Pine
Botan. Name: Pinus sylvestris
Like spruce and fir, pine is one of the most widespread conifers in Europe and belongs to the softwoods. The main distribution area is northern Europe and Siberia, but the pine also grows in southern Europe.
The wood of the pine is resinous and darker than that of spruce or fir. The sapwood and heartwood differ in colour. The sapwood is yellowish-white, the heartwood almost reddish-brown.
Antique softwood furniture
Pine wood can be found in antique furniture of all epochs. It was always quite cheap and easy to obtain. The soft wood was easy to work with almost all tools. Waxes and oils were suitable for sealing the surface of unfinished pine furniture.
Pine wood was used as solid wood for rural and simple furniture. For fine veneered furniture, pine was used as a support for the veneer.
Pine was also in demand as the base wood for framed furniture. In the course of their lives, set furniture was often painted over, stained or sanded down when the owner no longer liked the setting. Furniture with original frames is rare and absolutely worth preserving.
A special feature of the pine family is the ornamental pine. The many ingrown, maroon branches give the wood an interesting structure. Antique, unbarked pieces of furniture made of ornamental bark pine were mainly produced in the Alpine region.
The pine wood used in the period of origin of our antiques came from the respective region of origin of the furniture.
