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 …
Tenement Painting Depicts Early 1900s NYC Housing
JE saw this oil on canvas in a local thrift store, bought it for a song, loved, and framed it. Yet she wonders why she LOVES this painting. She writes …
Midcentury Christmas vs 17th Century Christmas
An expertise in Material Culture sure comes with problems this time of year. My clients expect me to love the holidays, which are centered around STUFF. I enjoy the history …
iMac Like It’s 1999
When ED acquired a gift for grandpa in 1999 the world no longer thought of computers as boring beige plastic boxes. Apple introduced the very first iMac in 1998 in …
Art of the Dream Painting
GH found a wonderful painting at a thrift store and sent me a photo. He’s such a genius, because he thinks it may look like a dream, and indeed it …
Regulator Clock Hidden Danger
Deb asked a question that’s way over my head. Bear with me because the physics of anything are not my strong suit. “My grandmother owned aa famous brand Mercury clock. …