Merida Antiques

If you’re expecting to find huge antique stores in Merida like the ones you know back home, you are likely to be disappointed. The business of buying and selling antiques here is not a time-honored practice. Yes, around the early 20th Century, Merida was swimming in money, and people imported and built a lot of beautiful furniture and fixtures. They also imported and created many works of art. But these beautiful things are mostly kept in the family. Any antiques that were put on the market were instantly snapped up, either by people renovating and furnishing the haciendas, or by exporters who took them out of Yucatan and into the U.S. or Europe. Most modern Yucatecos have been more interested in new things, from houses to the furniture that goes into them, so local demand for antiques has not been strong either.

Of course these conditions, like everything else around here, are changing. The expatriate Norteamericanos and Europeans who have been moving here are hungry for beautiful old things. And gradually, there are more and more people willing to let go of those things, for a price of course. So it follows that there are people starting businesses to gather and sell them.

We’re building a new home in the style of the old colonials, using local materials and following many traditional construction practices. Our house will have high ceilings, mosaico floor tiles, stone, wrought iron, columns and arches. When we are including wood in our design, such as in doors and windows, we are looking for old pieces that we can refurbish and reuse. It seems to us that this both lends our new house a feeling of history and it allows us to recycle and reuse these beautiful hardwoods instead of cutting down new trees. Plus, it’s fun to hunt for them!

In addition to the old local doors, there are a few places in town that import pieces from other countries that either look old or really are old, which work well for our lifestyle and this climate.

In our experience, Merida’s antique dealers are honest and enjoyable to deal with. Many of them can restore the pieces you buy. Most of them will also deliver your purchases for a small extra charge.

As usual, we’re sure our list is not complete. If you know of a good place that we should add, please leave a comment or email us! Also, as you’ll see, some of these places do not appear to even have names. We will attempt to add photos over the next few weeks to make them more recognizable, so check back. We’re providing you with addresses and phone numbers if we have them, but directions? You didn’t think we were going to make it THAT easy, did you?

Of course, finding old architectural pieces is not a science, it’s an art. And it depends a lot on serendipity, timing and your pocketbook. Despite the fact that by telling you where to find a window frame or colonial door we are increasing the competition for these precious things, we think a healthy market for antiques will only serve to support the current antique sellers and possibly encourage more to surface. And so, with no further ado…

El Bazar
a.k.a. Dr. Guzman’s House
Dr. Roberto Guzman is handsome, cultured and gracious. He has a fine eye for good antiques and probably carries the most dependably beautiful and valuable antiques in town. He has connections with many of the old families and often has goods on consignment. His store is in a house next door to the house he lives in. It has everything from doors to furniture to santos to paintings. The house itself is an antique, as he gathered pieces from many old houses in the area that were torn down and incorporated them into the house that is his store. Be sure to appreciate the old tiled kitchen under the beautiful stone arch. It is probably worth noting that of all the antique dealers we have met here so far, Dr. Guzman is probably the only one who speaks English.
Location: Calle 19 #201-D x 22 y 24, Col. García Gineres
Hours: Mon thru Fri, 9 AM to 1 PM and 5 PM to 8 PM; Sat 9 AM to 1 PM
Cel: 044-999-157-6636

Antiguedades Jorge
Proprietor: Jorge I. Vázquez Gomez
Jorge’s store is in two large bodegas behind his house. He also can usually be found in Parque Santa Lucia on Sunday mornings until about noon. Jorge is a scavenger supreme and has many wonderful old things that other people might not think to pick up. Need an old lock? Maybe you’d like some old pharmaceutical bottles? A rusty old tricycle? How about an old Mayan doll? A lantern? Jorge probably has it. And old hammock hooks, nails, screws, door pulls, chains, floor tiles. You probably won’t find refined antiques at Jorge’s, but you might find an old pipe stand that reminds you of your grandfather.
Location: Calle 21 Loe 4 Bis x 38 y 38-A, Col. San Pedro Uxmal, Chuburná
Hours: Whenever you can catch him
Cel: 044-999-163-6596

Antiguedades by Julio
Proprietor: Julio Alfaro Bates
Julio’s old store was in a rundown colonial that made it hard to tell the building from the junk. His new store is a big old corner colonial building that is so full of things, it is still hard to see some of what’s there, but at least it isn’t in any danger of falling down. Julio specializes in furniture and he employs a crew that is wonderful at restoring the furniture he finds. Behind the house, you’ll find doors, statues, tiles and stone for your perusing pleasure. Julio can also usually be found in Parque Santa Lucia on Sunday morning. Besides "buying" and "selling", his card advertises "restoration" and "valuation". If you are looking for a beautiful piece and didn’t find it at Guzman’s, Julio should probably be your next stop.
Location: Calle 75 at Calle 72, across from Parque San Sebastian
Hours: He seems to be open most days, normal business hours
Cel: 044-999-151-9030

Luna del Oriente
Proprietor: Jeff and Deb Ullrich
If you aren’t married to the idea of Mexican or Yucatecan antiques, but just want something old and beautiful, the new kid in town is Luna del Oriente. Jeff and Deb are Asia-philes who have traveled and lived in Asia, speak Chinese and paid a lot of attention during history lessons. They go through a lot of pain, heartache, travel and aduana (Customs) meetings so that we can have beautiful Chinese armoires and Indian headboards here in Merida. They are also building custom doors from wood reclaimed in those countries, as well as reclaiming doors from old buildings. The furniture and doors that they have for sale are mostly from tropical climates originally, so they are well suited to our architecture and environment. New shipments are always coming in, so check back often.
Location: On Calle 65 just east of Calle 68 on the north side of the street, Col. Centro
Hours: Call for an appointment for now
Cel: 999-247-2953

Bazar Bagdag
Proprietor: Israel Koh Bonilla
This old store just recently decided to have a name (which we suspect is supposed to be "Bagdad" but we’re just reporting what’s printed on the business card). It was right down the street from where we used to live, and we have enjoyed watching over the years the various treasures and junk that Israel has managed to scrounge up from around the area. He has a good eye for kitsch as well as quality, and you’ll find everything from a solid armoire to an old maiden aunt’s fur stole. You just never know what you’re going to find, so it pays to drop by often.
Location: Calle 49 #504 x 62 y 60, Col. Centro
Hours: Yes
Cel: 044-999-139-9508

The Antique Lot
Proprietor: Luis Herrera Peréz
This place has no name, so we’ve just given it one. Luis and his associates have an open lot where they store the things they find in their constant forays. In our latest visit we found old glass water bottles, sewing machine tables, a few French roof tiles, protectores, doors, stone statues, school desks and a whole lot more. Luis has a regular stock of wooden furniture (tables, roperos, vitrines, etc.) that he restores on site. He also sometimes makes things to order. Recently he had some lovely carved floor easels that we thought were a little expensive, but awfully pretty. Hmmm… maybe we should go back. Another time he had a huge stone fountain with a carved head from which the water flowed. Mysterious and obviously very old. It was gone in less than two weeks.
Location: The corner of Calle 50 and Calle 81, Col. Centro
Hours: Most days
Cel: We don’t have a number for Luis. It’s best to just show up.

Cecelia’s Place
Proprietor: Cecelia and her son
Again, a place with no apparent name. But if you love to look for diamonds in the rough, then this will be fun. Cecelia has a huge room full of junk, and more in the driveway on the side. A few things up front are dusted off, but mostly you are on your own. Out front she sells old books to passers by, but if you ask permission, you can walk around in the back. You may discover old magazines, chamber pots, record albums, chotchkes, soda bottles, textbooks… and a lot of dust. A list of things we’ve bought at Cecelia’s? Old watch springs, a minature Coca Cola bottle with coke in it, a miniature rooster, a few old books, a wooden vitrine for our Day of the Dead altar, two small handmade wooden chairs, and a little wooden side table that we had to throw out a year later because it was rotting away. Fun!
Location: On Calle 61 just east of Calle 64 on the south side of the street, Col. Centro
Hours: Weekdays, about 10 AM to 5 PM, but no promises
Cel: No idea. Frankly, we’re not even sure her name is Cecelia.

Vintage
Proprietor: Arq. Maria José Cetina Cachón
We were so pleased to see this store open when it did, about two years ago now. The owner is a young woman who appreciates the Retro style and has gone about combing the local area for antiques and mementos of the mid 20th Century. We walked in there the first time and saw our first transistor radio from the 1960’s. There is a section of the store that has clothes, both new and used. And there are some new things of a retro design. But there are some wonderful old things too. And we especially love how she integrated the old mosaicos into the floor of the store… very whimsical and different.
Location: Calle 60 #428 x 47 y 49, Col. Centro
Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM to 2 PM, 5 PM to 8 PM, Sat 10 AM to 2 PM, 5 PM to 9 PM
Phone: 924-4542

Other Places to check out: (thanks to our readers for the suggestions)

Alberto’s Continental - Yes, its a restaurant but Alberto also sells antiques. Just ask! Located at the corner of Calle 57 and Calle 66.

Gran Hotel - Downstairs on Calle 60 between Calle 59 and 61 is an antique store.

'Antique' home comes full circle

Bill McClure always gets a second chance at life. The house he owns in Mount Vernon was first offered to him around 1964 for $7,500. Rooted in history, this 6,600-square-foot plantation-style home was once the "poor house" in Lawrence County.

Before retirement accounts, it was a place where people sent low-income elderly "to die," his wife, Donna, said.

In the 1960s it was run-down, had broken toilets and was littered with hay. Bill said, "I wouldn't have it if you'd give it to me." Seated in the west wing of the home, he roars with laughter as he tells the story.

The estate was eventually purchased and renovated by Robert and Dottie Melton.

"They had the vision of gutting this place," he said. The estate changed hands and in 2002 the house was for sale. This time Bill couldn't resist.

"His life has always been a circle. He always gets a second or third chance at something," said Donna, his wife of almost 53 years.

It's like it was meant to be, down to the pair of stained glass lanterns that hang in the kitchen. Years before he bought the house, Bill spotted those lanterns at an auction. He arrived late to the sale and wasn't able to snag them. When he bought this house, the lanterns were already in it. Unbeknownst to him, the previous owners had won the bid.

A huge stained glass window in one of the dining rooms is another gem he scored. He had been in love with it for years after he spotted it in a store, which was repairing the window. Years later, he saw an auction in the paper and realized it was the same stained glass window that captured his attention. Again, he arrived late to the auction and the window had been sold to a dealer. After some haggling, Bill bought it from the dealer.

There are a slew treasures in this home. The oak staircase was imported from Europe in 1971 and is at least 230 years old. A clock in the foyer is from 1776.

Bill has always been a sucker for antiques and jokes he "antiques" the way some women shop.

"He does his antiquing when I'm not there and then I come home and find them in the closet," Donna said.

Bill and Donna married nearly 53 years ago. They started dating when Bill returned from the Korean War and Donna was working at Alexander Cafe, a restaurant Bill co-owned. He spent 60 years in the restaurant business and still owns McClure Plantation Restaurant in Mount Vernon.

Early in their marriage, they started buying real estate. They would run the restaurant by day and renovate homes by night. They both adore this home. Bill's favorite feature is a fireplace mantle that reads: "East- West- Home's Best." Donna loves the foyer.

"I think the entrance is most impressive. It gives you an uplifting feeling," she said.

Donna's favorite fixture in the house is "me," Bill joked as he leaned on a bronze statue.

Antique Salt Bags

I purchased these antique salt bags from a textile restorer Ahmad al Nakhal who runs a small shop near the Jeron Gate behind the Omayad Mosque in Damascus. I was introduced to Ahmad by Monika Spahl a German textile artist living in Damascus ( her work is wonderful). His collection of tribal rugs and salt bags and cushion covers was seriously wonderful and he was very knowledgeable about them all. The bags i purchased are between 60-80 years old and are Turkoman ( it is difficult to get textiles woven in Syria these days) Ahmad also proved to be a very skilled textile restorer and he showed us how he went about it and he told us how he had learnt his trade starting as a boy of 10 and gradually becoming so impassioned by the textiles themselves that he not only reached a very high level of skill in restoration but also in knowledeg of the different weavings from the region. We spent many delightful hours in Ahmad's shop,hearing stories of how he collected and stories of his childhood and modern day life in Damascus. If anyone should go to Syria his shop is well worth a visit- he may not be the cheapest woven textile seller in Damascus but his textiles are genuine and he can tell you so much about them. His little library of books was also wonderful and I wished I had written down all the titles.

I chose these particular salt bags because they were so colourful- and of course I like anything wioth woven reds or terracotta colours.

Antiques (and CEO’s) Roadshow

It’s every collector’s dream: take a few bucks spent at a yard-sale or a flea market and turn it into a jackpot . . . earning a staggeringly high rate of return on one’s original investment. This is Antiques Roadshow, the wildly poplar (okay, it’s not “Dancing with the Used-to-be and Never-really-quite-were Stars”, but it still draws a pretty good audience.)

I love the PBS show, where folks from around the country bring in art, ceramics, bric-a-brac, Civil War swords, and mechanical toys, and wait a few dozen hours in line to find out if they are chumps or brilliant investment strategists. Just like Wall Street, except the market is a little less fungible, a little less liquid, and the bids and offers are quite as deep.

How about a landscape painting acquired for $1.50 at a Salvation Army “half price” sale and valued at up to $15,000; a $5 garage-sale art pottery vase, grabbed for less than $5, now worth around $15,000; a 19th-century album of watercolor paintings, got for twenty-five cents at a yard sale and now worth, presumably, $25,000.

You see some pretty incredible stuff and some great ROIs. What you don’t see, of course, is all those folks who bought a Leroy Neiman print of Mohammed Ali, Joe Montana, Arnold Palmer or Lafitte Pincay in 1979 for $3,500 who have absolutely doubled their money. Heads up folks! If you invested $3,500 in 1979 and got back $7,000 today, you earned a compounded annual rate of return on investment of around 2.8%. If you loved having you Thomas Kinkade or Margaret Keane painting or print over your mantle for a couple of decades, I’m not going to tell you you’re an idiot. That’s because I won’t for a second attempt to value your psychic, personal, ethereal return on that acquisition / investment. I might offer a comment on your taste in art, but few can deny that if you like the work, then it has genuine value to you. And stick with that.

But, don’t tell folks who visit your house that you could sell the Keane or the Neiman or, for that matter, the knockoff oriental rugs, for hundreds of thousands of dollars, even if they’ll believe it. If you get 2.8% annually on a piece of artwork that decorates your house and enriches your soul and your life . . . and you sell it . . . and work out legally with the IRS how much capital gain taxes you should pay . . . then I’ve got no argument with you.

But don’t tell me or any other investment expert that you’re investing in Thomas Kincade glicees that have an original print run of 2.8 million and expect us to believe either of the following: that you know what you’re talking about, or you’re not a prevaricator.

Probably the most basic problem is that people compare the end result with the initial investment and ignore the time-honored “time value of money”. Doubling or trebling or quintupling your investment is all very well and good . . . and meaningless. Unless you factor in the time period over which the investment was made.

It is among the most fundamental and consequential of beginner investment blunders. For example, “I bought my house for $875,000 and I just got an offer of $3.5 million. I really bought it right!”

Maybe not. You bought the house thirty-five years ago. You paid maintenance, property taxes, insurance, etc. and got a return of maybe 4.5% per annum compounded, before all those expenses.

If you’d invested the same funds in a low-expense, no-load Vanguard index fund for thirty-five years, you’d have perhaps $12 to $14 million, versus the $3.5 mil you got out of your house.

In both cases, with the right tax vehicle or structure, you can defer your taxes so that the ROI is compounded on a pre-tax basis, one of the most powerful investment tools that passes muster with the Internal Revenue Service.

Your fees – both operating fees and management fees - in a low-cost, no-load diversified fund are negligible, and you don’t have to put on a new roof, paint the siding, put in a new kitchen, or mow the lawn. To make the investments apples-to-apples however, you do have to find a place to live . . . that is, you have to subtract fair-market-value rental of your residence from the Vanguard mutual fund example, to be able to compare the two cases fairly.

Houses, antiques and stocks of publicly-traded companies are vastly different commodities. In the stock market, there are millions upon millions of investment appraisers giving you by-the-second appraisals of what they think your investment is worth. There’s a standing offer to buy your “antique” (shares of General Motors or IBM?) and they will guarantee the price within a few seconds and to the penny!

Try that with a Ming vase or a Tabriz or Keran rug. Early American furniture investments are decidedly less liquid and your feedback on FMV is, how might one say, more problematic.

Houses, unless you own a small horse farm surrounded by housing developments, city parkland, and fronted by railroad tracks, are reasonably measurable as to value.

Whether they like it or not (and most don’t) CEOs’ corporate investments (or rather YOUR investment which, for a fee, they manage on your behalf) get valued continually. Every day, on places like the NYSE, there is a specialty appraisal forum, where thousands of experts get together to decide what they think your investment is worth. And the value of your investment gets re-set every day . . . not only every day, but every nano-second.

Maybe you could think of Antiques Roadshow as the NASDAQ and the NYSE in slow motion. Personally, I prefer the immediacy of information and the accountability – my own for buying a stock and the accountability of the CEO who presumably leads the enterprise - that comes with being able to measure my investment without having to turn on Public Broadcasting on Sunday night and see if maybe, just maybe, this time someone’s got a rare pair of late Victorian matching oil lamp wall arm holders and brackets or an exceptional pair of mid-19th Century large Tole Peinte tea bins . . . probably made in Philadelphia.

Antique Art

When people hear the term antique art, people usually think of paintings. However, as the term art encompasses more than just paintings, the term antique art works the same way. This is because antique art does not only mean antique paintings, as there are also other items that fall under this category, including sculptures and other handcrafted items. Many of these are considered valuable not only because of their age but also the craftsmanship that was put into these items. Another good example of such items is antique jewelry, usually made of valuable materials and exquisitely crafted. As a result, antique jewelry is now considered as one of the better investments in antique art.

Apart from being considered as good investments in antique art, collecting antique jewelry is also considered as one of the most expensive ways to collect antiques. Collectors need to make sure they buy truly authentic antique jewelry. Some of the best ways to do this include only buying from reputable dealers and attending antique shows, which can give collectors access to authentic and beautiful pieces of antique jewelry. However, doing these does not ensure that collectors would only get to buy authentic antique jewelry. Collectors also need to arm themselves with information on antique jewelry so they would know what to look for and how to assess the authenticity of antique jewelry.

One of the ways that collectors can ensure that the antique jewelry they are looking at is authentic is to look at both the front and the back of the piece of jewelry. Collectors can look for the hallmarks or signatures of the craftsmen that made the jewelry. Another good way to determine the value of a piece of antique jewelry is to look at the metal content of the jewelry, as it can help determine the age and the value of the item. However, this would involve doing a little research on the metal content specifications that were followed during certain periods in history.

Collecting antique jewelry is expensive, and this makes it very important for collectors to ensure that they only get their antique jewelry from reputable dealers. In addition, collectors also need to arm themselves with information on antique jewelry so that they can really ensure that they get truly authentic antique jewelry.

Hello dear blogging friends and readers I'm glad you came back to see what's new at Boxwood Cottage! :D

Well last weekend I've had a little photo shot with my vintage German dress form which a dear friend was so nice to give me last year (see post from December 11th 2006 in my archives). She had no more neck, but my dear Dad has made me a new wooden neck that suits her perfectly which you'll see in the next pictures. This is a not so good picture that I took of her back in December 2006, still in my friends home and without neck, that's the way she was awaiting me decorated with some fresh ivy and a pink necklace and a welcome sign:D

I've had her in my bedroom all the time since I brought her home, but somehow I didn't really liked the place for her there, so while my dd was away to Lissabon last Friday I decided to bring her up in my studio corner in our loft room and so I secretly obtained another corner of our loftroom for my studio ;-), by putting some not so decorative things of my dd in another place and placing the dress form in the corner of a wardrobe which belongs to my studio space. Then I began dressing her up a bit. At first she's got this cameo necklace around her neck.

And then I tied some vintage borders and little paper roses (Can you recognise the lovely roses and the pink border you recently gave me for our swap Nicki? Hope you'll get your swap parcel from me this weekend too! And not to forget the vintage crotcheted border which was a gift from my dear friend Corey !) around her waist:

Ulla, Lauren and Nicol will surely recognize the prints of their gorgeous colloborative jewelry work that I pinned on my not so beautiful cheap IKEA wardrobe for inspiration (I so need an antique warderobe for my studio soon!). Wouldn't such a beautiful soldered necklace look wonderful on my dress form? *sigh*

So here she is now in her full beauty and it was a pleasure to have this little photo shot with her:

See her new wooden neck? I think my Dad did a great job making it look old too!

I just loved to decorate her with roses!




Well now I think it's time for a few more pictures from the garden as I promised you in my last post.

One of the first roses to bloom in my garden this season was this David Austin rose "Wenlock" which is growing in a deep, big pot on my patio, she has a very intensive deep pink color:

The pink and white striped Clematis "Nelly Moser" is my first blooming Clematis this season:

These are the last blooms of my pink Wisteria, it's almost faded now:


People who frequently read my blog surely know about my love for Allium blooms. Now it's the time of the year they are beginning to open their gorgeous pink balls. This ball is of my fave Allium The "Globemaster". The ball is still very small in this picture, their blooms are getting really huge as you can see in a picture from last year here.




These are 3 Allium Purple Sensation blooming like a family at the bottom of my rose arc at the moment:





"Lavendula stoechas" is still in full bloom:





Oh and the first peonies are blooming between my blue cat nip plant Nepeta x faassenii "Walkers low":

In the background of this picture you can see two of my three new wicker paravents, the pink blooming plant in the middle is a Thalictrum:




I guess that's enough pictures for today as I know they'll take ages to load for some of you, thank you for being patient!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! It's a sunny one here after almost two very rainy and windy weeks so I'm off to the garden now!

Hugs Carol xox

P.S.:
Oh btw some of you have asked me about my name lately, it's written and pronounced Carola with an "a" at the end in my language, but I really like being called just Carol! :D


P.P.S:
Would someone of you lovely US readers would be interested in a little one to one magazine swap with me? I'd get you a copy of our most beautiful eye candy magazine Wohnen und Garten if you'd get me the latest issue of your gorgeous new Somerset life magazine! Or you just tell me which magazine you'd wish to get from Germany. I so need a copy of Somerset life and it takes ages until we can get it overhere. I'd be forever thankful to you!

Antique Accessories

Each spring the Merchandise Mart in Chicago hosts the International Antiques Fair, and since I work just down the street I decided to check it out yesterday. The showroom was full of booths displaying ancient Chinese pottery, stunning silverware, ornate wooden furniture, 17th-century portraits and more. But what drew my attention the most were the beautiful antique bags at the Nula Thanhauser booth. One can only imagine the list of previous owners of these purses, but judging by the detail and elegance of these lavish bags, I’m sure it’s an impressive roster. Nula Thanhauser is based in Philadelphia but travels to antique shows frequently, so make sure to stop by her booth when she’s in your area!

Photo from New York Social Diary.

2003 Domaine Sorrin-Coquard Cesar Cuvee Antique

Friday was beautiful two weeks ago in Seattle. After raining all week the sun finally came out. I left work early, went home and mowed the grass. It put me in a good mood, the weather and the work. And since I took my glasses off to do it the world had that surreal strangeness it gets after your eyes have gotten used to wearing glasses and then you take them off. The sun was setting so everything was yellow sunset-colored. This demanded the perfect wine.

So I dug into the collection and found this, the 2003 Domaine Sorrin-Coquard Cesar Cuvee Antique. This is a unique wine. The Cesar variatel is an ancient one, grown in northeastern France since the time of the Romans. It has largely taken a back seat to Pinot NoirPinot didn't do so well, but the Cesar became a rock star.

From what I understand, this wine is meant to be 100% Cesar, but the title "Cuvee Antique" would imply a blend, so I assume it is mostly Cesar with some of the other Antique variatels

I had never (knowingly) had a wine with Cesar in it, much less a wine primarily composed of Cesar. It turned out to be a great sunny Friday afternoon wine. The wine was lighter in color, like a good Pinot, but the taste was astringent and chewy. The wine was smooth. Not just smooth, but smoooooooth. I'm not sure what to compare it to. This is what I should have taken to Aaron's blind tasting. in Burgundy. But 2003 was very warm and used in lesser amounts. It is from 60 year old vines, only 100 cases made. I picked up four at the ridiculously low price of $18.

Dusting Off Wendy's Antiques Shows

By LIZ PEEK February 22, 2007

Heuichul Kim

The business of selling antiques is getting tougher for dealers and shows. The Seventh Regiment Armory on Park Avenue, above, is charging higher rents for the many large antiques events held there.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

If you're a collector of what the English refer to as "brown furniture," you are an endangered species. The beautiful Georgian mahogany and fruitwood pieces that grace traditional homes all over the country are most definitely "out," and the dealers who have long depended on them are suffering. As are the antiques shows that bring them together.

"Antiques is a four-letter word," said Meg Wendy. This is just one of the realities that faced Ms. Wendy five years ago as she took over the management of her family-owned business. Wendy Management has been a leading organizer of midlevel antiques shows for several decades, in New York and in other cities around America. In recent years, she has had to trim and reshape her company's offerings to keep abreast of collecting trends.

The company was founded by Clifford Nuttall in 1934. Inspired by a visit to the Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair in London, Mr. Nuttall launched the first-ever such event in America at the Commodore Hotel in New York. It was a great success, and the first of many.

In 1959, Meg Wendy's mother, Diane, went to work for Mr. Nuttall and in due course bought the business from its retiring founder. More accurately, her husband bought the business; Mr. Nuttall would not agree to sell to a woman. She proved him wrong by successfully expanding the company's reach and volume.

By the late 1980s, the company's high-water mark, it was hosting 18 shows each year. Many were in the New York area, including Westchester, Stamford, and Greenwich, but they also had events in Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Antique Grandfather Clocks

Grandfather clocks are the most long lasting traditional pieces, which still fascinate today’s young generation. In many home you will find these awesome looking grandfather Clocks have retained their old traditional look. Today’s grandfather clock is an excellent example of old fashioned modern clock. Every piece from this segment has its own charming look and style. If one has decided to buy an antique grandfather clock then he will find lot of variety in market. Grandfather clocks are mainly made from high quality wooden material. So, they will defiantly make your room to look more attractive than before. Listed below are some good looking Grandfather clocks, just go through them and make your selection.

Hentschel Vivaldi Grandfather Clock
This highly decorated hand crafted Grandfather clock is made from high quality cherry wood. This antiqued grandfather clock features decorative crowned case with beveled crystal glass front door. This beautifully crafted clock has antique brass finished clock dial featuring raised Arabic numerals with moving moon phase and black clock hands. This brass clock is highly accentuated by delicate designs. This magnificently grandfather will become a point of attraction in any room. This Hentschel Vivaldi Grandfather Clock is an enduring treasure for today’s generation.

Ridgeway Van Ness Grandfather Clock
This true piece of antique grandfather clock will be the centre of attraction when you place in your room. For many people grandfather clock is like an old treasure and this is very true about this clock. This multi-tiered cabinet is excellently crafted and has fluted corners with highly sophisticated designs. This particular piece is made from selected wooden material and has Olive Ash finishing. With this antique clock you get cable driven triple chime movement that can play Westminster, St. Michael, and Whittington tunes. You can also silent these tunes at night with automatic night shut off option. More over its case comes with mirrored back and a light fitted at top to glow its polished brass pendulum and weighing shells. This stylish grandfather clock will definitely enhance your living rooms décor.

Bulova San Carlos Grandfather Clock
If you are looking perfect but simple antique grandfather clock then you must have take a look on this flat top Bulova San Carlos Grandfather Clock. Ti is made from solid oak wooden cabinet and has Forest cherry finish entirely on its body. This exclusively made wooden antique grandfather clock come with small tilt out drawer for your secrets. This flat top antique clock has antiqued square clock dial with raised black Roman numerals and black clock hands. You can see its silver polished weighing shells and can play three pleasant chimes. You can also shut them of at night with automatic shut-of option.

Coty L’Ambre Antique, and With Love… Hilary Duff

Ambre Antique is one of the earliest fragrances sold by Francois Coty. Ambre Antique was first introduced in 1905, and sadly, production of the fragrance dried up long before many of us were even born.

A brief glimmer of hope for resurgence appeared during the 90s when Bergdorf Goodman sold limited edition versions of classic Coty fragrances, including Ambre Antique. But they came and went within the blink of an eye. One could guess that much of this is due to two things:

First, Coty was a little ahead of its time. If they’d only known how big the perfume addict culture was about to explode in just a scant few years, they might have held on and persisted; One could argue that the market for such a project finally exists now. I honestly believe that market was not available in 1995, at least not to the extent that would result in acceptable, albeit niche-level, sales.

Second, it’s reasonable to surmise that much of any diminished sales figures are due to a general consumer reluctance to pay more than low double digits for anything labeled Coty anymore. For better or worse, Coty is nowadays synonymous with inexpensive ingredients and drugstore budgets, and our culture’s capitalist short-term memory disallows any particular remembrance of a time when Coty was considered edgy, prestigious, or adjective-of-your-choice implying “chic.” Public perception of the house of Coty acting as a ground breaker has long ceased to exist, primarily because the brand Coty has ceased to innovate in any meaningful fashion. While I would love to see Coty try once again to relaunch versions of their historical masterpieces, I fear they face an uphill battle. I think much of the sentiment towards their perfumery can currently be summed up as, “when I can’t/couldn’t afford anything better.”

The vague consumer disdain for the house and brand of Coty was not always so.

Coty’s Ambre Antique has a much broader appeal to modern noses than the infamously challenging Chypre, but it’s nevertheless a classic. Perhaps it’s like picking one Vermeer over another. One may personally speak to you more perhaps, but c’mon… they’re all Vermeers: The light of brilliance shines in them all.

The name itself is a bit misleading. Vanilla dominates the composition of Ambre Antique: rich, creamy vanilla, almost like an ice cream scooped onto the skin. It’s an amber float!

The top notes have faded from this bottle for the most part, but I’m guessing that bergamot, and orange blossom are hiding in there. (I stress the word “guessing” because I want to say “orange-y,” and I am an olfactory idiot and always say orange-y when in fact it usually turns out to be orange blossom/neroli.)

Insofar as I understand it, Amber Antique was originally made with actual ambergris. However, sniffing from my own latterly made bottle (mid-century?) indicates that at some point substitutions were made in favor of synthetics. The amber notations take the form of ambery-woody and ambery-incensey aromas. A dose of incense (likely the ‘num duo of labdanum and olibanum?) additionally breathes a darker aromatic feel into the fragrance. Civet in particular plays a huge role in shaping Ambre Antique’s dry down. Whatever one’s personal ambivalence towards sticking something that came out of animal’s hindquarters onto the skin might be, there is no denying the resounding thump it can give a fragrance upon landing at the bottom. Civet provides the skank here, but it’s the skank of fresh hay on a barn floor. Repellant? Maybe. But it’s still oddly clean and enjoyable.

And those dollops of vanilla never do stop melting, dripping right through the amber and the animal urgency of civet. It’s the sort of fragrance that asks of the wearer and passers-by, “Am I hungry or horny?” It’s the TV character Joey from Friends, in that, the response could happily go either way.

Writing about Ambre Antique brings me to a recent release, Hilary Duff’s With Love… Hilary Duff. It does distinguish itself from many of the celebrity fragrances, for its oriental character contrasts wildly against a dull field of fruity-florals and/or musky-clean efforts. But all the appreciation for it mystifies me. I have tried, and retried it since it came out, never finding much in it besides generalities. It’s pleasant but harmless, much like Ms. Duff herself. There’s little to it that marks it as idiosyncratically interesting in the big picture of perfumery. It’s the difference between Dane Cook’s style of bland humor that cause him call to chicken sandwiches “sangwiches” as any toddler might, and Patton Oswalt’s bit on how KFC’s “Famous Bowls” are patronizing us into eating like toddlers. The latter tells a story, the former simply seeks approval for that (a cheap catch phrase) which has already been approved. The difference comes down to risk. There’s a subtle danger when crediting an audience with the intelligence to discern and appreciate a specific voice: Being singular risks losing some folks. Hilary Duff… With Love doesn’t really risk much. It’s a “sangwich.” It’s only made out to look like a risk, and the result smells like a blithe catch phrase.

With Love roughly smells like orange-banana-pineapple flavored rock candy (the fruity note is officially listed as “mangosteen,” so okey-dokey) with a helping of vanilla over amber and a woody, musky base. It’s a warm and easily wearable fragrance; however, it doesn’t significantly come across as distinct. I feel like I’ve smelled it before, but can’t place where exactly. Maybe I’m getting old, forgetful. Maybe I’ve just become too jaded. Or maybe I’m under whelmed by too many of the eleventy billion new releases that keep coming out. Eh, let’s say it’s all of that. And I’m being far too harsh here. Hilary Duff seems like a nice person; Hilary Duff’s With Love is a nice fragrance. I guess maybe that’s my beef. I hate nice. There’s the stink of adequacy on nice.

If you like With Love… you will likely enjoy Calvin Klein Euphoria. They share a note and/or combination of notes that weirdly smell like vanilla and dusty “silk” flowers to me.

Yet, I’d like to recommend some other selections you might wish to also try if With Love has caught your fancy:

• Viktor & Rolf Antidote

• Fendi Theorema

• Jeanne Arthes Cassandra Blanc

• Givenchy Organza Indecence

And of course, if you want a piece of historical perspective,

• Coty Ambre Antique.

BlogHer Virtual Book Tour: How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Changed My Life

Mameve Medwed’s book How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life was one of those books you let sit for a bit before you read them. I (mistakenly) thought it was a book about poetry. I was interested to read it as part of the BlogHer Virtual Book Tour (though I’m reviewing it belatedly), but I’m not a huge fan of poetry.

I read the back cover, though, and was intrigued. It isn’t about poetry! Rather, it’s about a young woman who runs an antique booth in one of those large markets with various antique dealers with boothes next to eachother. Abby is at some loose ends after a bad breakup, her mother’s death, and a tell-all novel written by her ex-fiancé. One of her possessions she inherited from her mother is a porcelain chamber pot that a colleague suggests she takes to Antiques Roadshow.

When Abby goes to the Roadshow, she is pulled aside, and discovers that a sketch on the side of it was drawn by the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Rather than saving Abby’s life, this discovery makes her better off financially (more people are coming to her antiques booth), but rips a tear in a lifelong friendship.

As the novel continues, we see Abby go through introspection, learn more about her past, and see her scramble to determine what she should do with her future. It is a beautiful read as we see what is truly most important to Abby, and how she can find her way through life’s maze.

I am so glad I was given the opportunity to read this book. I highly recommend it, and am looking forward to reading other books by the author!

Antique Jewelry Wholesale

Antique jewelry is typically very valuable, and
purchasing such jewelry costs quite a bit of money.
But then again, it is possible to buy antique jewelry
wholesale as well? if you know where to look.

Most people think that online auctions, such as
eBay is the way to go. While this is true
occasionally, you will usually find that the seller
knows the value of what they are selling, and the
price is quite high. There are other ways to find
antique jewelry at wholesale prices ?or below.

Keep an eye on your newspaper for advertised
estate sales and garage sales. Typically, at these
sales, the people holding the sale really don't know
the value of what they have. You can literally
purchase hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of
antique jewelry for just a few dollars on a typical
Saturday morning.

It is important that you not look too closely at the
jewelry when you are buying it. If the piece is
valuable, you don't want the seller to know how
valuable it is! It isn't your fault that they didn't get it
appraised ?as you will as soon as you leave! Keep
a straight face, keep your happiness and joy to
yourself, and pay the fifty cents or two bucks that
they want for the piece, get in your car and head to
a trusted jeweler for an appraisal!

It is possible that the piece isn't worth anything ?
but occasionally, you will stumble across some real
finds! Even if the piece isn't worth anything, if you
make jewelry, you may be able to disassemble it
for the parts.

Finding antique jewelry wholesale is very exciting.
In fact, spending those Saturday mornings at the
yard sales and estate sales may even become
addicting! Yard sales and estate sales ?especially
estate sales where grandchildren are not interested
in their grandma old ugly jewelry are the best
sources for antique jewelry at wholesale prices ?or
below wholesale prices.

This doesn't mean that there aren't some real find
on eBay as well, so don't discount it. Keep an eye
on the jewelry categories, as well as the antique or
vintage categories. When you do find something
you want to bid on, make sure that the seller has a
good reputation. If the piece is very expensive, use
the escrow service that is recommended by eBay.
Also talk to the seller quite a bit to be sure that you
understand exactly what is being advertised!

Another attic treasure

Just as we wrote about one attic treasure of photography, another one came to light.

The oldest commercially built photo camera, a so-called Daguerrotype Susses Freres was auctioned at Vienna's WestLicht gallery and auction house on May 26 for EU 588,613 ($ 792,333), making it the most expensive camera ever sold.

The Vienna camera is the only known example of its kind. Before it was found gathering dust in an attic in Munich, Germany, it was regarded a myth among photography experts, any evidence of its existence lost for the past 170 years.

Invented by French chemist Lois Daguerre, a daguerreotype is an early type of photograph. It produces a direct image on a polished silver surface that bears a coating of silver halide particles, deposited by iodine bromide or chlorine vapors. As there was no negative original like in modern photography, no copies of pictures could be made.

The camera on auction in Vienna was first advertised for sale on September 5, 1839, weeks before another Daguerrotype, produced by Daguerre's brother-in-law, Alphonse Giroux was commercially available.

The Giroux Daguerrotype is widely regarded as the first commercially produced camera. Around 10 of those cameras still exist in museums worldwide.

The camera in Saturday's auction was sold to an online bidder, who wished to remain anonymous, WestLicht said in a press release. Bidders from Korea, Japan, the United States and France participated in the auction.

Starting price was at 100,000 euros. Ahead of the auction some experts expected an even higher price, but for WestLicht owner Peter Coeln the price fetched was already "sensational."

WestLicht, a small private photo gallery and auction house, organizes photographica auctions twice a year.

First Printing: The Antique Maps and Prints Blog

A public blog about antique maps & antique prints, from VintageMaps.com. Presenting news, views, annoucements, and discussions about the world of antique maps and antique prints. Everyone is welcome to add comments to the blog posts. Your comments will appear immediately!

Click here to see how to add a comment to a post. You can also sign up to be a co-publisher, and start your own posts.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Antique Maps & Prints News -- May 1, 2007

Antique Maps & Antique Prints Upcoming Events

May 8, Cambridge, England. Cambridge Seminars in the History of Cartography. 5:30 PM, Emmanuel College, St. Andrew's Street, Gardner Room. Maps and Manuscript Transmission in Sixteenth Century England and Ireland. Contact Exhibitions Schedule.

May 12, New York. 2:30 PM. New York Map Society Meeting. Is the Lenox Globe Older than the 1507 Waldseemüller Map? New York Public Library, 5th Avenue & 42nd Street. A discussion of the Lenox Globe, thought to be one of the oldest globes to show the New World, yet one which has received insufficient attention to date. Peter Dickson will lead the discussion.

May 17, London. At the Warburg Institute, University of London, Woburn Square, London. 5:00 p.m. Maps and Society, Sixteenth Series. Jill Shefrin (Trinity College, University of Toronto) Nursery Instruction: Cartographical Novelties for Georgian and Victorian Children.

May 18, Washington D.C. The Washington Map Society, holds its Annual Dinner at Fort McNair Officer's Club. William A. Stanley, president of the Society and Chief Historian (emeritus) National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), presents U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey - 200 Years of Surveying and Mapping. Mr. Stanley's lecture traces the charting of the U.S. from 1807 to the present. For more information, call 202-289-4545 or email to Chas Langelan.

Antique Maps & Prints Exhibitions

For a list of upcoming exhibitions, please visit our antique maps & prints exhibitions page.


Antiquarian Book & Map Fairs

May 8-9, Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Sturbridge Book & Ephemera Fair. The Sturbridge Host Hotel, 366 Main Street (Rt. 20) Sturbridge, MA For information: 631-261-4590.

May 31 - June 1, New York. West Side Loft Book & Ephemera Fair. Arts Building, 336 West 37th Street 6th floor. Thursday 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM; Friday 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM.

June 10, Portland, Maine. Portland Book, Print & Paper Show, Hilton by the Bay, 88 Spring Street Portland , ME 04101

Auction Calendar

May 3, London. Christies. Travel & Natural History.

Through May 9, Online. Old World Auctions. Online auction of Antique Maps, Atlases, and Decorative Graphics.

May 10, San Francisco. PBA Galleries. Travel & Exploration; Natural History; Sporting Books; Maps & Atlases.

May 10, London. Sotheby's. Natural History, Travel, Atlases, & Maps.

May 10, London. Bloomsbury Auctions. Travel Books.

May 15, Oxford. Bonhams. Printed Books & Maps, Part 2.

May 16, Gloucestershire, England. Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Printed Books, Maps, & Ephemera.

May 23, London. Bonhams. Exploration, Travel, & Topographical Pictures.

May 24, New York. Swann Galleries. The Polar Library of Dr. John M. Levinson.

Chair is old, but it's not an antique

By Treasures in Your Attic , Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson
Eagle-Tribune

Dear Helaine and Joe: Is it possible for you to give me some information on this chair and its value? My mother purchased it overseas about 65 years ago and put the needlepoint covers on it. She has now given it to me. Stamped on the frame is "Made in Italy." - J. E. B., Rotan, Texas

Dear J.E.B.: From just a quick glance at the photographs of this chair, it is fairly obvious that its origins are continental European - probably France or Italy to be a little more specific. The big question is: How old was this chair when it was purchased just before the beginning of World War II?

This armchair is Louis XV style and is in the rococo taste. This style originated in France during the mid-18th century and its popularity persists to this day. The term "rococo" is derived from the French word "rocaille," which literally means "rock-work." Rococo is characterized by curving lines, cabriole legs and naturalistic forms such as depictions of rocks, shells, fruit, acanthus leaves and flowers. In addition, other motifs such as scrolls and ribbons are found.

The particular armchair belonging to J.E.B. is known as a "fauteuil," which refers to an upholstered (or caned) armchair with an opening under the arms. It has upholstered elbows and a seat that cannot be removed. A "bergere," on the other hand, is an upholstered armchair with closed arms and a removable seat.

These chairs came in a variety of different forms and they were often used with a "canape," which has nothing whatever to do with small finger foods served at a party. A "canape" in this case is an upholstered (or caned) settee, and often these were made "en suite" with fauteuils and bergeres to make a matching set of furniture for a parlor.

To summarize, the chair in today's question is a Louis XV style fauteuil. It was made from walnut and has a padded cartouche-shaped back. It has cabriole (S-shaped) legs with flower heads cresting on the knees, a double flower carved on the curved crest rail and a floral embellishment in the center of the seat rail.

All that sounds very nice. But is this chair old?

Actually, "old" is such a vague word that it is meaningless. "Old" to one person is "new" to another. To be really old and "of the period," this piece would have to have been made more that 225 years ago and be from the 18th century.

Other people might argue that this chair is "old" if it is an "antique" - meaning that it was made more than 100 years ago. Unfortunately, this is not the case, either. The big clue is the "Made in Italy" mark on the chair, which was placed there in accordance with the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890. This law required that all items exported to the United States had to be marked with the country of origin.

In the beginning, exports were marked "France" or "England" and so forth. But in the early 20th century, the marks had to be more specific and phrases such as "Made in France" or "Made in Italy" became standard nomenclature. This chair is probably circa 1935 and was new or practically new when J.E.B.'s mother bought it. In other words, this chair is not an antique, but it does have some age.

The best thing about this chair is the beautiful needlepoint coverings, and because of these, this chair has an insurance replacement value of between $600 and $700.

nnn

Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the "Country Living: American Glassware - What is it? What is it Worth?" Questions can be mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.

Turn an antique bottle into an incandescent bulb!

Craftiwork Filter: Help me turn an antique bottle into a light bulb/fixture. The incandescent sort.

This is a long-running idea of mine. I am not an electrician, but I understand the basics involved: one (airproof) antique bottle, inert gas, and a robust filament suspended within, then sealed. (If I'm wrong, tell me!) But I know zero about how to acquire the filaments, gas, or "blank" screw bases. I am looking to make this a hobby, potentially a money-making sideline (custom designer light fixtures go for hundreds and in some cases even thousands online, although I don't expect anything approaching those prices, of course) if it's cost effective. I know that I can purchase potentially hundreds of antique glass bottles for far less than five dollars apiece, but I don't know about the other supplies.

There are a few "make your own lightbulb" resources online, but they're pretty much experimental/temporary and I hope to make them relatively permanent. I realize that I could suspend LEDs within the cavities, probably at less cost and trouble, but the look would obviously be vastly different and just wouldn't be the same (although if you have any suggestions on this, by all means share them.)

I want to make two different types: 1) smaller bottles, transformed directly into actual bulbs, complete with screw, which could be fitted into a standard socket, and 2) larger fixtures meant to be plugged into the wall. My initial idea was for an arc lamp but upon research I have discovered that they never posessed significant longevity (extra points if you prove me wrong!)

Advice, words of wisdom, ideas, supply recommendations, practicalities, diagrams, personal experiences, etc. welcome (and begged for).