Wicker's appeal: flexibility, durability

Wicker furniture uses the techniques of basket-weaving through supporting spokes. It may be made of materials like cane, willow, reed, rattan, rush, raffia, or Oriental sea grass. The term ``wicker'' comes from the Swedish words ``vikker,'' meaning willow, and ``wiker,'' to bend.

The Romans had a fondness for it, and introduced woven furniture to Britain and Gaul in the First Century A.D. The furniture was made from plants indigenous to the area, usually willow or bundled straw.

By 1540, Portuguese traders had established trade routes with India and the Far East. They brought back spices, silk and woven furniture made from a flexible palm fiber called rattan.

Rattan is a climbing palm that grows wild in the steaming rain forests and jungles of southeast Asia. The name comes from the Malay word ``rotan,'' meaning ``walking stick.'' Rattan starts as a small palm that grows to a height of 3 feet. Then it attaches itself to a tree and continues growing as a vine, sometimes reaching lengths of 600 feet.

The natives harvest rattan by cutting the plant at the stem. After allowing it to dry, they pull the vine from its tree and strip the bark from the stalk. It's cut into 20-foot sections, folded, tied into bundles and sent to local processing centers where the rattan is scraped, washed and sun-dried.
Colonial tastes changed

European artisans quickly perfected the craft of making wicker furniture from imported rattan, and by the 17th Century they were selling it throughout Europe and in the American colonies. By 1750, however, public tastes changed and most homeowners preferred furniture made from finished hardwoods with upholstered cushions. Wicker furniture was soon forgotten.

In 1850, Cyrus Wakefield established Wakefield Rattan in South Reading (later renamed Wakefield), Mass. At first, he simply sold the rattan he imported from Asia. Later he manufactured and sold wicker furniture.

It was not long before Wakefield had serious rivals: American Rattan, Colt Willow Ware Works and Bielecky Bros., to name a few. Wakefield's fiercest competitor, however, was Heywood Bros. Manufacturing in Gardner, Mass.

Inspired by intense rivalry, these two giants produced an astounding variety of pieces with an incredible selection of flamboyant designs. In 1897 they merged to form the Heywood Bros. and Wakefield company, and they continued to manufacture the finest pieces of wicker.

The comfortable chairs with their intricate rococo-inspired curvilinear shapes appealed to Victorian tastes for ornamentation. The vogue for woven furniture lasted until the 1930s, when tastes changed. The public abandoned wicker for furniture with art deco geometry and Bauhaus-inspired simplicity.
Wicker makes a comeback

Within the last two decades the furniture-buying public has rediscovered the beauty and comfort of woven furniture, and sales of wicker furniture have increased. Unfortunately, most wicker pieces made today do not display the imaginative designs and durable construction that were the hallmark of the Heywood Bros. and Wakefield products.

Consequently, many wicker aficionados feel the best places to buy quality woven furniture are antique stores. Sometimes they venture into flea markets or rummage sales in the hope of finding an undiscovered treasure.

Certainly a number of considerations, like taste, price, quality and function, are involved when you make any major furniture purchase. Here are a few guidelines to assist you in buying a piece of wicker furniture.
Comfort's paramount

If the piece is to be functional, like a chair, try it out for general comfort. There should be no irritating ornamental bumps or support bars poking you. The construction should be sturdy and solid.

Next, examine the framework for structural integrity. Look at the back, then turn the piece over and look at the underside. Look for rotten framework, broken tenons, broken posts or legs.

It's difficult to repair these defects because they usually require removing extensive amounts of reed and cane wrappings to get at the broken member. Often the restoration can cost more than the piece.

Examine the quality of the woven work. A few patches of broken reeds (``weavers'') can be restored by inserting weavers in the cavity.

Inspect the reed fibers for resiliency. One way to do this is by bending a loose piece of reed. If it breaks, the woven material is probably dried and brittle. This is a serious flaw in any piece, like a chair, that will have to support weight. (Be advised: Many dealers frown on the ``bend and break'' test.)
Check the finish

Finally, examine the condition of the finish. Most of the woven furniture produced in the last half of the 19th Century was left ``natural,'' with only a clear varnish finish. Some pieces were stained with forest green, oak, walnut or ebony hues.

By the turn of the century, manufacturers introduced painted woven furniture for outdoor use. In an effort to keep their painted furniture looking bright, homeowners applied a fresh coat of paint every year. Eventually many of these pieces became encrusted with layers of thick paint.

If you find a paint-encrusted article, is it worth stripping? Probably not; it's almost impossible to remove the many layers of paint by hand. If you elect to take the piece to a ``dip shop,'' where they immerse it in a caustic bath, you run the risk of ruining it. The heat generated by the solvent can damage furniture joints and dry out the fibers.

Keeping wicker furniture is easy. It requires only an occasional light dusting or vacuuming. For really dirty pieces, you can spray them with water outdoors and allow them to dry in the shade.