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Herter Brothers Bookcase Find
You may remember Ralph and Pamela Krainik from the previous post on their monumental clock. They recently let me know that they purchased a Victorian bookcase and were able to identify it as a Herter Brothers piece due t
Taking Decorative Risks
This three-piece set of parlor furniture will certainly jump out at you when you enter the room. I still can't decide if I like it or not and I think the problem I'm having is due to the upholstery. I think if this were
Moorish Fretwork and Spindle Lattice-Work Identification
Paul Tucker has placed a request for identification help on the Rare Victorian community board here to get some ideas on who has produced these two pieces. The first is a Moorish fretwork umbrella stand marked as made by
Charles Rohlfs Chair - Sold $198,000
If you remember this chair from my previous post, I thought I'd update you on the recent sale results - $198,000. It took four minutes to sell and handily exceeded the pre-auction estimate of $30,000-$50,000. It's in exc
Rare Victorian Attire Available!
Ok, this might go down as the worlds worst attempt at humor but the idea hit me and I created a shirt for myself to wear to antique shows, auctions, etc. I've opened up a shop on CafeExpress so that that fans of Rare Vic
Alexander Roux Armchairs at Kamelot
One of my local auction houses, Kamelot Auctions is putting up for bid this pair of matching armchairs with unmatching upholstery. I believe that they are accurate with their tentative "Roux?" attribution. You can find t
Nineteenth Century Furniture - Innovation, Revival and Reform
I've set up a new Reference Book page on the Rare Victorian site and I will be adding more entries over time, one of which will be this book, "Nineteenth Century Furniture: Innovation, Revival and Reform". I point this o
Exceptional Merklen Chair Sold - $3,250
This incredible Merklen chair, for which you can see an identical twin represented in the print copy of Paul Tucker's article in "The Magazine Antiques", sold today for $3,250. It was incorrectly marked as a Hunzinger wi
Allen and Brother Music Cabinet
Up for sale from Kamelot Auctions in Philadelphia is this fine Allen and Brother (attributed) music cabinet. This piece has a central bronze plaque of a Nouveau-styled woman supported by garland and stylized animal legs
George Hunzinger Marble Top Table
Although unmarked, I am attributing this table to George Hunzinger. This is a great example of his table designs which you can view in the Barry Harwood book on Hunzinger, pages 80-82. This one has ebonized touches on th
Move Your Antiques to Hawkridge Farm for $24 Million
With 150 acres and an annual maple syrup output of 25 gallons per acre - that's a lot of pancakes.This home is up for sale in the Toronto, Canada vicinity and is a 24,000 square foot Victorian-styled mansion owned by the
Splitting of Sets - Does it Bother You Too?
Does it bother anyone other than me that auction houses (and dealers) take parlor sets that have been together for 150 years and split them up to maximize the total sale? This particular set is a John Henry Belter "Fount
All-Original Signed Herter Brothers Walnut Bookcase
This is the first Herter Brothers bookcase that I have run across since I've been collecting over the past few years and this one is stamped "Herter Bros." to confirm it's origin. If I had a spare $10k to buy furniture t
Montgomery House - Three Story Victorian for $349,900
Obviously the housing market must be different in Claysville, PA than here in the Philadelphia suburbs. I ran across this house in a newspaper article stating that it was for sale for $349,900. It has been extensively re
The Dietz Rebuttal - Jelliff or Schrenkeisen?
Michael O'Docharty reminded me of the letter that Ulysses Grant Dietz wrote to The Magazine Antiques in response to the 1999 Anna Tobin D'Ambrosio article that I mention in this prior post. Dietz is curator of Decorative
Daniel Pabst "Baby Doe" Tabor Bedroom Set
This bedroom set is dripping in intriguing provenance and replete with the highs and lows of an opera story - literally. This is a well-documented two-piece bedroom attributed to Daniel Pabst. It was originally owned by
George C. Flint Spiral Turned 1890s Rocker
Rockers aren't exactly sexy so I don't generally post about them but this one is important for historical reference. There are too few labeled Victorian pieces out there to give us an historic record of who made what. Th
Century of Revivals Giveaway
Don't forget if you haven't already done so - make yourself eligible for the Century of Revivals giveaway. You won't find this rare book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I believe only Lise Bohm has copies of this 1983 pub
Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century
For those that can appreciate a some humor with a 19th century slant, I thought I'd introduce you to a blog that I ran into today that explores the world of 19th Century mustaches one albumin print at a time from the Uni
Matched Pair of Meeks Parlor Tables
For the collector for whom one J & JW Meeks table wouldn't be enough, here's a chance to purchase a matched pair of marble-topped Rococo parlor tables by Meeks.You have plenty of time to save up for them as they will
Kilian Brothers Aesthetic Movement Pedestal
This Walnut pedestal, which I will attribute to Kilian Brothers due to the multi-colored incising paint and similarity in form to other Kilian pedestals, is up for bidding until October 21st. Measurements are 40" high, t
The First Ever Rare Victorian Giveaway!
For the first time at RareVictorian.com you can get something for free! I find myself in possession of two copies of the Newark Museum Bulletin, "Century of Revivals: Nineteenth-Century American Furniture in the Newark M
Pottier & Stymus or Herter Brothers Desk?
Stevens Auction is getting set for an auction on November 3rd that includes many items that Rare Victorian followers would be interested in considering. I ran across this desk (lot 1302) attributed to Pottier and Stymus
Allen and Brother Cabinet (not Herter Brothers)
For some reason the Allen and Brother pieces are coming out of the woodwork after not seeing any for months. Lewis & Maese Auction Company is bringing this cabinet up for sale on October 24th and have it marked as a
Besarel Mirror Brings $156,000
Including buyers premium, the aforementioned Besarel mirror fetched $156,000 ($130k hammer price) when it closed yesterday. During the same auction, the Allen and Brother pieces I have posted about brought mixed results.
Speedlinks for Friday, October 12, 2007
Going forward I'll occasionally do a post titled "Speedlinks" which is a common blogging concept of providing 3-5 short links in one post vs. the usual single-topic post. Here's todays:If you're into marquetry, this Empi
Victorian Interiors Clip
I thought some might appreciate this 4-minute video regarding Victorian home interiors taken in Wheeling, WV. Not sure I'd agree with the film's assertion that Victorians didn't spend as much effort on the exterior of th
Winged Griffin Allen and Brother Sofa
Since seeing Allen and Brother items for sale is rare, I thought I'd mention this sofa (attributed to Allen & Bro.) that will be auctioned off in the same sale as the Allen and Brother credenza that I previously post
Please Take Our Survey
Please do me a favor and take about 30 seconds to take a 5 question survey about this site. I want to be sure that I take Rare Victorian in a direction that is in-line with feedback that you provide. Thanks!You can take
Kagutou.com
If you love antiques of all types as I do, stop by my brother's Japanese Antique Furniture blog, kagutou.com. I guess it runs in the family. He was a cabinet maker for many years and specialized in producing Japanese fur
High-Style, Mass-Produced Furniture
Who made this chair? The answer follows... I often blog about the highest-end Victorian furniture from the period, but there is a class of furniture a notch below which was still high-style but mass-produced for the midd
7-Piece J & JW Meeks "Stanton Hall"
I love how Neal Auction Company goes to great lengths to provide helpful condition reports on their online auction items and in this case it is a 3-pager, which is unusual, but it is largely due to the fact that this lot
Now Open! The Rare Victorian Community Forum
I've just opened up a forum for the Rare Victorian visitors to interact with one another. I encourage everyone to sign up and participate. I've kicked off the forum by uploading pictures of my house in the "Victorian Hou
Allen and Brother Credenza
Somedays I wonder if the top 5 favorite Victorian cabinet makers list that my subconscious maintains without my permission (I try not to play favorites) would be topped by Allen and Brother. This credenza surely stands n
Daniel Pabst Bedroom Set?
I recently purchased a double twin bedroom set at auction, drawn to it by the extensive use of maple in the construction and the Aesthetic carvings. The carvings and incisings are very crisp and there is a lot of birdsey
Bembe & Kimbel U.S. Representatives Chair Reprise
Does this chair look familiar? I did a post (see for more history) on these Bembe & Kimbel U.S. House of Representatives chairs back in May and here's another one coming up for sale. These chairs were used in the Hou