The Art of Michael Arntz
An artist in Montecito received a gift of a unique ceramic charger plate found at a thrift store in Goleta. It’s signed ‘M Arntz.’ She wrote about the blue glaze …
The Power of Green Stamps
I discovered pasted-down Green Stamps in Grace’s bottom drawer when she passed away at 101. Seeing them transported me back to our kitchen table in Deerfield, Illinois. Young Elizabeth watched …
Vintage Mallory Hat
FM of Montecito sent me a photo of his grandfather’s vintage Mallory hat. He wonders what became of the venerable custom and manufacture of American fedoras. The story is a …
Tear Catcher: A Sentimental Gift
SR sent me this pink and blue gold gilded porcelain bottle with an ornate gold stopper and interesting “scoop” or funnel to the top in metal. She called it a …
Buddhist Temple Lion Ming or Not?
FK, an older resident of Montecito, sent me a Kodak photo of her Temple Lion in the US Post (snail-mail). She asked if her Chinese ceramic was in fact late …
Value of All Things Bob Dylan
When a museum welcomes an object or collection, values rise for objects with similar provenance. A reader’s Bob Dylan collectible vinyl album serves as a great example of this phenomena, …
What Did I Just Inherit?
Did a relative die and leave photos, papers, books, and letters? How do you value the collection? Maybe you really didn’t want the collection due to lack of space or …
STOLEN and LOOTED ART: What You Should Know
“Theft, looting, and illicit trafficking of cultural property is a crime,” states UNESCO’s Illicit Trafficking Unit. “It deprives people of their history and culture; it weakens social cohesion…and fuels organized …
Top Ten Books About Objects and Material Culture
A reader, Louise, asked about my favorite books on THINGS, so I compiled a list for her: 1. Highbrow/Lowbrow: The Emergence of Cultural Hierarchy in America by Lawrence Levine A …
Art on the Moon with Lunar Codex
A time machine to the future, the ultimate anthology, a museum on the moon, a message in a bottle: all these phrases describe the Lunar Codex, a massive contemporary art …