American Victorian furniture RSS Sitemap
Rare Victorian Furniture · Makers · Rooms · Research

Forum News · originally published

The Curious Case of the Victorian Carved Bench

The Curious Case of the Victorian Carved Bench
The Curious Case of the Victorian Carved Bench
As I eluded to yesterday, there are a few changes happening at Rare Victorian - all for the good. I'd like to introduce Cynthia Boris who will be helping out with a Forum News post every week to summarize the interesting activity going on there. Cynthia is a veteran blogger who started her writing career in the area of collectibles. She was a staff writer for Toy Shop magazine and her first of four books, on TV toys, was published by Krause, the largest hobby publisher in the US. I'm thrilled that she'll be helping me out here at Rare Victorian. carved_seat"Curiouser and curiouser," cried Alice and that could have been our motto this week here at Rare Victorian. It started with photos of an ornately carved bench that were posted by BarrysAntiques. The scrolled sides on this bench appear to have angel faces carved into the tops and that could be an angel with wings spread carved into the front, but take a look at the sidebars! That face looks awfully demonic, doesn't it? Perhaps this bench was carved to commemorate the new Tom Hanks' movie Angels and Demons. It certainly fits! Have we piqued your curiosity? Visit the Victorian Furniture section of the forum for more photos of this interesting piece. victorian_what_is_itDQ posted some photos this week of a curious antique that might also have religious significance. There are no carvings on this stand but the slanted platform at the bottom seems to cry out for a family bible. But it's the top of the table that has us really perplexed. On the top is a wooden box with a lid. Open the lid and a bin springs forward like an old bread drawer. A place to store "our daily bread" perhaps? It certainly has our members stumped. If you know the origin of this lovely piece of furniture, click here to visit the thread and let us know. Keeping with our literary theme -- to restore or not restore, that is the question Jacon4 is asking in the Antique Furniture Care section. He has a Queen Anne highboy base that is in very good condition except that the knee return is missing. He can make a replacement but that will likely mean having to refinish the legs and I'm sure you know how one small repair can snowball into a huge job. Should he do the work or leave the piece as is? Chime in with your thoughts on the matter right here. brass_hardwareFinally, take a look at this intricate stork hinge. It's one of several brass hardware photos that Stever posted earlier in the month. You just don't see workmanship like that anymore, do you? If you have a passion for brass hardware, check out the rest of the thread for more hinge photos as well as some amazing doorknobs and plates. Did you spend this past holiday weekend antiquing? If so, visit the forum and post pictures of your finds. Whether you need help identifying the origin of a piece or you just want to show it off, we'd love to hear about it.
The Curious Case of the Victorian Carved Bench
The Curious Case of the Victorian Carved Bench

5 comments

  1. zeke
    Greetings Cynthia ! Welcome to Rare Victorian. Very nice first post and I'm sure your presence here will only make RV more enjoyable. :) Zeke
  2. Cynthiab
    Zeke, Thanks for the warm welcome. Years ago, when I was single and had money (LOL) I went on an art deco furniture spree. I used to haunt the antique shops in New Jersey and Penn. looking for new pieces and accessories. I couldn't get enough. So I sure do understand the lure of collecting antiques. New Hope, PA was one of my favorite spots to find new (old) goodies and anyone who is in the area really should check it out. Feel free to nudge me in the right direction anytime Zeke, I'm always open to learning new things.
  3. james
    Mmmmmmmmm, New Hope, PA. great place for paint decorated american furniture. Old Hope antiques is one of my fav places to drool while cruising the net for old furniture. Museum quality. http://www.oldehope.com/ Welcome aboard Cynthia!
  4. Cynthiab
    James, These days I live in Southern California not far from Orange Circle with is a city full of antique and collectible shops not unlike New Hope, but without the old world charm.
  5. zeke
    Hey Cynthia, Yea, New Hope, about every other week my wife and I travel down to Lambertville, NJ to the Golden Nugget antique flea market and it’s always an amazing time for us. We usually find something, mostly a small insignificant thing to add to our collection but it’s more about the fun of being together on a little treasure hunt. Then it’s off to the “Peoples Store” on Main street, where we’ve bought quite a few nice things. Then it’s over the Delaware river to New Hope. It’s a charming little town, very romantic and a nice diverse crowd of people. The parking is a nightmare though! Hope you are having as much fun in sunny California as we are in the swamps of Jersey. Keep blogging Cynthia!

Leave a comment

Rare Victorian Forum - An International Community

This week, a new poster took the forum by storm with some great information about a variety of subjects. Canadian Maple (CM) seems to have an endless supply of catalog and photographic reference material, which he's happ