It was unexpected that, at the age of 64, William IV was crowned king of England. He had two older brothers, yet the death of Prince Frederick put him in line for the British throne when George IV died in 1830. His reign was brief, as he died on June 20, 1837, but it was a pivotal time of change, with parliamentary reform leading to the present-day constitutional monarchy. Antique William IV–style furniture reflects this period of transition, with forms that bridged the neoclassicism of the preceding Regency style and the more extravagant Victorian style that would follow.
Inspired by ancient Greece and Rome, William IV designs were often more imposing than Regency furniture and featured decorative attributes. There were sofas balanced on lion’s feet and tables with brass fittings. But furnishings of this period were largely marked by straight lines and subdued ornamentation compared to those of the George IV era. William IV had an unassuming way about him and was much more formal, whereas the ruler who preceded him was a king of extravagance. George IV had an affinity for French decor and was heavily invested in overhauling the private residences at Windsor Castle.
Carvings on William IV four-poster beds and cabinets included scrolling shapes, lotus leaves and acanthus, while popular pieces like tilt-top tables and upholstered seating on caster legs provided flexible interiors. Richly toned woods like mahogany and rosewood were used for sideboards, bedposts boasting reeded details and dining chairs with intricate chair backs and turned front legs.
William IV left no legitimate heirs, so his young niece, Victoria, became queen. She would lead an era of taste in which the innovations of the Industrial Revolution allowed for manufacturing showier furniture to fill elaborate interiors. With its comparatively refined forms and restrained designs, William IV style was a pause before a time of radical aesthetic change.
Find a collection of authentic William IV tables, armchairs, decorative objects and other 19th-century furniture and antiques on 1stDibs.
Mason's Ironstone Garniture of Three Vases, Circa 1835
Located in Downingtown, PA
Regency Opulence: Mason's Ironstone Garniture Vases Object: Garniture of Three Vases (One central, two flanking) Manufacturer: Mason's Ironstone China, Staffordshire, England Date: ...
Pottery, Ironstone
Mason's Ironstone Chinoiserie Mazarine Large Blue Vase
Located in Downingtown, PA
Large Mason's Ironstone Large Chinoiserie Vase, Circa 1835-40. Great as a lamp base or for flowers-the stricking mazarine blue Mason's Ironston...
Ceramic, Ironstone
$779
H 6 in W 12.75 in D 10.25 in
Masons Ironstone large Punch Bowl in Curled Leaf & Flower Basket ptn, circa 1838
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a Large twin Handled open Punch Bowl made by Mason's Ironstone in a beautiful pattern called: Curled Leaf and flower Basket, made in the early 19th century, William 1Vth peri...
Ironstone
$400
H 2.5 in W 12 in D 7.25 in
Georgian Mason's Ironstone Serving Dish in Oriental Pheasant Pattern, Ca 1820
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a very decorative serving dish or tray by Mason's Ironstone, Lane Delph, England in the Oriental Pheasant pattern, dating to the very early p...
Ironstone
$1,456
H 15.75 in W 8.25 in D 6.75 in
Rare Large Masons Ironstone Covered Vase with Relief Motifs, Circa 1825
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a very rare and large Covered Vase by Mason's Ironstone pottery, England, dating to the Late Georgian Regency period , circa 1825. This piece is very well potted with a vertically fluted body sat on a low foot with two substantial handles either side. The domed lid has six small air holes in it and a large knob...
Ironstone
$307
H 1.8 in W 2.7 in D 2.25 in
Rare Mason's Ironstone Coffee Can in Basket Japan Pattern, circa 1890
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is an ironstone coffee can or cup in a rare shape, hand enameled in the Basket Japan pattern, made by Mason's Ironstone of Lane Delph, Staffordshire,...
Ironstone
$307
H 0.85 in W 6.75 in D 5.23 in
Georgian Mason's Ironstone Oval Dish in Table & Flower Pot Pattern, circa 1818
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a good hand painted Mason's ironstone small oval dish, in the table and flowerpot gilded pattern, from their earliest George IIIrd period, circa 1818. The piece is well pott...
Ironstone
$515 / set
H 2 in W 7 in D 5 in
Set of Mason’s Ironstone Dishes in “Mandarin” Pattern, Mid-20th Century
Located in Worcester Park, GB
A striking Mason’s Ironstone dish featuring the richly detailed “Mandarin” pattern—a nod to chinoiserie aesthetics that were hugely popular in 19th-century Britain. This vintage edit...
Ironstone
$938Sale Price|24% Off
H 20.375 in Dm 10.75 in
Large Antique English Morley & Ashworth 'Mason's' Ironstone Pottery Angel Vase
Located in Portland, OR
Rare, antique, large 19th century exhibition ironstone pottery vase by Morley & Ashworth, for the 1862 International Exhibition. Morley & Ashworth had taken over the designs of Mas...
Ironstone
Large Ironstone Vase, Circa 1900
Located in Doylestown, PA
A large ironstone vase by Burgess & Campbell, circa 1900, in cream glaze.
Ironstone
$376
H 2 in W 11.69 in D 9.5 in
Large Mason's Ashworth's Ironstone Serving Dish Chinoiserie Ptn 124, circa 1865
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a very attractive Mason's Ironstone large Dish made during the mid-19th century, when Mason's was owned by Ashworth Brothers, circa 1865. The dish has a good Chinoiserie pat...
Ironstone
$499
H 1.94 in W 10.07 in D 7.25 in
Georgian Masons Ironstone deep Pie Dish in chinoiserie pattern, Ca 1815
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This a Georgian, early 19th century Deep Dish or Pie / Serving Dish made by Mason's Ironstone in the small vase, flowers and rock gilded chinoiserie pattern, dating to circa 1815. T...
Ironstone
Masons Ironstone Bottle Vase in Chinese Dragon Pattern very rare, circa 1820
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a very rare ironstone vase, in the Chinese style, all hand painted in the coloured dragon pattern, made by the Mason's factory in the early 19th century. Both the vase shape and the pattern are very rare. The vase has a bottle shape with a fairly tall neck, having two dolphin head handles, with attached loops. (NOTES ON SHAPE This vase style is a copy of a much earlier Chinese bronze vase shape produced in the Ming, Hongwu period of 1368 - 1398, which had similar decorative animal head side handles with loops. ( See the book Chinese Ceramics by He Li, page 216, published by Thames & Hudson. ). Also On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 204; The square handles and rings illustrate the metal origins of the shape of the vase. Similar examples have been excavated in Chinese tombs dating to the fifteenth and sixteenth century, suggesting that the shape was particularly popular at that time.) This vase is beautifully hand decorated in a more complex variant of the Coloured Chinese Dragon pattern, with strong coloured enamels depicting a green dragon on one side and a pink dragon...
Pottery, Ironstone
Mason's Ironstone Pot-Pourri Vase & Cover in Jardiniere Pattern, circa 1890
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a rare Pot-Pourri Vase and Cover, hand painted in the Jardiniere pattern, made by Mason's Ironstone, Lane Delph, England and dating to circa...
Pottery
Sold
H 9.06 in W 9.45 in D 6.11 in
Antique William IV Sterling Silver Presentation Cup, London, England, 1835
By Jason Hobbs
Located in Cagliari, IT
A fine and impressive antique William IV English sterling silver presentation cup by Jason Hobbs. This presentation cup has a Campania form onto a knopped pedestal to a circular spr...
Sterling Silver
Mason's Ironstone Japan Pattern Vases, a Pair
Located in Downingtown, PA
Mason's ironstone Japan pattern pair of vases, circa 1830-1840. The vases are decorated in an imari palette with scroll handles highlighted in tu...
Ironstone