Here is a beautiful rosewood John Henry Belter "Fountain Elms" pattern side chair up for auction for the next few days. I would have blogged about this chair earlier but the pictures on the listing are very dark and don't highlight the carvings and the fact that this is a pierced Belter design. So after waiting a few days, I lightened the photo myself. There are other Fountain Elms side chairs for sale on the web and one in particular is listed for $9,500. You'll see from the photo below taken from "American Furniture of the 19th Century" by Eileen & Richard Dubrow that Fountain Elms arm chairs can be worth $15,000+. This particular side chair is starting at $4,500 and the listing can be seen here. Listing ends February 25th.
eBay Antiques No. 032
John Henry Belter "Fountain Elms" Pattern Side Chair
Leave a comment
Related archive entries
The Best Cabinetmaker in New York Quit at the Top — and Left You Almost Nothing to Label
Charles Baudouine ran the biggest cabinet shop in New York, then walked away in 1856 to sell real estate. He rarely labeled anything, which is exactly why his rosewood keeps getting called Belter.
For the Record: Julius Dessoir, the Crystal Palace Carver Who Isn't Belter
Not every deeply carved rosewood sofa is a Belter. Julius Dessoir's documented 1853 Crystal Palace suite at the Met is the yardstick — and the lamination test that separates carved-solid Rococo from Belter's laminated shell.

Comments