Antiques Considered - May 23, 2012
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- Published on Tuesday, 22 May 2012 20:03
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This vase and table come from a family in the lower Northern Neck. The vase has been passed down for several generations, and the table was a purchase many years ago. The glass is pressed, and the table is walnut with the original finish. The top is carved. Neither piece bears any maker’s marks.
The vase is a fine example of American pressed, or pattern, glass, probably from a factory in Ohio, and dates from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The pattern is called Daisy and Button, and the shape is unusual. The motif was quite popular, as it remains today among collectors of pattern glass, making attribution to a particular factory
almost impossible. In a specialized glass auction, it should bring $150, but would fetch less at a country auction.
The table exhibits many of the traditional Victorian Eastlake features with the intaglio carving on the top and the legs. The design dates it to the 1880s, and makes a statement as to the spread of the Eastlake theme to America from England.
The purpose of the table is multifaceted. It could be a candlestand or more likely, a fern stand. The Victorians were great proponents of having live houseplants, and they took special pleasure in potted ferns, which they placed in ornate pottery jardinières.
This stand would be at home in the hall or parlor of a large Victorian mansion. It is a style that is less popular today than it was in its heyday during the High Victorian Period. It is worth $125. Victorian furniture has its own set of devotees, but as a rule it does not have a ready market, unless positively attributed to one of the major makers such as Belter, Meeks or Herter.
As tastes come and go, Victoriana one day will be rediscovered, and the prices inevitably will escalate.
Happy Antiquing!
Lisa and Henry Hull operate Commonwealth Antiques and Appraisals, Inc. at 5150 Jessie DuPont Hwy., 22570 (P. O. Box 35). Wicomico Church, Va. 22570.
