As Michael Flanigan said in this Antiques Roadshow appraisal, if this table hadn’t been branded “Herter Bros”, I would have passed it off as a nice Rosewood Renaissance Revival table.  However this is indeed a true Herter Brothers table that originated from the estate of Darius Ogden Mills, a wealthy Californian that made his money during the gold rush.  Mills’ name is written on the underside in pencil.

This is one of those cases where the owner didn’t realize the great deal that he had gotten for a mere $477.  He thought that the Herter Brothers brand was just a “burn mark”.

I won’t spoil the surprise of the final appraisal price for his $477 investment.  You can watch the full video segment here.

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.

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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Are there any independent film producers out there?  I have  a new movie title for you to produce, “Stubby Finds a Home”.  Probably more of a Disney flick than a Tom Cruise action flick.

The new owner of the cut-down Rococo table that I profiled on Rare Victorian while it was up for sale wrote to share a picture of the table’s new home.

Charles had to say this about the table:

The church-basement-piano-color finish is gone, Stubby has a fresh coating of shellac, and he’s settled down to a life of domestic bliss.

So Stubby is all cleaned up and has a new abode with Rococo and Ren Revi friends.  Note the Belter book on top of Stubby.

I DO feel better that although Stubby is cut-down, he has not found himself in a landfill somewhere.  Maybe some day he can get some prosthetic legs.  Thanks, Charles, for the update.