In a time where manufacturing took way more time than it does now, why were antiques so opulent and detailed?

Question

Simple things like scissors made to look like a bird’s beak, embroidered everything, scrolling details on metal spoons and clawed feet on furniture… tiny buttons, fancy thimbles! Why so many details for every little thing? Might be a silly question, sorry.

In: Technology

Answer 1

Mass production is old enough that a lot of antiques today were mass produced. My mother inherited a clock from the 1850s with a lot of little fancy decorations, and it was cheap enough for ordinary people to buy back then. (One of the first mechanical clocks that cheap.)