Antique Treen
It was only in the late 17th Century that items other than wood were commonly used for household items. Before the introduction of ceramics, pewter and silver wood was the most common material. Agricultural and Domestic wooden tools can usually be referred to as Treen.
The literal definition of Treen is "of a tree" and it refers to small handmade functional household objects which are made of wood.
Items that you might see associated with Treen can be any of the following made from wood: bowls, plates, needle cases spoons, snuff boxes, egg cups and shoehorns.
Antique Treen in most cases would be produced by carving and turning wood such as sycamore, box and beech. Today Treen is seen as collectable by many people and is still in use in some people’s homes hundreds of years after its manufacture.
Advice and information about Treen - by Mark Seabrook (Treen specialist)
What is Treen ?... What should I buy ? ... and what should I look out for when buying Treen?...these are all questions I am frequently asked by people just starting to collect Treen........so I will try and answer these questions:
The Oxford Dictionary describes Treen as “small domestic wooden objects – antiques”.... to simplify it, Treen is the general term to describe small antique wooden objects that are usually made by turning on a pole-lathe, or machine lathe, carved or whittled out by hand and being no larger than a Spinning Wheel.
There are lots of references to Treen in old English Literature...one of my favourites is by John Jewel, an Elizabethan Bishop of Salisbury who in his sermon says “ In old times we had Treen Chalices and golden Priests- but now we have Treen Priests and golden Chalices”...a man with a good sense of humour!
Although Treen has been collected for a very long time, it really became popular in the 1950’s thanks to Edward & Eva Pinto who were avid collectors and amassed a large collection which they kept in their house at Oxhey Wood , Birmingham, where they photographed everything and eventually in 1949 published the definitive book on the subject called simply “ Treen and other wooden bygones” it is a must for any collector starting out, you can also see their collection today which is housed in the Birmingham City Musuem...also another superb book recently written on the subject is “Treen for the Table” written by Jonathan Levi.
A lot of people start out buying all types of Treen and the list of items to buy is numerous...here are some of the more popular categories that people collect , Kitchenalia, Smoking and Snuff , Apothercary, Drinking and Food ,Knitting and Sewing, Farming, Costume accessories, Reading ,Writing,Scientific...and many more....usually what will happen as you develop into an avid collector is you will refine your collection to just a few specific categories that excite you most and don’t take up too much room!
So finally a few tips on buying...don’t buy something just because it is cheap...buy what you really like, try and buy the best at a reasonable price...one of the main criteria in collecting Treen is colour, natural colour which is called patination that comes from years of use, don’t buy an item which has been falsely coloured or french polished, try to limit restoration to a minimum , obviously some items will have restoration, but make sure it is not over restored.
As you get into collecting you will see items that don’t look right and your head will say don’t buy although your heart is saying buy...listen to your head, if it is cheap and seems too good to be true, it is ...don’t buy, your instinct knows better....it is far better to walk away than buy a mistake which you will regret!
Visit quality Antique Fairs which are vetted for authenticity and you will see a lot of good Treen, try and handle it and don’t be afraid to talk to the specialist dealer, he will be happy to advice you as most dealers are passionate about their subjects and it pleases us to see new collectors....don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask to handle it, look closely to see how it is made...I love to see the pole-lathe turning rings ...it is like having the makers signature...but most of all enjoy it...but be warned it can become addictive...in a very pleasurable and rewarding way!