Colonial Shop

The term antique has had various definitions since its earliest usage. In the Renaissance as early as the late fourteenth century, the rebirth of a new social structure made possible and, indeed, desirable the accumulation of worldly possessions as symbols of newly earned wealth and autonomy, for adorning the surroundings of the wealthy and as an important part of their quest for beauty and knowledge of their world. In this period the word antique made specific reference to the ancient world of Egypt, Greece, and Rome.