A monumental circa-1890 R.J. Horner figural carved mahogany 12-piece dining room set soared to $100,300 at a cataloged auction held May 21, 2011 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. The set was the top lot in the sale, which attracted a large amount of Tiffany lamps and decorative objects. An unusual Tiffany Studios bronze crab inkwell with an exceptional brown and deep red patina with green highlights went for $23,600.
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Furniture Detective columnist Fred Taylor says in an effort to determine the range of the age of a piece of furniture, we have the beginnings of a built-in time line if the piece has drawers. A drawer is a fairly difficult thing to build when you get right down to it. It is a five sided box that must fit perfectly within a case (a six-sided box) and be removable on demand without binding or breaking either the drawer or the case.
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More than 500 lots of top market antique furniture, vintage lighting, fine art, decorative accessories, period furniture, clocks, estate jewelry and watches, including a 12-piece R.J. Horner figural carved dining set is set to light up a May 21 sale in Pittsfield, Mass. The sale is punctuated by several pieces from Tiffany studios. A key find is a bronze inkwell with the fine figure of a crab, its claws reaching forward, pinching the coiled handles of the inkwell pot mounted with an oyster shell.
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One thing to bear in mind while searching for your next antique furniture treasure is that this stuff, by definition, has been around the block a few times, and the road has not always been smooth. Sometimes, old furniture, like old cars, tends to shed some parts when the going gets rough. And while some missing pieces are perfectly obvious, others aren’t, and it takes a little detective work to confirm that vague feeling that something is awry.
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A topic that invariably generates a lot of heat and a lot less light is the question of what qualifies as an antique. The use of the word itself is a little odd in that it is one of the few words we use to describe an object that doesn’t have anything to do with the physical characteristics of the object.
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Over at Martin Willis’ blog he delves into the harrowing and e-mail-fight-worthy topic of antique furniture refinishing. If ever there be a subject that draws sharp opinions it’s debating when/if/why to refinish a piece. I give him credit for generously … Read More +
Antique furniture comes in many styles and everyone is different when it comes to decorating their homes. Some may like Mid-century Modern or Victorian styles; while others may enjoy Duncan Phyfe or Georgian furniture. Georgian is a period of design in English furniture from 1714 through the early 1800s. It is also a period rich in the terms of new styles and the craftsmen who invented and brought this era of furniture into every household around the world. The Georgian period is broken down into three stages: early Georgian (1714 to 1740); mid Georgian (1760 to 1790); and late Georgian (1790 to early 1800s). Read More +
Check out this fascinating entry on the differences between period American and English Georgian furniture over at Martin Willis‘ Antique Auction Forum. He writes: “Centennial furniture was born in the traditions mentioned above debuting at the 1876 International Centennial Exposition … Read More +
Beds are of great interest to most people. We spend more time in bed than we do anywhere else, except maybe at work, so where we spend roughly one-third of our lives should be of great interest. In Colonial America, mobility was a key factor in bed design. America has been a nation on the move since before it was a nation, so a bed that could be disassembled, transported by wagon or boat and reassembled was a valuable asset. Read More +
After 32 years and more than $150 million worth of antique furniture sold, the famed Steven-Thomas Antiques and Interiors is closing with a blockbuster auction Feb. 5-6. The prestigious Orange County antiques and restoration firm, became famous fo redesigning and repurposing antiques for functional use in today’s homes. Steven-Thomas also catered to a large celebrity clientele that included the late John Wayne, who resided in Newport Beach. Every article will be sold to the highest bidder, regardless of price, by Don Presley Auctions.
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