Two Bizarre Real Art World Amusements
Occasionally the art world becomes very bizarre. Picture yourself as a middle aged Italian sewage worker hired to drive a bulldozer to uncover old sewer pipes close to the Apian …
Print Illustrates Hoop Skirt Symbolism
GE sent me a Daumier print of a Parisian woman with a huge bell shaped hoop skirt catching the falling snow. GE asked if women really wore this fashion. What …
A Washboard Eased Laundry Day Ordeal
JE owns an early 20th century American washboard use by 1860s across the nation. Stephen Rust of New York invented it in 1833. He patented a wood frame that held …
Mechanical Music Box Cranks Up Tunes
JMC sent me photos of a fantastic music box, probably fifty to sixty inches long and twenty-five to thirty inches wide, dating from the late 19th century. I LOVE old …
THE Premier Swiss Mantle Atmos Clock
Imagine a clock that winds itself based on changes in atmospheric pressure. This clock doesn’t need a human. It winds itself with the help of a sealed bellows of ethyl …
Brass Bowl in Style of Ancient Metalworkers
GH received this Persian-style brass bowl inlaid with silver as a holiday gift. She asked me to trace its unique combination of metals, style, and history. This is a five …
What Do Celebrities Collect?
I’ve worked for a few celebrity clients over the years as an appraiser. Although I can’t discuss my OWN celebrity client’s collections, Town and Country, Vanity Fair, and Art Net …
Lauder’s ‘OMG’ Formula
If you walked into a thrift store, and saw a painting that intrigued you, how do you judge it? First answer: you learn history of art, techniques of artists, and …
Zulu Doll Symbolizes Culture and Tradition
JE owns a tall, three and a half foot, fabric and beadwork Zulu doll her father collected in South Africa in the 1960s. He worked on a project that took …
Alter Echoes Ancient Hindu Tradition
GT owns this little forty-eight-pound piece of stone, measuring nine by ten by eight inches. She thinks it might be related to a Hindu spiritual practice. Nobody at Goleta’s Habitat …