Kerosene Lamp
R.B. sends me a working kerosene lamp that is rustic and simple. It has a bracket for a wall-mount to the rear as well as a flat bottom for table …
Art world sleuthing for Edwin Georgi
G.H. has a watercolor depicting young bunny-hill skiers standing in a circle in the snow. It is signed “Georgi.” The work is simple yet shows ability in handling paint, as …
The market’s choking on chokin
J. from Santa Barbara has two framed Japanese engravings on copper plates, overlayed with layers of gold and silver wash, then acid-etched and hand-tooled. Acid-etching refers to the lines that …
Mid-20th Century Asian Artwork
DL sends me an Asian style painting on fabric glued to a backboard and framed in a mid 19th C. frame. The frame is from the mid-19th C. European, but …
Hairy paw furniture clawed its way into the American market
In 1987, an American “hairy paw” chair was purchased at auction for $2.75 million. M.S. of Santa Barbara has a hairy paw table from the 19th century, made of American …
Piano Baby Horror 6/15/2017 0 Comments
MLB from Chicago sends my worst nightmare, a turn of the last century German bisque piano baby figurine at about 8 inches long. In size, anywhere from 3-4” to 30” …
Chinese Snuff Bottle
S.J. sends me a Chinese snuff bottle at 3” long. This form has a bad reputation, often labeled opium bottles. These were a fashionable accessory for carrying powdered tobacco ground …
Chinese Screen
M.K. collects toys – but a friend unloaded a 20th C. Chinese black lacquer 4-panel wall screen, inlaid and embellished with mother-of-pearl, on M.K. at her house in Santa Barbara. …
Spanish Shawl
C. and S.B. sent me a photo of one of my passions, a red half-century-old Manton de Manila, locally knows as the Spanish shawl, worn for fiesta. This is a …
With money tight, silver plate flourished
K.L. wonders about the history behind a serving dish he picked up on eBay for $26. The story of silver plate traditionally used for family holidays originated in Warsaw, Poland, …