Antiques of the Week: Garden Related Antiques

April 20, 2012 in Antiques of the Week, Miscellaneous Antiques by admin | No comments

A Renaissance Revival cast iron bench, probably Kramer Brothers, Dayton, Ohio, late 19th to early 20th century

A Renaissance Revival cast iron bench, probably Kramer Brothers, Dayton, Ohio, late 19th to early 20th century

As spring arrives, people are not only digging into their gardens, but also digging into Prices4Antiques.com for garden-related accessories! We’ve seen a real jump in the past few weeks of searches for objects like benches and garden lanterns, but these have risen to the top: a elaborate Kramer Brothers Gothic Revival-style bench from Dayton, Ohio; a Japanese pagoda-style lantern cover; a pair of Walbridge and Company urns from Buffalo, New York; a classic Victorian garden bench with white paint; and a charming garden figure in the form of a recumbent mastiff-like dog, who would be great company for anyone working in their yard or garden.We see plenty of beautiful things like this at auction on a regular basis, so consider saving some of your pennies for annuals AND antiques!

18th & 19th Century Antique Fans

April 17, 2012 in Textiles/Clothing/Accessories by admin | No comments

19th century finely-painted and gilt silk and ivory Neoclassical folding fan

19th century finely-painted and gilt silk and ivory Neoclassical folding fan

18th and 19th Century Decorative Fans

Fans have been used since ancient times for cooling and more recently as an accessory for flirtation and fashion. Out of style by early in the 19th century, they reappeared as a fashion must have after their use at a ball hosted by Charles X at the Tuileries. Decorative fans come in two types-folding or leaf type, and rigid type, called Brise.

Folding fans of the 18th & 19th Century

Folding fans are constructed in one of two ways. The uprights, (called sticks, ribs or blades) are sandwiched between two layers of some pleated material (called a leaf, or mount) or the sticks are glued to the back of the mount.

Brise Fans

A Brise style fan is one in which there is no mount. Instead, the sticks are wide enough to overlap when the fan is opened. The sticks are bound together with ribbons of silk or satin. Feather Brise fans became popular late in the 19th Century.

Parts of a Fan

Leaf (or Mount) These can be made of a variety of materials, from inexpensive to elegant. In the 18th & 19th Century fans leaves were paper, vellum, or fabric. During the 18th century particularly, the finest vellum was made from unborn kid, and called, for reasons that nobody today knows, “chicken skin.” Fabrics used for mounts included silk, silk faille, lace, and silk gauze. Mounts were decorated with painted pastoral, historical of mythological scenes, or decorated in flower or geometric patterns with applied sequins, tiny bits of silk, or ivory.

Stick, (Rib, or Blade) Sticks were fashioned of wood, ivory. Wood sticks were sometimes veneered with mother-of-pearl or tortoise-shell, or in the case of Chinese fans, coated with lacquer and gilt. They could be plain and smooth, or intricately carved and pierced. Sticks for Brise fans were woven together with silk or satin ribbons. These ribbons are plain or embroidered.

Outer Guards are the shaped pieces that protect the fan when it is closed. Thees are thicker and wider than the other sticks.

Rivets or Pins are the pivoting fasteners that hold the sticks together at the bottom of the fan, and sometimes included a carrying loop or silken tassel.

-Reference note by p4A Contributing Editor Susan Cramer.

Reference & Further Recommended Reading:

To search the Prices4Antiques antiques reference database for valuation information on hundreds of thousands of antiques and fine art visit our homepage www.prices4antiques.com

Antiques of the Week: Titanic Artifacts & Memorabilia

April 13, 2012 in Antiques of the Week, Ephemera by admin | No comments

Early account of Titanic sinking in New York American newspaper

Early account of Titanic sinking in New York American newspaper

April 13, 2012 – Unless you’ve been at the bottom of the ocean yourself, you probably know that this month marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. So perhaps it’s no surprise that we’re seeing an increase in searches for objects related to the ill-fated ocean liner. Of course, there are the obvious things, like identification plates from one of the Titanic’s lifeboats, the New York American newspaper’s first account of the sinking, and a first-hand account of the RMS Carpathia’s rescue of the Titanic’s passengers, but there’s also been an increase in interest in movie-related memorabilia, including the dramatic posters from the 1959 movie, A Night to Remember, and a prop table from James Cameron’s blockbuster. Whether it’s the historical version or the fictional one, one thing is certain – the tragedy seems to continue to hold the world, the marketplace, and our searchers in thrall!

Fiestaware

March 26, 2012 in Kitchen & Household, Pottery & Porcelain by admin | No comments

Fiesta disc juice pitcher in red glaze

Fiesta disc juice pitcher in red glaze

Frugal Yet Fabulous Fiestaware!

In 1936, like every other pottery in America, the Homer Laughlin China Company was desperate for a new product that would generate sales during the difficult days of the depression.  With help the talented Frederick Hurton Rhead (director of design from 1928-42), The Homer Laughlin Company found their answer in Fiestaware.

Bold Forms in Bright Colors

Immediately successful, Fiestaware dishes combined simple yet bold forms in bright colors.  Originally produced in five colors: red (which was actually more of an orange) yellow, cobalt, light green, and ivory.  Turquoise was added one year into production.  The original palate was named “Old Mexico Colors.” These were stylish in California and other western states, but Fiesta made them popular in the rest of the country as well.

Art Deco Era Dishes

Fiestaware dishes were architectural in form and drew heavily from the visual vocabulary of Art Moderne and Art Deco style, including  streamlined forms,  concentric circles, and  horizontal and vertical ribs and banding.  These elements were combined with simple geometric forms, especially circles.  Pieces were glazed in solid bright colors, and because the aesthetic appeal depended on form and color rather than expensive and time consuming hand decorating, the dishes were inexpensive to produce.  The mass-produced crockery was sold at the Five & Dime, and was considered inexpensive, even during the Depression.

Fiesta yellow demitasse coffee pot

Fiesta yellow demitasse coffee pot

Fiestaware to Mix and Match

The six colors worked well together, and a new table fashion was born- mixing and matching; each place setting could be a different color, or a home maker might mix the colors within a place setting.  The dishes could be one color and the accessories another.  A pitcher could be cobalt and the tumblers red, or each tumbler could be a different color.  Consumers loved the infinite possibilities.

Fiestaware was so popular that it was produced until 1973.  In 1959, new colors- forest green, rose, chartreuse, medium grey, and medium green were added.  Production ended temporarily in ’73, but styles cycled back, as styles are apt to do.  In 1986, and Homer Laughlin reintroduced Fiestaware, and it is still in production today.

Collectible Fiestaware

Fiesta collectors look for early examples (pre-1969), especially of accessories and serving pieces.  Since a set of dishes might have 8 dinner plates but only 2 serving bowls, the bowls are harder to find, and therefore more valuable. Collectors love the vases, salt and pepper shakers, pitchers, tea pots, coffee pots, candle holders, gravy boats and mixing bowls.

Pieces such as covered butters, tea & coffee pots, and casseroles with intact covers are desirable because the lids frequently were broken, are the tumblers that rarely survived the tentative grasp of clumsy children.  As is the case with all collectible pottery, the most valuable pieces will be free of chips, cracks and crazing, although some allowances are made for hard to find pieces in rare colors.

-By p4A Contributing Editor Susan Cramer.

Reference & Further Recommended Reading:

To search the Prices4Antiques antiques reference database for valuation information on hundreds of thousands of antiques and fine art visit our homepage www.prices4antiques.com

Faces of Stone: Folk Art Stoneware Face Jugs

March 21, 2012 in Crafts & Folk Art, Pottery & Porcelain by admin | No comments

Southern folk art stoneware face jug by Thomas Davies circa 1860.

Southern folk art stoneware face jug by Thomas Davies circa 1860.

Sometimes, I think the impression many people have of antiques is that they’re stodgy or dull, just perfectly crafted boring furniture, which probably goes along with the commonly held view that people in “olden days” were humorless, dour people who stumped around throwing people in the stocks for laughing.  In reality, there’s so much whimsy and personality and individuality at work in the world of antiques!

I can’t think of a better example of this than face jugs.  As with most nebulous groupings (18th century through modern day, many types of earthenware, molded and applied and painted decoration, etc.) of objects, the history of face jugs is vague.  Most theories revolve around three general schools of thought.  First, setting aside the myths of craftsmanship that depict a pastoral view of an artisan at work, stoneware manufacturing was really an industry – long hours, repetitive work, dirty conditions.  It’s easy to believe that face jugs were just a way to introduce an element of creativity into what was otherwise frequently a tedious job.  Another, more apocryphal, theory is that such jugs could be used to store moonshine and other things one might not want children to drink.  Tell them there’s a boogeyman in the closet and if they saw a face jug in there, they’d likely believe you!  The most likely theory of origin is the strong connection between these jugs and African-American potters and their spiritual traditions rooted in the same cultures that evolved into what we know as Voodoo.  These “creepy” or “grotesque” faces would certainly aid in warding off any evil spirits that might be lurking around.

Regardless of the origins, face jugs found their home in the South where potters like B.B. Craig and the Meaders family specialized in crafting them in stoneware.  Typically speaking, the majority of face jugs have alkaline glaze, ceramic eyes, and teeth that are often pebbles or broken bits of ceramic material.  Prices vary widely, but generally, the most valuable ones are the earlier ones (like the one pictured above), often slave-made, that predate the Civil War and were made in factories like those owned by Col. Thomas Davies of Bath, South Carolina.

-By Hollie Davis, Senior Editor, p4A.com

To search the Prices4Antiques antiques reference database for valuation information on hundreds of thousands of antiques and fine art visit our homepage www.prices4antiques.com

« Older entries § Newer entries »