Pal Fried, ‘Black Glove,’ oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Images courtesy of Rachel Davis Fine Arts. CLEVELAND – Rachel Davis Fine Arts will sell a wide variety of art, antiques and collectibles – from a Pal Fried portrait of a woman to an advertising chromolithograph of a brewery – at an auction Saturday, May 14.
Liveauctioneers will provide Internet live bidding for the 663-lot auction, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. The sale will be conducted at Rachel Davis Fine Arts’ gallery at 1301 W. 79th St.
The Fried oil painting titled Black Glove pictures a beautiful woman in a yellow dress and long black gloves. The Hungarian-American artist (1893-1997) signed the canvas on the lower right “Fried Pal,” as was his custom. The large paining has a $1,000-$1,500 estimate.
Other artists represented in the auction include Richard Andres, Alfred Birdsey, Isadore L. Firestone, E.H. Dumaige, Bernard Pfriem, Clemente Spampinato, Detlev Nitschke, and Maurice S. Hague, as well as folk and primitive paintings.
Works on paper include a collection of Cape Dorset and Baker Lake stone cuts, historical and botanical prints, posters, European and American maps, and Walt Disney drawings and cels.
The aforementioned brewery advertising is a bird’s-eye view of the Eberhardt & Ober Brewing Co. in Allegheny, Pa. The 1890s broadside measures 26 by 41 inches and is estimated at $700-$1,000.
Porcelain and pottery in the sale include Willetts Belleek, Royal Doulton figurines and vases, R.S., Prussia, Herend, Amphora, Royal Dux, Wedgwood, majolica, Cowan, Harris Strong tiles, Limoge, Zsolnay, Meissen and Rose Medallion.
Fine glassware ranges from Victorian to Waterford crystal.
Miscellaneous pieces include a Haida argillite pipe, ca. 1820s-’30s, which has a $3,000-$5,000 estimate.
An Elliot of London grandfather clock with a moon dial face, five tubes and mahogany case carries a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Other furniture in the sale includes Diamond and Tulip chairs, Eames chairs and a mahogany dining table with four chairs.
For details visit www.racheldavisfinearts.com or call 216-939-1190.
A paper label names ‘Napoleon’ as the subject of this German porcelain plaque, which measures 7 1/4 inches by 5 inches. The plaque carries a $600-$900 estimate. Image courtesy of Rachel Davis Fine Arts.French gilt bronze clock of a cherub in a chariot pulled by a winged dragon, 11 x 14 x 6 inches. Estimate: $400-$600. Image courtesy of Rachel Davis Fine Arts.Wallace Grand Baroque sterling silver flatware set, 75 pieces, service for 12 including serving pieces. Estimate: $3,500-$4,500. Images courtesy of Rachel Davis Fine Arts.
The DIA is housed in this 1927 Beaux-Arts building by Paul Cret. Image courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts. DETROIT (AP) – The Detroit Institute of Arts announced Wednesday that it is naming a gallery of contemporary African-American art after a pioneering General Motors executive and his wife who made a large donation to the museum.
The newly named Maureen and Roy S. Roberts gallery honors the generosity of the health care professional and retired GM group vice president, respectively, who are longtime philanthropists in the areas of the arts, culture and education.
“Maureen and I have always loved the arts and realize the cultural importance of museums like the DIA, both to our community and for future generations,” Roy Roberts said. “We leave this legacy with our children, to whom we’ve instilled the values of education, working hard and giving back. We are happy to celebrate this milestone with them.”
The Roberts gallery is one in a suite that chronicles the development of modern and contemporary African-American art. It features works by such artists as Benny Andrews, Elizabeth Catlett, Alvin Loving, Joyce Scott and Charles McGee.
The curatorial department, called the General Motors Center for African American art, was established in 2000.
The Robertses were major contributors to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History when that Detroit museum was fighting for its survival and also have given to the United Negro College Fund, the NAACP, Urban League and Western Michigan University, among many others.
Well before he was a name in the world of philanthropy, Roy Roberts was a trailblazer in the automotive world.
In 1983, the DIA said he became the first African-American plant manager of GM’s assembly facility in North Tarrytown, N.Y., and was the first African-American vice president and corporate officer in charge of personnel administration and development; general manager of field sales, service and parts; and group vice president of North American vehicle sales, service and marketing.
Roberts currently is managing director and co-founding member of the private equity investment firm Reliant Equity Investors.
Maureen Roberts was supervisor of health education and health services for the Grand Rapids Public School District and was a coordinator in the corneal transplant program for the Michigan Eye Bank.
“We are delighted to name a gallery after Maureen and Roy, whose generous gift will help us continue to provide our community with imaginative, high-quality programs and exhibitions,” DIA director Graham W.J. Beal said.
The Detroit Institute of Arts is home to more than 60,000 works from ancient times through present day, and its best-known holdings include Vincent van Gogh’s “Self-Portrait” and Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry murals.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-05-04-11 1257GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
The DIA is housed in this 1927 Beaux-Arts building by Paul Cret. Image courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts.Roy and Maureen Roberts have been honored by the DIA with a gallery named after them. Image courtesy of Detroit Institute of Arts.
Conceptualist artist Hans-Peter Feldman. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. NEW YORK (AP) – A German artist is using his $100,000 contemporary art prize to create a conceptual piece – literally.
He’s pinning 100,000 used dollar bills to the gallery walls of a major New York City museum.
Hans-Peter Feldmann’s installation at the Guggenheim Museum opens May 20 and runs until Nov. 2.
Feldmann is the 2010 winner of the Hugo Boss Prize, established by the museum and named after the German fashion company.
The Guggenheim says Feldmann is portraying currency as mass-produced material used every day, rather than a symbol of capitalism.
The 70-year-old artist previously has created a sequence of 100 portraits of people, from babies to age 100.
Extra security cameras and guards will ensure the bills remain on the wall.
Feldmann will keep the money after the exhibition.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Tornado devastation in Tuscaloosa, Ala., along 15th Street, near the intersection of McFarland Boulevard. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) – When Lois Sayer’s three daughters returned to their tornado-wrecked childhood home, they mourned the loss of their 88-year-old mother and discovered a few of the irreplaceable keepsakes that will tell the story of their parents’ lives.
Across the twister-ravaged South, residents and family members continued picking through the ruins, collecting whatever family treasure or piece of their cherished past they could.
Volunteers used sledgehammers to knock down walls and break concrete so Sayer’s daughters could retrieve their father’s World War II uniform, complete with his Bronze Star. They found their mother’s prized necklace, the one with a shell casing on it that reminded her of the factory where she worked during the war. It was that job that helped their parents build an $8,000 house, which was demolished in the epic Tuscaloosa storm on April 27.
“That was a time when ladies first went into the workforce. She was really, really proud to have been a part of the war effort,” said Sayer’s daughter, Cindy Meyers.
Sayer, whose husband Maurice died four years ago, was killed in the house she had lived in for 62 years.
“We’re coping, but it’s kind of a state of shock,” Meyers said. “It’s so surreal. We would love to wake up from this really horrific dream.”
Searching through the rubble for sentimental items can help the healing process, said Jerry Rosenberg, a psychology professor at the University of Alabama.
“The more you can get the more you have a continuity of what was there before the trauma,” Rosenberg said. “And that’s immensely important for the life you’re going to rebuild.”
Shortly before the tornado struck, Meyers called her mother and told her to get in the hallway. Her mother responded: “I got my helmet,” referring to the bicycle helmet she wore in such storms.
The five-bedroom, three-bath house was sturdy, and had survived many storms. But this was the worst storm since the Great Depression, leaving at least 328 people dead – 236 in Alabama alone.
Another one of Sayer’s daughters, Brenda Dupre, remembered her parents laying the concrete blocks during the home’s construction when she was 5-years-old, her dad telling her to get out of the way.
“I always thought that house was the prettiest house on the street,” Dupre said. “It’s always been home, now we have no home. It’s devastating.”
But all was not lost.
The sisters found their grandmother’s bible, their mother’s diamond engagement ring and a scrapbook. They discovered baby photos, her father’s antique coin collection, the paintings her mother did and the quilts and afghans she sewed.
“We always wore dresses she made,” said Dupre of Mobile, Ala. “She was a good homemaker.”
As they found items, the sisters would reflect, hug and put the ones they wanted to save in a pile.
In Holt, an area just outside Tuscaloosa, residents and relatives of the dead streamed back to the neighborhood to see what they could salvage.
Some people weren’t lucky. Kevin Rice couldn’t find anything he owned in the area where his mobile home once was. He’s staying at a motel as long as he can afford it, and hasn’t even started asking for help, from FEMA or any government agency.
“It’s just a hurting feeling,” he said. “I don’t know what to say or how to act.”
Charles Leonard found some family pictures and records that belonged to his late father when he picked through what’s left of his 68-year-old mother’s home. But he wondered if looters absconded with other valuables before residents were allowed to return.
“The sheriff’s department did the best they could, but there were so many” looters, Leonard said.
___
Associated Press writer Michael Kunzelman in Holt contributed to this story.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-05-04-11 1148GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Tornado devastation in Tuscaloosa, Ala., along 15th Street, near the intersection of McFarland Boulevard. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Capital Records released ‘Meet the Beatles!’ on Jan 20, 1964. Image courtesy of Case Antiques Inc. Auction & Appraisals. KNOXVILLE – Case Antiques Inc. Auctions & Appraisals will gavel a piece of rock ’n’ roll history: a Meet The Beatles! album signed by all four Beatles the day before their American debut on the Ed Sullivan Show.
The autographed album came from the estate Dr. Jules Gordon, the New York City physician who treated George Harrison for a sore throat on Feb. 8, 1964. The album is included as part of Case’s Spring auction, which will take place May 21 at the company’s Knoxville gallery.
LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
On Feb. 9, 1964, the Beatles made their much-anticipated American debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. But the day before the show there was concern George Harrison, might miss the big moment because he had strep throat. Thomas Buckley noted in the New York Times on Feb. 8, 1964: “Mr. Harrison, who is known as the quiet Beatle, awoke yesterday with a sore throat. He was treated by Dr. Jules Gordon, used a vaporizer and rejoined his colleagues at the studio late in the afternoon. ‘I should be perfect for tomorrow,’ he said.”
According to George Harrison’s sister, Louise Caldwell, the situation was more serious than they let on. In The Beatles Off The Record by Keith Badman, Caldwell recalled: “The doctor said he couldn’t do the Ed Sullivan Show because he had a temperature of 104. But they pumped him with everything. He was thinking about getting a nurse to administer the medicine, every hour on the hour. Then the doctor suddenly realized that I was there and was his sister and he said to me, ‘Would you see to it? It’s probably just as well that you’re here because I don’t think there’s a single female in the city that isn’t crazy about the Beatles! You’re probably the only one who could function around him normally.’”
The physician who treated Harrison was Dr. Jules Gordon, the house doctor at the Plaza Hotel from 1942 until 1985. Dr. Gordon was called from his fourth-floor office to the Presidential Suites on the 12th floor where the Beatles were staying. As doctor to many celebrities, Dr. Gordon didn’t fawn over The Beatles.
“He was very unassuming and treated everyone with the same respect, no matter who they were. People just took to him,” said a Gordon family member. The Beatles must have liked Dr. Gordon because they gave him several unsolicited personalized autographs. Dr. Gordon met the Beatles on at least two occasions during their visit to New York for the Ed Sullivan Show and commented to his family that the Beatles were very accommodating and likeable each time.
Over the years, as the house physician for the Plaza and other well-known hotels in New York City, Dr. Gordon treated many famous people and Hollywood stars such as Rock Hudson, Bette Davis, Burt Lancaster, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Liz Taylor, Judy Garland and Rita Hayworth. Dr. Gordon, who died in 1993, was also the team physician for the New York Yankees in the 1940s and 1950s. He made the news in 1947 when he performed surgery on Joe DiMaggio and removed a 3-inch spur from his left heel, which enabled Dimaggio to go on to help the Yankees win the 1947 World Series.
The Meet The Beatles! album contained the Beatle’s first U.S. chart-topping hit I Want to Hold Your Hand. It was released in the United States on Jan. 20, just ahead of the band’s first American tour, and less than three weeks before the Beatles signed it for Dr. Gordon.
Autographs by all four Beatles on an LP from their early years are highly sought after by collectors. As Autograph Magazine noted in an article on Jan. 25, 2011, “If you have a Beatles album signed by all four band members, you’ve got something quite valuable. Albums in good condition typically range from about $15,000 for the most common one, Please Please Me, to well over $100,000 for some of the rarest albums, especially U.S. releases. … Band-signed Beatles albums are very hard to come by.”
Although the Meet The Beatles! album in this auction is conservatively estimated at $10,000-$15,000, it is such a unique item that the hammer price could be much higher.
“It’s one of the earliest signed Beatles albums we’re aware of, and for it to be associated with such an important moment in the Beatles’ career makes it even more extraordinary,” said John Case, president of Case Antiques Inc. Auctions & Appraisals.
Case Antiques Inc. Auction & Appraisals, based in Knoxville, Tenn., was founded and is owned by John Case, who has over 20 years experience researching and evaluating antiques and art, with a specialization in early Southern decorative arts.
The auction will be held at Case’s gallery in the historic Cherokee Mills Building, 2240 Sutherland Ave. A preview will take place on Friday, May 20, from noon to 6 p.m. Eastern. The sale will begin on Saturday, May 21 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. For details see www.caseantiques.com or call the gallery in Knoxville at (865) 558-3033.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Capital Records released ‘Meet the Beatles!’ on Jan 20, 1964. Image courtesy of Case Antiques Inc. Auction & Appraisals.All four of the Beatles signed the back of the album cover. Image courtesy of Case Antiques Inc. Auction & Appraisals.
Jane Peterson (American, 1876-1965), ‘Lotus Flower.’ Estimate $100,000-$150,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
BOSTON – Skinner Inc. will host an auction of American & European Paintings & Prints on Friday, May 20, in the Boston gallery. The sale offer fresh material from a number of well-established estates and private collections including works from Robert Spear Dunning, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Carl Spitzweg, among others.
LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet Live bidding at the 584-lot auction, which will begin at noon Eastern.
European Paintings
Through the estate of Selma H. and Irving M. Sobin are several works including Karl Schmidt-Rottluff’s Hayfield with Storm Clouds. Schmidt-Rottluff was a founding member of Die Brücke, a group that sought to express “rejection of the older forces of the establishment” through art. The radical anti-academic model they championed helped bring Expressionism into acceptance. By the time Schmidt-Rottluff received public acclaim for his work, the Nazis denounced it as “degenerate,” and banned him from painting. He resumed art-making after the war and the Sobins exhibited the present work in 1958. Lot 478 is estimated at $35,000-$55,000.
Another German work of note is Carl Spitzweg’s Der Briefträger. The scene depicting a letter carrier is likely the rediscovered, final version of this known composition, created circa 1870. Coming from a private collection, the piece hasn’t been on the market for quite some time. Lot 326 is estimated at $70,000-$90,000.
American Paintings
From another private collection is Robert Spear Dunning’s Still Life with Root Vegetables. Co-founder of the Fall River School, Dunning was known as a master of reflective surfaces and for ornate Victorian still lifes inspired by the influx of wealth coming into the area following the Civil War. His pieces often incorporate ripened fruit, flowers and opulent objects set on highly polished tabletops. While it was an unusual choice to paint root vegetables in a worn brass pot, the piece offers all the hallmarks of his style with the meticulous detail as evidenced in his more showy works. Lot 364 is estimated at $70,000-$90,000.
The sale will also feature a fine Jane Peterson piece entitled Lotus Flower. Lot 484 has an estimated value of $100,000-$150,000. Purchased from a private Massachusetts collection circa 1970 by the present Massachusetts owner, Lotus Flower was likely created during World War I when the artist was unable to travel throughout Europe. While more of a portrait, much of the style is reminiscent of the flower pieces she later painted.
From the estate of a New York arts benefactor come several impressive 20th century works, including pieces by Japanese and American artists. Featured in this collection are 3 Janvier 1960 by John Harrison Levee, lot 578, estimated at $1,500-$2,000 and The Shining Waves by Insho Domoto, lot 582, estimated at $1,500-$2,000.
Prints
A strong group of Frank Benson etchings comes from the private collection of Robert Morse. Highlighted are Pintails in Flight over a Marsh, lot 416, estimated at $20,000-$30,000 and The Fishermen, lot 21, which was based on Benson’s painting titled Calm Morning of 1904, currently in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The composition depicts the artist’s three children – Elisabeth, George, and Eleanor – fishing off of the shores of North Haven Island, Maine. The work is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.
Great German Expressionist prints include Conrad Felixmüller’s Bildnis Max Liebermann, lot 75, estimated at $1,000-$1,500 and Emil Nolde’s Frau N (Frau Ada Nolde), lot 147, valued at $8,000-$12,000. The sale also features a highly recognizable M.C. Escher print, Belvedere, lot 72, estimated at $8,000-$12,000 as well as a good grouping of photographs, a much expanded offering from previous sales.
Previews, Catalog and Bidding
Previews for the auction will be held on Wednesday, May 18, from noon to 5 p.m., on Thursday, May 19, from noon to 8 p.m., Fri, May 20, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The Thursday evening preview will feature a reception and gallery walk beginning at 5:30 p.m. RSVP to 617-350-5400.
For details visit www.skinnerinc.com or call 508-970-3000.
Moron Kuehnert will open the Wedding Dress Auction Event with this Maggie Sottero size 8 gown, which has a suggested retail price of $1,349. Estimate: $350-$700. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert. HOUSTON – In homage to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the international wedding frenzy, Morton Kuehnert will auction 120 new wedding dresses at its Wedding Dress Auction Event on Thursday, May 12, at 7 p.m. Central. There will be a preview reception beginning at 5 pm.
Auction Central News will provide Internet live bidding.
The gowns may be previewed beginning Monday, May 9, in the Morton Kuehnert showroom/auction house at 4901 Richmond Ave., Houston, TX 77027.
Designer labels include: Maggie Sottero Wedding Collection, Mori Lee, Emerald Wedding Gowns, Paloma Blanca, Jasmine, Casablanca Bridal, Faviana, Eden Bridal, Alfred Angelo, St. Patrick, Angelina Faccenda, Symphony Bridal, Justin Alexander, Scala, Impression, PC Mary’s, Anjolique, Alfred Sung, Allure and Cinderella. Sizes range from 2 to 14, with one size 16.
For more information visit www.mortonkuehnert.com or call 713-827-7835.
High chest of drawers, made for Matthias Slough, Lancaster, Lancaster County, 1770–85. Heritage Center of Lancaster County. Image courtesy of Winterthur.WINTERTHUR, Del. – Each year when Winterthur reopens after its February hiatus, there’s something special planned for visitors. It’s always worth waiting for.
This year, we’re treated to a landmark exhibition – six years in the making – of the diverse furniture of our region, along with the people who made, owned, inherited and collected it. “Paint, Pattern & People: Furniture of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1725-1850” opened April 2.
In addition to furniture this exhibit of over 200 objects includes related paintings, watercolors, fraktur and needlework. Designed to delight scholars, private collectors and those of us curious about the rich cultural heritage of southeastern Pennsylvania, it highlights the creative expression of local artisans. Focusing on the diversity of furniture made and owned by both English and German-speaking people, specific emphasis is placed on the distinctive local expressions of form and ornament.
Despite the extensive research that informs the exhibit, this is not merely a collection of stuffy brown furniture and priceless antiques, according to senior curator Wendy A. Cooper and assistant curator Lisa Minardi.
The “Paint and Pattern” aspects of the exhibit encompass both brightly painted, eye-catching chests, candle boxes, spice boxes and desks, while pieces made of rich native walnut and inlaid with light wood and sulfur also enliven the exhibit. And everyone can relate to the various tables and chairs on display.
The exhibit’s focus is not on priceless, high-style Philadelphia furniture, but rather on locally made furniture often influenced by urban sophistication. To convey this point, the first two pieces that greet visitors are imposing high chests of drawers from Philadelphia and Lancaster. These pieces present a rare opportunity to compare and contrast the details of their carved decoration.
The Philadelphia high chest is among the finest examples of rococo style, made of highly figured imported mahogany, with pierced brasses tinted to resemble gold, heavily carved foliate-and-shell designs, and a commanding original cartouche. The Lancaster high chest may appear to the casual observer to be remarkably similar. But, guided by the curators, exhibit visitors will learn about and appreciate the differences.
For example, decoration on the Lancaster piece shows foliage and shells similar to the Philadelphia chest, but is more profusely carved and covers the entire skirt and tympanum (the topmost board). Closer examination reveals that the ornament on the Lancaster high chest was carved from the solid wood of the piece, rather than separately made and applied, as done in the Philadelphia chest.
Debunking Myths
As the last part of the title “Paint, Pattern & People” reflects, people are also an important focus of this study of regional furniture. The careful analysis of so many well-documented pieces in the exhibit prompted curators to explore new ground in understanding the makers and owners who created the many localisms seen in southeastern Pennsylvania furniture. With this extensive collection, it was possible to identify specific places where pieces were produced.
By looking at who made and owned various pieces of furniture, the curators were able to debunk a number of myths. A few examples:
While Quakers adhere to values of simplicity, it’s clear from their furniture that they had a great appreciation for highly decorated pieces. The exhibit traces ornate furniture bought and passed down through their families.
Painted chests were not owned exclusively by women. Owners’ names carved into these chests give evidence that men owned them as well.
Decorations painted on furniture are not conclusive evidence of the owners’ gender. Chests with lions and unicorns, masculine-appearing designs, were owned by women.
Schranks – wooden wardrobes thought to be newlyweds’ furniture – have been found to be commissioned by well-established married couples who could afford the substantial costs.
For anyone who has admired the wealth of regional furniture in area antique shops, antique shows, museums or private homes, this landmark exhibit will provide unique insights into the furniture and people of southeastern Pennsylvania.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
High chest of drawers, made for Matthias Slough, Lancaster, Lancaster County, 1770–85. Heritage Center of Lancaster County. Image courtesy of Winterthur.High chest of drawers, owned by Michael and Miriam Gratz, Philadelphia, 1760–75. Winterthur Museum, gift of Henry Francis du Pont. Image courtesy of Winterthur.Slide-lid box, possibly Lancaster County; 1800–1840. White pine; paint; H. 6, W. 9, D. 12 inches. Collection of Jane and Gerald Katcher. Photo, Gavin Ashworth, New York City.Chest attributed to the Compass Artist, Lancaster County; 1785–1820. White pine, tulip-poplar, oak; paint; iron; H. 22., W. 49., D. 21 1/8 inches. Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Donald M. Herr. Image courtesy of Winterthur.Desk, probably Jacob Maser (1812–95) Mahantongo Valley, Northumberland County; 1834. Tulip-poplar, white pine, maple; paint; brass; H. 49 1/8, W. 39, D. 19 inches. Winterthur Museum, gift of Henry Francis du Pont 1964. Image courtesy of Winterthur.Cover of the exhibition book. Image courtesy of Winterthur.
The use of linseed oil, both raw and boiled, as a wood finish has declined because it dries slowly and darkens over time. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and BK Super Auction Event. I am lucky enough to be able to spend a fair amount of time on my computer learning about things that interest me. Google is a wonderful device. If I need to find some information on a piece of art I saw at an auction there are lots of sites online that will tell me something about the artist, the period or the genre – or maybe all of the above including information about the specific work. The same holds true for an unusual piece of orange FitzHugh porcelain that sold recently for a lot of money. I can learn about Chinese export porcelain from a number of sources. But then I go looking for information on a subject that I know a little bit about – furniture – and sometimes I am appalled at the amount of incomplete, misleading, inaccurate or just plain dead wrong information I come across. It makes me want to re-evaluate my research on subjects about which I am less well informed. Do these other subjects contain as much garbage online as the subject of antique furniture does?
Following are several examples of inaccurate or simply uninformed statements, suggestions, advice and products for the care and “feeding” of your antique wooden furniture. All of the sites I found will remain anonymous and they are not quoted directly but if you do your own searches I am sure you will have little difficulty locating them.
One product in particular caught my eye. It seems to feature many of the attributes of snake oil sold from the back of a wagon in the late 19th century in that it is a cure-all for whatever ails your furniture. One of the opening statements on the site notes that the finish on used furniture is in such poor condition that it requires refinishing but refinishing is expensive and the old finish is much more valuable than a new one. If you spend the money to refinish a piece you will actually reduce the value. Please note that this is stated as a fact without qualification. Apparently there is no difference between a true American antique and a 1930s Colonial Revival reproduction. I agree that in many cases the refinishing of a piece of furniture can lower its value but that is not always the case. It depends on what you start with. In some cases refinishing actually enhances the value.
So much for the credibility of the hype. What about the product? One of the examples shown is how to repair a flaking varnish finish. By simply applying the product, waiting a few minutes and wiping it clean the original finish is claimed to be reattached and strengthened. That process is sometimes called “amalgamation” and is a common technique used by restoration artists. But it is almost always used in connection with a shellac or lacquer finish. Why? Because shellac and lacquer are “evaporative” finishes in which the original solvent, denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner, evaporates and the solids of the mixture combine into a film. This film can always be redissolved by the addition of the original solvent and the film will reform when the solvent evaporates again. However, varnish is a different animal. Varnish is a “reactive” finish. When the vehicle, the mineral spirits, evaporates the solids react with oxygen and form a solid film that cannot be redissolved by the original solvent. This is basic finish chemistry that apparently is unknown to the maker of the product. The product may have sealed over the flaking varnish but it did not reattach it to the wood. By the way, the product will also get rid of “alligatoring” and “crazing” in old varnish finishes, according to the claims.
To further reinforce the fact that the product is probably simply thinned out varnish is another use for it touted on the site. It states that if the finish is completely worn off two applications of the product will seal and smooth the surface. Sounds like a recoating product to me. Like most things that sound too good to be true, this probably is.
But by far the greatest area of opportunity for a variety of opinions and “facts” can be found on the subject of regular furniture care.
There are still products out there that claim they “feed” the wood. I previously covered this little myth fairly well in this space but the feeding frenzy continues. One product claims to be unique because it has blended beeswax, lemon oil and specially designed mineral oil to provide a combination polish and wood conditioner that is fed into the wood during application, providing a true wood feeder. That particular combination of ingredients has been in service for many years and I still have my doubts about whether it truly penetrates an intact film surface such as lacquer and shellac to provide anything at all to the wood, not that it actually needs anything.
Then there is the cleaner/polish/wax black hole that seems to spiral out of control on a daily basis. One site talks about a great general purpose cleaner/conditioner that you can make yourself. Essentially it is one part turpentine to three parts boiled linseed oil. Directions include rubbing the mixture briskly until the surface is dry and the oil soaks into the wood. The problem here is that the mixture will not “soak” into the wood. It can’t get through an intact finish. The turpentine evaporates and the linseed oil dries to produce a skin. Linseed oil is a “drying” oil that will form a hard skin over an original finish without actually bonding to the surface. That skin will then turn dark with age and at some point will have to be chemically or physically removed to restore the piece. Further instructions on the page suggest that new furniture should receive this treatment once a month for three or four months and then twice a year after that. To see what the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works has to say about boiled linseed oil and furniture care in general check out this site:
One famous maker of furniture care products shows some of the products and has a short description beside each one. One tells us that lemon oil and other natural oils in the product give furniture a high luster shine and it replaces the natural oils in the wood, keeping the furniture moisturized while leaving no oily residue. How does it work without leaving a residue since it obviously hasn’t been absorbed by the wood? The next product contains beeswax to protect from scratches and stains and lemon oil to replenish the natural oils in the wood. Sound familiar both in recipe and in function?
One maker of an emulsified polish states that it is best used on glossy finishes. It is made from all natural ingredients and contains lanolin to moisturize a lackluster finish. Do you know what lanolin is? It is also known as “wool fat” or “wool grease.” It is a greasy yellow substance from wool bearing animals such as sheep. It is a mixture of cholesterol, esters and fatty acids found in the hair follicles of the animals. Commercially it is used as waterproofing and as a lubricant and I personally do not choose to put sheep fat on my furniture. Would bacon fat or butter work just as well?
A couple of final words of wisdom from the “net.” One site says never to use a damp cloth to clean your furniture because it will harm the wax finish. I thought wax was commonly used as a dressing, not as a finish. Then another site says that wax should never be used because regular use produces a wax build up that attracts dirt and smoke and some waxes may contain abrasives that will scratch the furniture. What to do instead? The site recommends polishes that contain detergents, emulsifiers and oils because the detergents clean the finish, the emulsifiers give it the body to work and the oils are left behind as a barrier to dirt and moisture. Is oil a barrier to dirt or is it an attracter of dirt? Use your own experience for the answer.
In the long run you can’t believe everything you read online. Most of the examples I have cited are from people or companies that want you to buy something and a few are from people who probably are sincere in their advice but are just uninformed. Your best bet is to accumulate the tidbits of information offered online and get someone who is knowledgeable in the business of the care and restoration of antique furniture to help you sort it out. Especially someone who is not trying to sell you something.
Send comments, questions and pictures to Fred Taylor at P.O. Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or info@furnituredetetcive.com. Visit Fred’s website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book How To Be a Furniture Detective is available for $18.95 plus $3 shipping. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, P.O. Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423. Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD, Identification of Older & Antique Furniture ($17 + $3 S&H) is also available at the same address. For more information call (800) 387-6377, fax 352-563-2916, or info@furnituredetective.com. All items are also available directly from his website.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The use of linseed oil, both raw and boiled, as a wood finish has declined because it dries slowly and darkens over time. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and BK Super Auction Event.
The frog from the book ‘Wind in the Willows’ probably inspired the look of this carved wooden carousel animal. It may be the only figure on an old carousel dressed in human clothes. It sold in February 2011 at a James D. Julia auction (JamesDJulia.com) in Fairfield, Maine, for $11,900.
Carousel figures, made mostly in the early 1900s, sell for high prices today. Carousels probably were first made in the 1700s to train spear-throwers, not as enjoyable rides for children. A horseback rider would ride toward a hanging ring and try to put the spear through it. By the late 1700s in Europe, there were small, light, moveable carousels that traveled from city to city. The modern carousel was introduced in the United States in the 1860s. Gustav Dentzel started a company that made carousel figures and parts. Some of the company’s carvers were trained in art; some were European immigrants who had carved tombstones and woodwork in their home countries. At least 13 U.S. companies were making carved carousel figures by 1915. American carousels were more imaginative, more elaborate and more beautiful than those made in Europe. Another famous carousel maker was Herschell Spillman Co., founded in North Tonawanda, N.Y., in 1900. The company made horses and at least 18 other animals for carousels in the “old” style. Each animal was carved with special features, flowers, saddles and masks, and was painted in bright colors. A rare frog figure made about 1910-’15 by Spillman sold recently at a James Julia auction in Fairfield, Maine, for more than $10,000. The frog was wearing shorts, vest, a white collar and bowtie, and sported a perfect coat of paint. Today, carousel figures that are not part of a working carousel are collected as folk art. Other animals were made in smaller numbers than horses and sell for higher prices. There are 100 vintage working carousels in the United States today. If there is one near where you live, take a ride, admire the hand-carved horses and bring back memories of your childhood.
Q: Was there such a thing as a dunce chair? I have read about them in books and seen some in TV movies, but was there really a chair in the corner for a dunce in school?
A: Educational ideas have changed throughout the centuries. In the 19th century and perhaps earlier, a child who misbehaved or did not study or do homework often was shamed in front of classmates. A seat in the corner and a pointed dunce cap were really used. The dunce chair could be a high stool or chair. It was made so that the child could not put his or her feet down on the floor. Perhaps that was to make the chair seem more confining. We have seen old wooden chairs with long legs as well as high stools sold as “dunce chairs.” The name and the idea seem to make buyers more interested.
Q: I inherited a metal sculpture that has been in my family since the 1930s. Counting the wooden base, it’s 26 1/4 inches high. The sculpture is of a man carrying fishing gear. It’s titled “God Fishing” and is signed “Mestais.” What can you tell me about it?
A: Mestais is a listed sculptor who worked in France around the turn of the 20th century. Not much else is known about him. Your sculpture is made of spelter, an inexpensive zinc alloy. And you’re reading the title wrong. It’s called “Cod Fishing,” not “God Fishing.” An identical sculpture sold at auction in England last year for $32. That seems less than you should expect if you sold it here.
Q: My husband has eight Bond Bread labels picturing Hopalong Cassidy that his mother saved for him. They are more than 58 years old. Each one is numbered. Can you give us any information about them?
A: Hopalong Cassidy first appeared in stories written by Clarence E. Mulford in 1904. Since then, he has been featured in novels, radio shows, movies, television and comic strips. More than 60 movies featuring actor William Boyd as Cassidy were made from 1935 to 1948. Boyd bought the rights to the Hopalong Cassidy name from Mulford in the 1940s, and later bought the rights to the movies. In 1949, the old movies, edited for television, became the first network Westerns. The Hopalong Cassidy TV show ran from June 1949 to December 1951. His radio show was broadcast from 1950 to 1952. Bond Bread was one of Hoppy’s sponsors. A series of bread labels that could be collected and pasted into an album was offered as a premium in the early 1950s. Three series of 16 labels each were made, as well as a “Hang-Up Album” for each series. Single labels sell for about $10-$12.
Q: A friend gave me an old sterlingsilver filigree pin. The interesting thing about it is that on the back, it reads “Made in Palestine.” Is that a clue to its age?
A: Since your pin is marked in English, it’s likely that it dates from the years when much of the geographic region historically referred to as Palestine was under British Mandate. That means your pin was made between 1923 and 1948 – most likely in the 1930s or ’40s. Some artists who live in today’s Palestinian territories mark their pieces the same way, but filigree work in silver was more popular 60 or 70 years ago than it is now.
Q: My old Homer Laughlin platter is marked “H32N” on the bottom. How much is it worth?
A: The Homer Laughlin China Co., still in business in Newell, W.Va., dates to 1873 but was incorporated in 1896. The “H32N” mark is a date and plant code. Your platter was made in August (designated by the “H”) 1932 at Homer Laughlin’s Plant “N.” Most early 1930s Homer Laughlin dishes sell individually for prices ranging from $1 to $50, depending on rarity and condition. The company’s most popular dinnerware, the solid-color Fiesta, sells for more.
Tip: Lusterware requires special handling because it can wear away if it is improperly washed. The ware should be washed in warm water with a mild soap or detergent. Do not rub too hard, or you will remove the luster glaze.
Need prices for collectibles? Find them at Kovels.com, our website for collectors. More than 84,000 prices and 5,000 color pictures have just been added. Now you can find more than 900,000 prices that can help you determine the value of your collectibles. Access to the prices is free at Kovels.com/priceguide.
Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or e-mail addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
CURRENT PRICES
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Prom dress, off-the-shoulder short sleeves, sweetheart neckline, black-velvet bodice, two tiers of ruffles, short skirt, black, white and gold gingham check, 1980s, $40.
Tiger maple daybed, scrolled arms, turned legs, beehive finials and arm supports, 1800s, 23 x 68 x 24 inches, $690.
Pieced and appliqued quilt, hand-stitched, 16 squares in “Whigs Defeat” pattern, paisley design in multiple borders, circa 1880s, 98 x 97 inches, $805.
George III silver salver, oval, engraved band of fruit, acorns, flowers and wheat, scroll feet, marked, 1799, 12 x 9 inches, $805.
Bennington pottery poodle, holding fruit basket, flint enamel, coleslaw fur, circa 1850, 8 1/2 inches, $3,290.
The best book to own if you want to buy, sell or collect. Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2011, 43rd edition, is your most accurate source for current prices. This large-size paperback has more than 2,600 color photographs and 42,000 up-to-date prices for more than 775 categories of antiques and collectibles. You’ll also find hundreds of factory histories and marks, and a report on the record prices of the year, plus helpful sidebars and tips about buying, selling, collecting and preserving your treasures. Available online at Kovelsonlinestore.com, by phone at 800-303-1996, at your bookstore or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Price Book, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
