This Folk Art table from around 1900 is purportedly one that was made in a penitentiary in Kansas, possibly Lansing Penitentiary.  Similar tables are in the Kansas State Historical Society and the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.  The top (below) has extensive marquetry work and the feet are brass claws with glass balls.

Jackson’s Auction will be selling this table as well as the Victorian-period items shown in the thumbnails below.

There are seven - count ‘em - seven “Pabst” pieces on Ebay right now and I wonder about how loosely the name is being bandied about for anything that resembles the style that he worked in.

British architect Bruce Talbert’s influential “Gothic Forms“, published in 1867, influenced many a maker at the time, including some to be mentioned below.  In addition to influences from the “influencers” such as Talbert, the makers themselves converged during the major exhibitions and saw what each other was working on.  Then there are the trade journals such as American Cabinetmaker that they all had copies of …

This exposure to architects, designers and other makers resulted in cross-pollination and propagation of stylistic elements that makes it unrealistic for us to whittle the list of likely makers down to the famous few and reuse their names over-and-over.  This why I will be doing more of the “For The Record” posts on this blog.

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I’m encouraged by some of the prices realized at the Fontaine sale yesterday.  Here’s a sampling of some of the healthy results:

• Meeks Hawkins sofa - $10,000
• “Pottier & Stymus” Aesthetic Sideboard - $12,000
• Meeks  Rosewood Etagere - $50,000
• Belter 3-piece Milwaukee parlor set - $21,000
• Pierce-carved Belter slipper chair - $17,000 (expected $6-8k)
• “R.J. Horner” Library Table - $15,000 (interesting side-story)
  

Some of the items had some questionable attributions and the bidders affirmed that message with their bidding:

• Pair of Herter Brothers twin bedsteads - $1,250 for the pair
• Thomas Brooks marble-top table - $1,000

Some items did disappoint and Jelliff items were in that category:

• John Jelliff triple-back sofa - $1,750 (we’ve seen it sell for $5,750)
• Jelliff three-piece parlor set - $2,000

Following on my concern about some of the attributions, the basis of the Pottier & Stymus attribution for the sideboard was:

This piece has a 5 digit number on the back (10278) indicative of the work of Pottier & Stymus

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine that P&S were the only makers that had 5-digit inventory numbers of the tens of thousands of shops in the world at the time.

Overall, however, I think the sale showed that the good stuff is still selling well (despite Wall Street tumult) and anything below that level is scraping by.

Related items for sale - hover mouse for more information