War Waged Over Painted Furniture
JD sent me an interesting lingerie chest someone painted wild green with floral designs. She asked: when the painting happened, and more importantly why? And she wants to know about …
Giving Versus Selling or Donating
A client inherited a great contemporary work. Another told me about a plein air painting, owned by her grandfather since 1930, in her possession for fifteen years. Both clients want …
Demijohn Origin Myths
HT owns a thirty inch tall Demijohn, sometimes called a Dame Jeanne bottle, twenty inches in diameter. The vintage green glass bottle comes with a maroon glass stopper custom made …
Brancusi Sculptures Seem to Fly
JE found this copper sculpture in a thrift store. She believes it looks like a Brancusi. It kind of does, but it misses something significant. It does not FLY. The …
Compotes Carry Southern Tradition
My Southern clients, with long family ties to Charleston or New Orleans, always astound me. These Santa Barbara transplants, who’ve lived in Santa Barbara for generations, own great silver, textiles …
Treasured Werken Flavius Josephus
PS owns a splendid, rare work of Jewish History worth around $3,000 on the old book market. Werken Flavius Josephus, published in Amsterdam in 1722, is a translation of the …
Rightsizing Looks at How You Use Your Home
My friend Mo asked me to discuss RIGHTSIZING, a newly coined term, as it pertains to lived space, opposed to the horrific and overused term DOWNSIZING. We know in the …
Eye Catching Citrus Crate Labels
ER owns three citrus crate labels, and wonders if they’re valued as art or pieces of paper. The first label is recognizable—Goleta. We’ve all seen that on tea towels and …
Picasso Worthy Ceramic Fish Plate
Let me tell you a story of a theme and technique championed by none other than Pablo Picasso adopted in the Hinterland of Australia. Check out FT’s ceramic fish plate. …
Religious Mosaics Equal Byzantine Wonders
CR owns a pair of religious mosaics, one a Christ figure and one of Mary. These exceptional mosaics measure fifteen by twenty inches, weighing eighteen pounds, set in lead. He …