In the chapter on French furniture something has been said about reproductions and imitations. The very high prices which are realized by genuine pieces naturally give a great incentive to manufacturers to produce; such copies are extremely difficult to detect, because it pays to expend upon them a great deal of skilful work and much ingenuity. Old plain pieces are re-inlaid, added to, and mounted; the mounts are of the correct pattern, gilt and "toned," or, as the French say,vieille(aged), by chemical methods; sometimes coarse old mounts are rechased and enlivened, being made to appear much better than they really are, so that a fancy price may be obtained.

Those who collect or purchase the more expensive kinds of old French furniture of the Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI periods, should be connoisseurs of very considerable experience; it is really quite beyond the ability of an expert to impart by any amount of writing a method for deciding between a really clever "fake" and a genuine old piece. Nothing but close attention, careful examination based on long experience, can achieve this valuable knowledge. In such cases of doubt I would rather advise the amateur to call in the services of a well-known expert, pay a small fee, and get a sound opinion.