A Regency penwork cabinet, England, 19th cetury. Courtesy of Mallet/1stdibs.com. Penwork A type of decoration applied to japanned furniture in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, mainly in England. Furniture to be treated in this way was first japanned black, then patterns were painted on in white japan and finally the details and shading were executed in black India …
Vintage finds for your valentine
A Fisher-WifeThe soonest mended, nothing said;And help may rise from east or west;But my two hands are lumps of lead,My heart sits leaden in my breast. O north wind swoop not from the north,O south wind linger in the south,Oh come not raving raging forth,To bring my heart into my mouth; For I’ve a husband out at sea,Afloat on feeble …
Great Estates: Davenport House in Savannah, Georgia
Completed around 1820, Davenport House, located in the historic port city of Savannah, evinces the post-Revolutionary American taste for contemporary European design. Isaiah Davenport, a master carpenter by trade, looked to the classicizing mode that had become prevalent in residential architecture throughout England and Europe when he constructed Davenport House for his growing family. Today, visitors can experience the excitement …
Museum accessions, part 2
This short list of notable acquisitions began with a request to decorative arts curators in major American museums to choose and discuss a favorite recent gift or purchase. The design of this elegant Gothic revival center table is attributed to the renowned Alexander Jackson Davis. The leading advocate for the “pointed style” in the United States in the mid-nineteenth century, …
Museum accessions, part I
This short list of notable acquisitions began with a request to decorative arts curators in major American museums to choose and discuss a favorite recent gift or purchase. This porcelain sculpture representing the ancient Roman goddess Juno is one of only eleven known examples in the world of large-scale figures produced by the Doccia manufactory in the middle of the …
Breaking tradition: Ceramics by Michelle Erickson
One upcoming highlight of the New York Ceramics Fair is a lecture and demonstration by ceramic artist Michelle Erickson, who was featured in our September 2009 issue. On Saturday at noon Erickson will show visitors how an early 18th-century Moravian squirrel bottle was made—a subject which she explored for the 2009 issue of Ceramics in America, and which coincides with …
Nathan Fox illustrates the Winter Antiques Show
For a change from the ordinary we asked artist and illustrator Nathan Fox, whose work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and New York Magazine, to create a special gatefold cover for our January/February issue that interprets the venerable Winter Antiques Show. Fox’s extraordinary illustration captures many familiar faces and sights from the show—from a Tiffany lampshade to …
Ceramics 101: A sampling of antique English wares
With the dizzying array of wares on display this week at the New York Ceramics Fair, it seems like an opportune time to review some of the basics of the medium. Though most of our readers are familiar with names like Wedgwood and Grueby, we’ve rounded-up a few quintessential examples of English ceramics as an introduction to the widely varied …
What’s in store for January
Hundreds of dealers, collectors, and connoisseurs have descended on New York to participate in the city’s antiques season that begins this week with the New York Ceramics Fair, the American Antiques Show, and the 56th Annual Winter Antiques Show. In anticipation, we’ve updated our online Store with selections from several exhibiting dealers, offering a small taste of the diversity and …
Query: Samuel Percy, wax portrait modeller
The life and work of British wax portrait modeller and aspiring sculptor Samuel Percy (1753-1819) is the subject of a research program being undertaken by Ruth Ord-Hume of Guilford, Surrey, in the UK. Ord-Hume would be delighted to be in contact with any reader who may posses examples of Percy’s works or have any knowledge of his life and career, …