Viva La Spanish Flavored Textiles
GM, who works at a local secondhand store, offers plenty of Fiesta Costumes for sale as I write this. A Rio Grande Vest at the shop evokes the Spanish Colonial …
Are these slag glass candlesticks made by Tiffany?
Elizabeth Stewart, PhD explains how to tell if these Art Nouveau slag glass candlesticks are made by Tiffany & Co. or not. Mantel pieces such as these are considered garnish.
Fabulous Art Deco Daum Glass
GD showed me a simply fabulous Daum Nancy colorless glass decanter from France, made in the early 20th century. Created in the Art Deco style, we see a frosted glass …
Are we through with the Joy of Things?
A client cancelled an appointment with me yesterday. He said he felt sick and tired of his family and colleagues suggesting he ‘de-clutter.’ He decided he didn’t care about valuing …
The Nude Male Model
JE owns a “life study” figure by Charles Arthur Fries (1854-1940). Why did Fries, known in his later years for his Southern Californian landscape paintings, sketch a strange little nude …
A Tale of Art Forgery
This week TT came into the office with a nice oil painting signed A.G. Deacon. This oil on canvas landscape, a view of a French vineyard, came with memories, as …
F. Hopkinson Smith: An Artist with Technical Know-How
PS sends me a beautiful oil pastel on paper, signed F. Hopkinson Smith (1838-1915). The painting depicts a canal scene in Venice, but look closer, you will see an amazing …
Material Testimony to the Story an Object Tells: Judaica
DB from Oxnard sent me this photograph of a most beautiful mystery silver item, which appears to be a tea or coffee pot. But in this little item contains a …
Ancient Altar Painting Tells Treasured Story of Abraham and Isaak
JE sent me photos of a wonderful small 8 x 12 oil on canvas, a portrait of the aged Abraham, the father of the little infant at his feet, Isaak. …
High Culture Eagle Devolves to Low Culture Symbol
I possess my own theories about Early American Colonial Design style in the USA in the mid 20th century. I should know. I lived through this most unfortunate era in …