Periods & Styles - British, French & German

Know your Dates and Styles

Often antique items age and appearance is decsribed by a style or period. These can be a little confusing and difficult to remember, hence the following tables to help with future reference.

Following are fast links to information below:

British ( 1688 - 1910 )
French ( 1643 - 1940 )
German ( 1650 - 1920 )
Design Styles ( 1558 - 1930 )

British Periods

Dates	Period
1688 - 1694	William & Mary
1694 - 1702	William III
1702 - 1714	Anne	Queen Anne
1714 - 1727	George I	Early Georgian
1727 - 1760	George II	Early Georgian
1760 - 1811	George III	Late Georgian

Dates	Period
1811 - 1820	George III	Regency
1820 - 1830	George IV	Regency
1830 - 1837	William IV
1837 - 1901	Victoria	Victorian
1901 - 1910	Edward VII	Edwardian
1910 - 1936	George V
1936 - 1936	Edward VIII
1936 - 1952	George VI

French Periods

Dates	Period
1643 - 1715	Louise XIV
1715 - 1723	Regence
1723 - 1774	Louis XV
1774 - 1793	Louis XVI
1793 - 1799	Directoire

Dates	Period
1799 - 1815	Empire
1815 - 1830	Restauration
1830 - 1848	Louise Philippe
1848 - 1870	2nd Empire
1871 - 1940	3rd Republic

German Periods/styles

Dates	Period
c.1650 - 1700	Renaissance/Baroque
c.1700 - 1730	Baroque
c.1730 - 1760	Rococo
c.1760 - 1800	Neo-classicism

Dates	Period
c.1800 - 1815	Empire
c1815 - 1848	Biedermeier
c.1830 - 1880	Revivale
c.1880 - 1920	Jugendstil

Design Styles

Styles are normally associated with a period, so when something is described as "In the style of..." then this describes the approximate design that an items most closely relates to.

Following are some of the main styles and the date periods they are most commonly found. There is no reason why an item can not be of a particular style after this period however it is very rare to be of that style prior to the outlined date periods.

Style	Dates	Elements
Gothic	1558 - 1625	Pillars, arches and semi-circular decoration and motif, with roots in Islamic architecture later refered to 'Christian style'
Baroque	c.1620 - 1700	Dramatic in style, unusual angles, predominately German
Rococo	c.1695 - 1760	Lavish carving and ornaments
Neo-classical	c.1755 - 1805	Incorporation of classical Greek motifs such as pillars, pediments and overall linearity
Empire	c.1799 - 1815	Restrained linearity and metal mounts
Regency	c.1812 - 1830	Motifs such as lion's paws and heads, Egyptian spines and much use of gliding for ornamentation
Eclectic	c.1830 - 1880	Floral motifs such as acanthus and adoption of complex curvilinear design
Arts and Crafts	c.1880 - 1900	Use of floral decoration and the emulation of a Mediaeval approach to manufacture
Art Nouveau	c.1900 - 1920	The tulip motive and mainly sinuous decoration were popular
Art Deco	c.1920 - 1930	A reaction against the earlier Arts and Crafts period. Some features include linearity in design and veneering

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