs are now being made for the material is currently out of fashion – but who knows what the future holds?

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