This helps explain the abundance of wicker crafts throughout antiquity. When Octavian won, the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt — which had been ruling since the days of Alexander the Great — came to a close and Egypt came under control of ancient Rome. The Romans were fond of exotic cultures, particularly that of Egypt. In fact, the Romans were happy to absorb the best characteristics of other cultures into their own — they had even adopted the Greek system of mythology, giving their gods and goddesses new Roman names.
Wicker was no exception; Romans not only took to the Egyptian practice but also expanded on it, using wicker weaves to create privacy screens. It may have also been the ancient Romans who came up with the idea of creating swings made of wicker, a practice that continues to this day. Although the Egyptians tended to be fond of elaborate, exotic weaves, the Romans quickly adapted the wicker to suit their own tastes. Straighter lines and curves now seemed to take over the world of wicker. While Egyptians used the entire color palette to paint on wicker, the Romans favored neutral tones, such as beige or white colors.
Because Rome contributed its massive infrastructure to the spread of wicker, it could be said that wicker truly gained popularity in the world when it was used throughout Rome. One place in particular wicker would later spread: China.
However, despite the abundant resources available for wicker weaving in China, some sources say that wicker did not reach China until the 15th century -- well after the fall of Rome and especially after the heights of ancient Egypt.
Trade routes between Europe and China had been established earlier than the 15th century, of course. Marco Polo, the Italian specifically, Venetian merchant, traveled to China and documented these travels in the 13th and 14th century — this did a lot to establish a link between the two continents in terms of culture, trade, and exploration.
This may help explain the delay in wicker in China before then. However, once discovered, Chinese contributions to the world of wicker were significant: they enjoyed a smaller, thinner weave that worked well for storage bowls and boxes.
The Chinese were especially preoccupied with creating storage boxes that could be lightweight while holding and protecting writings that were deposited therein.
To those people who associate wicker weaving with a more modernist approach — from the 19th century on — would likely appreciate how popular wicker became during the Victorian Age.
The Victorian Age, of course, refers to the period of British history from through — the reign of Queen Victoria. By this time, the American colonies had already become the American states. Wicker in this age would also go on to be explored, refined, and modified in new and interesting ways that helped ensure its long-term popularity — a popularity that exists to this day. The Victorian Age is of special relevance to Americans because of its close historical proximity, but the truth is that wicker survived to the Victorian Age thanks to its history in pre-Victorian Europe.
Wicker, of course, survived the fall of Rome which many experts place around A. Marco Polo and other European tradesman and explorers would play integral roles in introducing many popular European customs and cultural influences throughout the world — not just in China, but in the newly-discovered continents west of the Atlantic Ocean.
The seemingly ever-shrinking world came to appreciate the antiques of ancient Roman culture, as well as the contribution of resources now available through worldwide trade. Indeed, as explorers poked and prodded around the Earth, they shortened the trips from India to England, for example, further closing the gap between mainstream Europe and non-European cultures.
With rattan — an ideal base for wicker — flourishing in Southeast Asia and a renewed interest in the Roman style during an age of neo-classicism, wicker was one of the cultural imprints of antiquity that encountered a revival during the Renaissance and post-Renaissance years.
Trade, however, was constantly interrupted in the pre-Victorian years thanks to frequent wars including the War of Revolution in the United States and the Napoleonic Wars, among others. When Queen Victoria took over the throne of England at the tender age of 18, the groundwork for a general period of peace and prosperity — despite many major hiccups — was laid.
Generally speaking, the Victorian Age coincided with the Industrial Age -- a period of major changes in transportation, manufacturing, and craftsmanship. European and American minds alike found that wicker furniture was conveniently lightweight, inexpensive, and easier to clean than the traditional upholstered furniture of the day. Wicker was also a natural match for meeting the stylistic demands of the day.
The fact that wicker furniture is easy to paint, contributed to its expanding popularity during the Victorian Age. By the time the Victorian Age wrapped up, the world had already crossed into the 20th century.
Worldwide trade had become a common practice and wicker had already cemented itself as a common way to produce furniture throughout the western world. Additionally, rattan as a material for wicker had grown to an immense popularity, including in the United States.
Wicker came to America with the earliest of settlers — both as a resource for furniture and as a skill, or piece of knowledge. Because so much transportation was handled by boat, it was important to have storage bins and other furnishings that were lightweight — they would take up similar space but not add so heavily to the overall load of a transatlantic journey.
Subsequently, wicker suitcases and wicker traveling trunks became very popular in the Americas. In many cases, this was simply due to the fact that people traveled lightly on their way across the ocean. Instead, wicker largely first arrived in the western hemisphere simply because it was convenient to travel with. With the Victorian Age now on the horizon and a presence of wicker already established in the Americas, the conditions were ripe for a wicker explosion in the United States in the 19th century.
The major change here, of course, was the fact that the colonies of British America won their independence from the crown in the late 18th century. Americans, however, still retained many of their British sensibilities.
Not only would British and Americans continue to share a common language, but in many ways they would share a common culture — Victorianism in Great Britain did not only influence its remaining colonies but also influenced the United States. This was going to be very apparent in the way Americans would come to embrace wicker furniture throughout the 19th century.
In just a few short centuries, the idea of wicker in the Americas would be reshaped from European influence, into a newly-minted American style.
It certainly follows that the cultural styling of Colonial America followed this pattern — one that would continue in similar fashion, for many years to come. To these Americans, wicker furnishings and luggage were part of the culture they brought with them from Great Britain.
Not only did colonials bring their own materials when they sailed from England and Europe, but they also brought their skills. The result: for a long time, wicker in the Americas was relegated to small storage-based items. One of the earliest wicker artifacts known to exist in the Americas was a cradle — which happened to be a popular wicker item in the Americas for a long time before wicker was truly explored to its Victorian and post-Victorian heights.
However, a transformation was on the horizon — one that would alter the destiny of wicker furniture in America as well as throughout the world. The utilization of rattan was not uncommon in the Americas or throughout the world prior to the mids.
The major problem, however, was that not many people seemed to recognize the potential of this strong-but-pliable material as a natural resource to be matched up with the wicker process. They found a use for it on wooden ships, using it as a way to hold ship cargo in place. Aside from these key differences, much of the process of crafting wicker furniture from natural and synthetic materials follows the same basic steps.
After all, no one is going to sit down on a piece of wicker furniture without a proper cushion to make the piece comfortable. For indoor natural rattan furniture, we focus on cotton fabrics filled with foam.
The effectiveness of these cushions also makes for easier furniture maintenance. Like the materials from which your wicker furniture is crafted, the fabrics that line your cushions need to be strong, durable, comfortable, and attractive. Fabrics, like wicker materials, come in both natural and synthetic versions.
Look for fabrics with higher stitch counts if you want a fabric that wears well. Synthetic fabrics are generally very strong. Mostly made out of spun polyester or acrylic materials, synthetic fabrics are also difficult to dye. This sets the dye on top of the fabric without dyeing it through—cotton, in contrast, can be dyed through.
Another advantage to synthetic fabrics, like synthetic wicker, is that they can include added ultraviolet UV ray protection. When we at Wicker Warehouse use synthetic fabrics, we generally use spun polyester with a minimum of hours of UV protection.
There are synthetic fabrics available with higher-grade UV protection, such as Sunbrella acrylic fabrics, which offer some 2, hours of UV protection. These fabrics employ a more expensive dying process, but the end result includes better wear. It is possible to receive spun polyester floral fabric with no UV treatment. This fabric will be less expensive, but the trade-off is that it will wear out faster when exposed to the sun. As is so often the case with furniture, you get what you pay for.
After all of the craftsmanship—shaping the materials, painting the aluminum, creating a wicker weave, selecting a fabric—has been finished, the wicker furniture piece is nearly complete. However, the specific final step in finishing a fully-crafted piece of wicker furniture depends on how it was made. Shop With Confidence, Read our Reviews. Contact Login Join Now Cart 0. Where We Ship. Click For Menu Bar Menu. Craftsmanship: How Wicker Furniture is Made. In order to weave this pattern, you lay down one strand of fiber.
You then lay another perpendicular fiber over that and continue in this pattern. Double weaving: Double weaving is the same technique as above, only using two different fiber strands instead of simply one at a time.
Waling: This is a weave typically used when building up the vertical spokes of a woven piece. Adding Levels, Spokes, and Sides Wicker weaving gets complicated as you enter three dimensions. Processing Rattan When you understand all there is to know about wicker weaving, you begin to discover why rattan is perfect for wicker furniture. Starting with Large Rattan Poles When buying rattan wholesale, furniture makers often encounter large, solid rattan poles.
Shaping and Integrating Wicker Weaving The basic process of rattan furniture assembly is easy enough to understand: you construct a frame and weave in different patterns and textures of rattan over that solid frame. Understanding the Role of Rattan Poles and Frames In the previous section we covered a little bit about the important role broom handle-sized rattan poles play in the craftsmanship of rattan furniture. For example, on an end table, the construction process will loosely follow these steps: Constructing the frame first.
This includes using a heavier rattan for the frame. This part will vary depending on the type of piece being created; a loveseat, for example, will require more work on the frame to ensure it can support enough weight. Covering the joints and connections. Wrapping the joints and connections with rattan either using rattan skin or smaller cuts of rattan is essential so that nothing but rattan shows.
Creating crossbars for the shelf underneath. While the shelf itself will be mostly smaller rattan, it will still bear weight; that means the crossbars that support this weight will have to be inserted next. Once the basic structure is finished—featuring both the frame and the crossbars for the shelf—we will hand the furniture off to our wicker weaver. The piece will then be hand-woven and hand-tied to create the overall look of complete wicker covering the piece.
If the worksmanship is done properly, there will be no additional rattan sticking out; it will instead be a cohesive whole. Wicker Weaving Craftsmanship The wicker weave on the exterior of the furniture is going to be the most noticeable part of the entire set; it needs to be done right. Constructing Synthetic Frames The first step in creating a piece of rattan furniture is to process the raw material.
Putting it All Together The same essential process—starting with a strong, lightweight frame and weaving wicker over it—is what we use for both synthetic and natural wicker furniture. Painting and sealing: In natural rattan, sealing helps to preserve its longevity and painting brings it from its natural colors to the color of your choice.
Another note: the water seal around natural rattan will eventually start to wear down. The sealing process makes it better capable of handling water, but it will still eventually wear away. Full coloring: Painting a rattan chair can be done after the whole structure is completed.
Instead, we will paint the aluminum frame first in order to ensure a proper color match and then weave the HDPE wicker to the outside. Fabrics: The Unsung Hero of Long-Lasting Wicker Furniture Like the materials from which your wicker furniture is crafted, the fabrics that line your cushions need to be strong, durable, comfortable, and attractive. Sealing, Painting, and Finishing After all of the craftsmanship—shaping the materials, painting the aluminum, creating a wicker weave, selecting a fabric—has been finished, the wicker furniture piece is nearly complete.
Sealing: Generally, sealing is only necessary as a final step when working with rattan. Some wicker furniture makers will use inexpensive steel instead of aluminum in their synthetic pieces and use a water seal to prevent rust—this, too, however, fades eventually. Painting: Most often, painting is only a concern at two points: finishing a natural rattan piece or finishing a synthetic frame.
The entire plant is used to make rattan, beginning with the cane. Kubu is rattan cane which is packed in wet clay and allowed to season, and it is exceptionally strong. Bamboo resembles rattan and is often mistaken for it, while willow or twig is used mostly for baskets. Banana Leaf is used for furniture. It is dried, twisted, and braided into rope which is woven over a frame. The history of outdoor wicker furniture or origins of this technological advancement dates back fairly recently.
Wicker and rattan continue to be a top choices used in porches, patios, bedrooms and sunrooms. Wicker furniture history informs these designs, which is part of the vintage charm that wicker an rattan hold. Designs of woven wicker furniture are still offered in traditional patterns, but wicker is sold in contemporary styles too.
The long history of wicker furniture shows us that wicker will always be in our hearts and favored among designers, a staple of patio furniture preference and interior design must haves! We Ship to Canada!
Wicker Furniture History What is wicker furniture and why is wicker still used today? Resources and Links.
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