Thought some of you folks would find this interesting. A fine cabinet, that was thought to be a reproduction, undergoes scientific analysis. The cabinetmaker is still unknown but may be revealed by his hand. Check out the videos on the site, too.
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/cabinet/
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Replies
Self bumping this post. Disappeared after one day, maybe nobody is interested.
I saw the article...very interesting. I am very interested in the decorative arts...Herter Brothers...W Baumgarten & Co., and others. People at museums and so-called "experts" worry me a bit...seems like they try too hard. I fear a lot of very fine pieces are pushed to the side and a few pieces of junk are maticulously restored.
Thanks for the reply, 301. I seldom initiate a post, and when I do they disappear very quickly. It makes me wonder, since I see many others with few comments, linger for weeks. I'm not sure how the system works in this regard. I just thought cabinetmakers would find this interesting in many ways.I'm overwhelmed when I see the work of a true master. Work like Hugh Sambin's would be exemplary in any time period, it has nothing to do with liking the style. It's more about one person's versatility in so many woodworking disciplines. This is where I have problems with values assigned by the experts. To think that such a work could have so little value without substantiated provenance, gets to me. Maybe it's just that my diversity training classes had more of an effect than stating the obvious. Calling a cabinet like Getty's a fake! A copy, yes, a forgery, perhaps but there is nothing fake about it. Guess I better not get started on classifying furniture as "decorative arts".I have to disagree with you about the conservators and scientists, I'm not sure about the curators. If I could observe Sambin's cabinet and Getty's, seeing the plane stroke patterns, the details in the carvings, the concept and symmetry, even the identical bench stop marks, I may conclude that they are by the same maker. That would be too subjective and unsupported for these folks. They have been able to carbon date, spectroanalyse, Xray and find written evidence from the 16th century, along with the visual clues, and still are hesitant to call this a Sambin work. Talk about tough guys.I was also amazed with the precision they could use dendrochronology. I remember seeing a giant slice of an old log in a museum when I was young. The slice was standing behind a console. The console had buttons next to historically significant dates, WW1, Magna Carta, birth of Christ. When you pushed a button an indicator light lit up on a growth ring. Of course this was just counting years of growth. The fact that, today, a non invasive analysis can be done to specify a region, down to a few years within the date the tree was cut, is really something.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
I know a few museum curators...so called experts...and I know their background is usually pretty narrowly focused. Many of them have backgrounds in art history or American history...fields of that nature...so when somebody shows them a piece of furniture they tend to look to the style rather then the potential source and some times pieces end up on display when they shouldn't be.
I am working on a private project right now where I was approached and asked about "stripping" a very valuable series of pieces...I gave them the old "don't you realize what this is?" speech so they are now looking for an expert appraiser to confirm my conclusions...I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope the appraisers they reach out to have enough background knowledge to recognize the pieces for what they are. I was overwhelmed when I saw these pieces...hand crafted in France in 1918 (how could that be possible?), fully documented as being designed by a prominent architect and interior designer (I happened to have known where the drawings were) and the clients about fell over when I told them. A number of appraisers and brokers had completely missed this stuff...they were days from being stripped and dipped...2 pieces were rescued from a friend who was ready to start stripping.
So we have to be real careful...not everybody out there is a Keno Brother...not every stripper has a conscience...not every owner will listen to reason. Too many treasures could be lost.
And just what is a fake? My daughter loves dinosaurs and through helping her with her interests I learned that the Field Museum is full of fakes!!! That's right...many of the interesting dino skeletons in the collection are made from very partial finds...lots of existing species have been created from a few scant fossilized bones. But they are not fakes in any stretch of the imagination...they are real. The partial bones were kept and studied...conclusions were drawn...and facts immerged.
By the way...every furniture maker and designer should see the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago...they are a fantastic resource. I just wish they were closer to my home.
Edited 5/6/2006 11:50 pm ET by 301
301
...they were days from being stripped and dipped...
Boy you have to wonder how many pieces have met their fate that way.
My brother walked into an antique shop about 10 years ago, the owner had a two piece corner cupboard sitting their in its original grain paint, early 1800's, my brother inquired about the price, owner said, "well if I strip and refinish it it'll be $1500, but if you take it like it is it'll be $1000.
I think my brother got up into the 5 figure money for it when he took it to Ohio where it originated.
Maybe on a smaller scale then what you or the original poster are talking about but it must happen all the time, at every level.
Doug
...they were days from being stripped and dipped...
Boy you have to wonder how many pieces have met their fate that way.
Unfortunately many pieces have been stripped of their original finish unnecessarily over the years. While many people in the stripping business are also repairers and restorers, and do appreciate fine furniture, not all are as knowledgeable as Mr 301. (Good catch 301)
Having been in the business many years ago I too have a few stories to tell in that regard. We should remember though that stripping an old piece doesn't destroy it, it only reduces its value. And then, only in the eyes of some. What you don't often hear about are the pieces that were saved from the landfill because someone professionally remove ten coats of old paint and rediscovered the hand carved legs, veneered top and draw fronts, or beautiful inlay. It is quite a thrill to see a lovely little walnut table pop out from under someone's orange, yellow, green, and pink paintbrush.
Landfills...now they destroy furniture.
Hi 301,
Just a quick question, what field do you work in??
Cheers,
eddie
I make and design custom furniture (sometimes a furniture restorer--not stripper) but I have become a bit of a rail car restorer...it was an accident, it is fun and I love it.
Thanks 301 - sounds as though things are going well which is always pleasing to hear.
Best regards, eddie
I saw an interesting piece recently. I went to an antique dealers shop and found a chest of drawers. It had fine veneer work on a bombe' front, real gilding on carved feet. Thinking this is interesting 100 year old factory work, I pulled the top drawer . Magic, I knew by the feel something special was going on. I've never felt a drawer open so smooth . There were many fine details, but the cock beading and drawer slide arrangement made it clear someone built this with pride. The cockbead was left proud on the sides and bottom on the sides and bottom of the drawer boxwood strips were attached. In the case boxwood strips formed an L fore the drawer to slide on. Very smooth. The bottom of the L was left proud by 1/16 or less, this prevented scaring of the finish as the drawers closed. From the front they appeared to touch but none of the drawers were scuffed . This item sold in under a week. It went to an east coast dealer. I bet its knew price tag is much higher than the $1000.00 it sold for in Indiana.
Hi Hammer,
Thanks for the link - I've saved it for future reference.
Much appreciated.
eddie
Thanks Eddie,
Hope you like it.HammerBeat it to fit / Paint it to match
I for ONE (as in me) just loved your post.. Great..
We need more of it!
Good to hear from you, Will.
ThanksBeat it to fit / Paint it to match
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