(Continuation from Part I and Part II)

I’ve been talking a lot about Jenny Lind lately and here’s the impetus for my resurgent interest in solving the mystery of who the carved-arm females are meant to depict:

The owner of the sofa had recently put it up for sale on Ebay and an intriguing story came with the set – that it had been bought at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition and had stayed in the family it’s entire life until now. The owner had been told by an antiques dealer many years ago that it was part of a parlor design series called “Helen of Troy and Paris”.  Also known as Helen of Sparta, she was the daughter of Zeus and Leda in Greek Mythology.

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I’d like to start a new feature on Rare Victorian, which I hope will last beyond this one post, called “For The Record”.  The aim is to profile some less prolific, less visible, or “lost” cabinetmakers from the Victorian era.  I’ll especially try to target makers whose pieces seem to be anonymously floating (or wrongly attributed) out there in the marketplace under our very noses, but that may not always be part of the criteria.  I may profile a maker whom a pocket of RV readers are familiar with, but the goal will be to expose the broader readership of Rare Victorian to them as well.

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This parlor table is very similar to a table in the “Styles of American Furniture” book on page 67.  There appears to be differences in the inlay wood choices resulting in a rosier (Rosewood) color to this table.  The incising patterns on the lower section vary between them, as does the number of undulations on the paw feet. The contrasting Rosewood drawer looked out of place surrounded by ebonized wood, but in comparing it to the table in the book, I confirmed that to be intentional.  Even with the variations between the two, I would still not hesitate to state that the two tables were made by the same maker, which the seller, DuMouchelles, is attributing to be Pottier & Stymus.

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I don’t run across fine Neo-Grec, ebonized, Rosewood chairs like these too often.  Each chair has a bronze plaque in the back splat, one of a male figure and the other of a female.  There is ample ormolu throughout the chair and if I were the current owner, I would try to examine the back of the lion for a possible “P.S.” stamp (Pottier & Stymus) as is true of my Egyptian Revival set.

They are most likely of New York origin and the seller’s attribution to either Pottier & Stymus or Herter Brothers isn’t a stretch due to the fine quality.  The seller is asking $5,000 for the pair with free shipping provided.  I feel that they will go unsold due to the current state of the market – Victorian and Wall Street, both.  More photos at the listing.

Brunk Auctions will be putting up the above credenza on July 12th with an expected range $3,000-$6,000.  These cabinets are a staple in the Victorian furniture auctions, yet to me they do very little more than provide a showy piece of furniture in your house – they prop up a statue or vase in grand style.

It can’t be used to store books (properly) nor can it be used to display decorative items.  Well, I guess it could, but do you hide your decorative items in a closed cabinet?  I can tell you that mine is essentially empty save for the clean bag of rags I had put there as I was cleaning it.  Nonetheless, these cabinets are show-stoppers and if I could have 10 of them, I would.

Due to the questionable utility and space-gobbling presence in your home, I would consider these cabinets the canary in the coal mine for the higher-end Victorian antique furniture market.  Even though I wouldn’t use a single piece to provide a temperature for the market, it can provide a good datapoint to set aside.  If it sells for $5-$6,000, it would be in-line with recent trends.   if it sells between $3,000-$4,000, then there is a datapoint for an even stronger buyers market than we already have.

Lot details and more photos here.