Furniture as Artifact: An Investigative Model

Abstract

Issue Furniture historians no longer are content with descriptions of furniture but are looking for ways to read or interpret these descriptions. Researchers recognize that both the generally accepted furniture icons and vernacular furniture can reveal valuable cultural insights. Emphasis now is on the significance of furniture beyond its stylistic attributes, utilitarian character, and commercial value. This significance rests largely in its ability to carry and communicate cultural meaning. Goal A model was developed to provide the researcher with a multi–disciplinary, qualitative, and quantitative framework for data collection and analysis of furniture as it relates to cultural meaning. Application Students of furniture history can utilize the model to explore the cultural meaning of a piece of furniture. This model can also be used by historical researchers as a framework for analysis of artifacts without documentation. Description The model uses 6 topics of inquiry including material, construction, design, function, value, and provenance as a framework for investigating the artifact. The process of investigation involves direct, detailed, sensory observation of the artifact, followed by the gathering of supplementary data, interpretation of cultural symbols, and finally, creative speculation about its cultural meaning. Conclusions Unique because it recognizes the iterative nature of data collection and data analysis, the model is structured to provide conceptual continuity necessary to the understanding of the rich cultural insights reflected by furniture.