Comments on: Philadelphia Sale in Louisiana

By: max

max — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:46:21 +0000

Would love to have pictures for comparison. Likewise I can send detailed shots for your info.
I do think that the concensus is that they are Pabst. In fact the under bidder is a Pabst collector who is trying to put together a collection for an exhibition in Philadelphia and have offered a loan if he so wishes.
max@maxfoote.com

By: Ulysses Dietz

Ulysses Dietz — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:23:21 +0000

The word suspicious is too negative! It is hard to imagine two identical pairs of pedestals appearing on the market in such a short time window. But I wasn’t dissing your purchase at all–I was fascinated that they might be “our” pedestals, and you can imagine the guilt that, having liked them for thirty years, I decided to deaccession them because we couldn’t afford the conservation. If I had thought them to be by Pabst, I certainly would have pushed to conserve them rather than sell them off–so I am feeling both stupid and guilty. I can send you pictures of the ones we used to own, if nothing else at least for your files. They are (having said all the rest) the nicest pedestals of their kind I’ve ever seen.

By: max

max — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:19:29 +0000

I did inspect them personally and did not see the damage you refer to, especially the missing top. Both appeared to be original with the veneer replaced on one top and both missing the cloth insert. The pedestals themselves are in excellent condition with original finish.
It is suspect that the timing would coincide.
Thanks for the heads up.

By: John Werry

John Werry — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:29:16 +0000

Ulysses, if you think of it next time, give us a heads up on any deaccessioning going on. I would have been at that sale with check in hand for those pedestals. Especially at a $2,655 hammer price.

By: Ulysses Dietz

Ulysses Dietz — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:54:05 +0000

Well, it would be nice if I read the thread carefully before responding. So, with apologies to Max and his patient spouse: could this pair be our deaccessioned pair conserved?

By: Ulysses Dietz

Ulysses Dietz — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:42:00 +0000

Oy vey (an old curatorial term)…Has anyone inspected those Pabst pedestals in person? We deaccessioned a very beat-up identical pair of pedestals through Dawson & Nye in 2009 (we being the Newark Museum) because, good as they were, they were beyond our ability to conserve. One was missing its rotating top entirely, and the other had its top broken in half. Could this be our (former) pair? I had wanted to do something with them for years, but finally had to face reality and let them go. I always thought they were beautiful.

By: John Werry

John Werry — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:41:11 +0000

Max, if you build another house just for antiques, then you can just fill that one too. Since your wife won’t see what get’s put there on a daily basis, you can fill at will.

By: max

max — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:49:50 +0000

My wife and I bought the pedestals because of the great style and a lack of a good example of Pabst.
I have always said you never have enough pedestals and you can always find a place.
Now what to do with the other 20 we own.
My wife keeps threatening me with AA [antiques anonymous].

By: John Werry

John Werry — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:35:40 +0000

Pedestals went for $12,500. RAE, I went through the St. Charles numbers and a lot of the big ticket Victorian went unsold – two “Belters”, a signficant Gothic Revival chair…

By: Ed Lawler

Ed Lawler — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:05:14 +0000

Someone should buy these pedestals for the Smithsonian. Daniel Pabst is well-represented in Philadelphia and New York, but there are no examples of his work in any of the national collections in Washington, DC.