One day I was looking with great pleasure at some pictures of painted furniture posted on Facebook. I started thinking about how much joy this type of furniture can bring to a home and how lucky we Romanians are to be able to add painted furniture to our national heritage.
Painted furniture, a universal tradition
From here it was only a step to the thought is it only in the Saxon tradition that this type of furniture exists? Only here, in villages in different parts of the country, can we find old painted pieces of furniture? Scouring the net in search of the traditions of other peoples, I discovered that there is that universal peasant who is so totally in love with flowers, birds, animals and nature that he brings them into his home and places them lovingly, for immortality, on cupboards, beds, chairs and chests of drawers.
And because I very much want you to believe me, I'll give you arguments. As I think it's only natural, I start with furniture from Germany (Bavaria) because it's related to ours.
photo source: evbantiques.com
But I can tell you in all honesty that I was impressed by the painted furniture from Sweden, its diversity and richness.
photo source: howtospendit.ft.com
But the rest of the Scandinavian countries are not far behind either. I found the pieces from Norway, for example, very special.
photo source: cowanactions.com
But back to the continent. I can't tell you in which country I haven't found traditional painted furniture. I have evidence from Portugal, Holland, France, the Czech Republic and Poland.
photo source: skinnerin.com
photo source: midnightsunantiques.com
photo source: 1stdibs
from the Czech Republic and Poland.
photo source: kurbits.com
When you get to Italy, you have to be patient, because here you don't find traditional Italian furniture, but Tyrolean, Tuscan or Venetian furniture.
photo source: antichitamissaglia.it
photo source: rfurniture.com
photo source: polyvore.com
Here, near us, the Hungarians and Russians make exquisite painted furniture.
Do you think I have limited myself to Europe? You are mistaken. As I told you, the peasant lover of beauty is universal. He painted his furniture whether he was on the banks of the Ganges, in India, in the rice paddies of China or in Mongolia.
photo source: etsy.com
photo source: houzz.com
photo source: desdeasia.com.ar
The Moroccan peasant also had something to leave to the universal heritage, as did the American peasant.
photo source: creative jewishmom.com
photo source: etsy.com
Do not think that the furniture was painted only by peasants. They were, in my view, the inspiration. Painted furniture became cultured and began to have other sources of inspiration. But that is a topic for another article.
photo source: houzz.com
In the end I return home to the traditional Romanian furniture, which I love the most. How could it be otherwise, when one of my cherished childhood memories is of my grandmother carefully placing quilts and quilting in the painted dowry chest?
But the present moves me just as much. Because you get to meet special people like Claudiu Bixa from Reghin, who told me that he was approaching with the fear of not spoiling the beauty of the old painted dowry chest, which he wants to restore to its former glory.
photo source: Claudiu Bixa
If you know other such beautiful people who are stubborn not to let the past die, please let me know. I'd love to make it known.
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Hello,
I came here after seeing the link to one of your articles on Facebook. 🙂
My husband and I are wood lovers, and my passion is painting on wood - be it paintings, chests or other pieces of furniture. I love the warmth of rustic furniture, vintage, cottage, shabby chic... I also love painting new pieces made by my husband, as well as crates or old pieces of furniture that he has refurbished. For example, I worked with great pleasure on some bedside tables that had sentimental value, being about 130 years old... May I invite you to take a look at my paintings on wood? I would be very happy if you could visit my website http://brindusa-art.ro (on the gallery page I have posted a lot of works) or on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BrindusaArt . Each painting is unique. I would love to hear your impressions...
Hello,
I'm so glad that you've come to our page. What I have seen on your website and FB page I liked very much and I would like to learn more about your family's work. The paintings are very beautiful and combined with a wooden object it looks like a story. A story that I would love to be told as soon as possible so I can tell it further. The next few days I will get in touch with you by email.
I congratulate you for what you do and thank you for following us.
I'm so glad you liked the work you saw on my website and Facebook page! Yes, you're right, almost every one of my works has a story behind it... and I want it to give the viewer the feeling that they are in a story - one full of warmth and joy. I look forward to hearing from you and would love to answer any questions. 🙂 Glad to have found you too and thank you so much for your words of appreciation!
Hello, my husband and I are craftsmen in painted furniture that my husband makes and I paint it.We are from Oltenia area, it seems that we are the only ones who make from scratch all the painted furniture objects in the south.It all started from passion for beautiful and traditional, we participate in craftsmen fairs and hope to bring the taste for painted furniture in the southern part of the country.More posts can be found on FB page, Rodica Dilganu.Have a nice day!
Follow on facebook a location he recently discovered: "house with paintings" and "Nea Ion's farm" in Vama Buzaului, jud. Brasov. It fascinated me. I don't know why they don't advertise it more. Restored repainted furniture.
Hello,
I am so glad that there are people like you who love the really traditional handmade decorations on wood The most beautiful and documented decoration, with Saxon / Hungarian influences, so Transylvanian decoration, I found on the website "M'Art - Traditional painted furniture" by Mircea Ungurean from Sibiu I would have liked to know the decoration phases for a painting resistant in time But I still hope that I will find a really useful material for those who want to make quality works!
Maybe, who knows, even you can lend a hand?!...
Thank you!
And Mrs. Stela Onuț, from Prejmer makes such beauties in the old technique in which the wood is treated and the pigment is prepared by hand for resistance in time and for preserving the tradition and the original craftsmanship. You can find it on the Ornamentica website.