The above Aesthetic Movement secretary made by Herter Brothers is in the process of being acquired by the Newark Museum. That news is fresh off the presses as the decision was just sealed yesterday after a formal presentation to the museum’s board. The secretary is currently in the American Art wing as part of the “Picturing America” exhibition. Senior Curator Ulysses Dietz explained to me that it has displaced a Leon Marcotte cabinet that the museum has owned since the 1930s which will be back on display in the near future in another wing.

The Hopkins secretary has a storied past. It was originally part of Mark Hopkins’ Nob Hill residence which was constructed between 1875 and1880.  The home was architected by Wright and Sanders with interiors designed by Herter Brothers. Unfortunately, Mark died in 1878 while the home was still under construction and never saw it’s completion. His wife continued on with the completion of the home and later married Edward F. Searles, Herter Brothers’s West Coast representative.

You might remember a similar cabinet that I wrote about this past September that was also at the Bonhams sale but did not sell.  This cabinet was featured in the Warner Brothers move, My Fair Lady in 1964.

This cabinet headed to Newark was acquired by Margot Johnson for $91,500 at the Bonhams sale in January 2009 and has been conserved since.

However …. developing news.  I’m hearing today that there is some possibility that this secretary and other pieces for Mark Hopkins’ home were actually made by Pottier & Stymus as a subcontractor to Herter Brothers.  I’ll pass on any further information that I receive or those in the know can pass it on via comments below.

I hope to make a stop by the Newark Museum in the near future and see it in person as I have yet to visit and have always had it on the list.  This secretary has tipped the scales to make the drive.

I’m always on the lookout for Victorian furniture of note that is “hiding” in obscurity, either behind a coat of paint or a unknowing seller description.  Here was a recent one that showed up on Ebay, disguised long enough for future decades until now when it would be rediscovered and restored.

While it is not a hidden Herter Brothers’ piece, it is still a maker that I enjoy collecting.  This is a Kilian Brothers table that is well known from the catalog images previously posted here on Rare Victorian and captured in a May 1999 issue of Magazine Antiques.  I almost bid on it during the time it was in the $100 range, knowing it would cost me several hundred more to get it back to original glory but I let this one go and it ultimately sold at $355.

I have a weakness for these damaged goods to the point where I am unafraid of losing money in the transaction to get the piece back into circulation in the condition it should be for another 100 years of life.  Visions of unbelievably good Victorian-era furniture burned in bonfires and set out on the curb for trash pickup in decades past probably influences that tendency.  I forgot to mention in this earlier post that this signed piece by Thomas Brooks was found on the curb for trash pickup in Brooklyn by the owner’s father 50 years ago!

Hopefully the new owner of the Kilian table purchased it with the intent to get it back to a better state.  Here is an unpainted version with differing hardware on the side panels.

Ulysses Dietz, curator at Newark Museum recently stopped by to give us a heads up on a Herter Brothers cabinet that a friend of his spotted in the 1964 Warner Brothers movie, My Fair Lady.  I extracted a scene showing the library, above, and have provided the Bonham’s sale image below.  I believe that we can assume they are one and the same cabinet since my earlier posts chronicled the Warner Brothers sale of many Herter Brother’s pieces earlier this year.  Apparently, this cabinet did not sell due to notable damage.  I wonder where it resides today?

Just in time for Christmas, you can get yourself a rare Mitchell & Rammelsberg hall tree with a carved Rudolph head to hang your hats on.  I believe this is a rare find with a massive trophy elk rack attached to a carved wooden head and the stencil of the manufacturer within the drawer.  Two smaller antlers make up the arms to hold your umbrellas in place with original drip trays.  I love the finishing touch of carved wooden acorns adorning the tips of the antlers.  We may never see another like this one …

More at the listing.

Speaking of Egyptian Revival brass, here’s an inexpensive (at the moment) Egyptian Revival brass rail. I’m trying to imagine what it would originally been used for since it wouldn’t appear that it would work for a drapery rod – the heads would be facing to the floor or ceiling if it were to be installed for that purpose.  It is also hard to tell if this was Victorian-era Egyptian Revival or decades later due to the 1920s (per the seller) radiator cover that it is currently mounted on.  Nonetheless, for fans of brass, and especially Egyptian Revival, this is something that may find a good decorative use in your home.  Twenty-four hours to go on this listing.

I’ve put up a pair of Pottier & Stymus Egyptian Revival mounts on Ebay. They’ve been sitting on my desk, staring at me like some 19th century paperweights, so hopefully someone has a better use for them than I.  If you’re interested in adding them to your collection, you can find more information on them at the listing.

Updates on Rare Victorian have been infrequent recently due to lack of free time, but I have several in the queue that I’m excited to share, so stay tuned in the coming days for a flurry of activity.

I’m a big fan of the incorporation of animal imagery into furniture made in the 19th century. When done well, it can elevate the level of style for a piece above those without these elements.  It also requires a good bit of carving skills and finesse to pull it off.  I have an ebonized pedestal with realistic paw feet that I never tire of admiring and I lust after Quervelle pieces, partially due to his well-executed signature feet.

However, every once in a while I run across a piece where the zoomorphic elements creep me out and the pedestal above is one of those examples.  It is well-carved and the realism is what I think gives me the heebie-jeebies (technical decorative arts term).  I really don’t want to see too much bone and ligament detail, thank you.

The full pedestal is seen below and also incorporates additional animal imagery in the form of three eagle heads on the base.

The seller is attributing the piece to Gustave Herter, probably largely based on the incorporation of these two elements.  The bidding does not have it up to Gustave Herter levels, so I don’t feel others are agreeing on the cabinetmaker attribution, however, it is a high quality piece and deserves a look.  More at the listing.

When looking at the eagle heads, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Gonzo of the Muppet Show due to the carved beaks on the table being a little bit beyond what the proportion should be.

This Belter Cornucopia chair is seeing action from 8 bidders on Ebay at the moment with 2 days left to go. Currently bid to less than $1,000, these chairs can command $4,000-$6,000 at auction.

This variation appears to be ca. 1855 and does not have the rounded seat that other variations have.  I have also seen variations in the skirt and legs, with carvings protruding half way down the leg.

Reserve is not met, but I expect we’ll start seeing the price creep closer to the past auction sale amounts.  More photos and information at the listing.

Nevin at Circa 19th Century Antiques has put up several Victorian-era lots on Ebay that will sell by this Sunday.  I will draw your attention to three of them in particular:

A fine Renaissance Revival parlor table with desirable sienna marble.  From the listing:

C 1860-70 Renaissance Victorian center table, probably NYC, maybe Pottier & Stymus or Gustave Herter, solid and burl walnut, rare Sienna marble top, desirable and unusual form with bowed ends and cabriole legs, bellflower/leaf carved tablet raised and incised panel skirt, fluted legs with scrolled leaf and bulls eye carvings, full burl stretcher with great holly leaf, berry and ribbon carving and incised carved medallion, 43” long, 28” wide, 28.5” tall.

A top of the line Merklen table in Primavera mahogany.  From the listing:

Exceptional Victorian library table, by Merklen Brothers, NYC, 1882-1897, solid Primavera (highest grade Merklen offered), spiral reeded edge and skirt moldings, shaped spiral reeded, turned legs, skirt castings are of a winged full bodied dragon holding a serpent in its mouth. Shelf brackets are lion heads with bat wings and the cast claw with the typical Merklen wood ball feet, 38” long, 25.5” wide, 29.5” tall

Lastly, a satin glass ewer, probably by Stevens & Williams.  From the listing:

MOP Circa 1880 satin glass ewer, Stevens & Williams, sought after Pompeian swirl and in the excellent peachblow colors popular at the time, mother of pearl/pearl ware, fading from deep rose to brilliant yellows at the rim, pearl finish, cased interior with white lining, satin frosted applied handle, 12” tall

These and Circa 19th Century Antiques’ other listings can be viewed here.

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When signed pieces of Victorian-era furniture show up for sale, I like to feature them so that we have a reference for the future when similar pieces show up that are not marked by their maker.

Sandra at Harlowe-Powell tipped me off to this signed (probably stenciled) J & JW Meeks Duchesse coming up for sale in their September 19th sale. The Meeks mark is on the underside of the central drawer.

An unusual component of this Rococo Revival Meeks duchesse is the carved female figure in the crest of the mirror.  I have not seen that before on a Meeks piece.

More information on the sale is available at their website.