Identifying furniture can be tricky. Crediting a maker is often a matter of “style” or “attributed to.” Some makers’ names come to mean entire styles or time periods, like Chippendale for example. Some styles remain popular for centuries or get revived multiple times. Well-made copies of early pieces can even fool museums.
So, when you find a piece of antique furniture with a maker’s mark or signature, like this Louis XVI Revival chair by Alexander Roux, which sold for $1,230 at Brunk Auctions, it’s a rare and fortunate event. The auction’s description noted that Roux, a famous Victorian furniture maker who worked in New York from 1836 to 1881, had signed the chair’s bronze mounts with both “Roux” and “AR.”
This was unusual; Roux did not often sign the mounts on his furniture. Without a maker’s mark, it is sometimes possible to determine a maker based on the piece’s style and provenance. Sometimes, a piece can be matched to an image in a catalog or reference book.
Q: I posed the following inquiry to Heaven Hill and they referred me to you. I have a half-gallon bottle of Daniel Stewart Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey eight years old on a gold-colored wire swinging stand, probably from the 1960s or 70s. I would say that it is in mint condition. The internet says that Daniel Stewart was produced at Heaven Hill. Does anyone there know anything about this bottle? What is its value? Is it drinkable?
A: Daniel Stewart bourbon was produced by Heaven Hill for export only. Sealed bottles usually sell for about $200 to $300. If your bourbon was stored upright in a cool, dark place, and the cork isn’t falling apart, it is probably still drinkable. Bourbon can go bad if it is exposed to light, heat or oxygen. Sometimes the alcohol can eat away at the cork, which will leave a sour and bitter taste. If you decide to drink your bourbon, smell it first; if it smells moldy, don’t drink it, of course!
TIP: Put a small rug or drop cloth under a piece of furniture to move it. Pull the rug to slide the furniture across the room. This protects the furniture and floor. Don’t try this over high pile carpet.
CURRENT PRICES
Toy, horse, folk art, wood, ochre paint, molded composition mane, horse hair tail, black saddle blanket with star tacks, on green platform, red wheels, 19th century, 27 x 26 x 11 inches, $185.
Silver-Persian, box, hinged lid, rectangular, allover engraving, flowers, birds, gold-washed interior, hallmarks, early 1900s, 5 1/2 x 3 inches, $375.
Pottery-midcentury, bowl, folded, bright blue glaze, red rim, earthenware, signed, Otto & Gertrude Natzler, c. 1960, 3 1/2 x 6 x 9 inches, $1,015.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com.
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such a small amount is used.
