It can happen to the best of us, or in my case the overly eager,wet around the ears, greenhorns in us....against all nagging intuition, we buy a piece of junk billed as a masterpiece. Such is what I experienced when scouting high and low for the very sought after Marblehead Pottery.I hail from good old Marblehead, Massachusetts and I have taken quite a shine to Arts and Crafts pottery. I love that from an initial therapeutic community in a sanatarium in 1904, a cottage industry where stunning pieces of pottery were created. Marblehead Pottery can sell for thousands and is truly magnificent in its smooth lines and curves. I love the blue and green matte glazes the most, for they remind me of the slate blue skies and rugged ocean of my childhood. Naturally when a piece came up for auction,I jumped at the chance to own my second example of coveted Marblehead magnificence. I should have been wary at the slightly out of focus photographs when bidding, as well as a hue of blue that did not match any glaze shades in the Marblehead Pottery catalogs. In addition, this piece, which I have posted here for your viewing pleasure, was listed as a "superb example of experimental Marblehead Pottery." A three piece potpourri dish, this allegedly had the faint maker's mark on the bottom, a square rigged ship. Yes, some genuine Marblehead Pottery marks are fainter than others. However, upon receiving my anticipated parcel , I could not, even with a loupe, a light, hell,an army, decipher the squiggles barely visible as anything remotely genuine. In addition, the very craftsmanship of this piece is more like "crapsmanship.". The main bowl keels over a bit to one side, the glaze is too thick and sloppily executed... And it's a glaring antithesis to a masterpiece. It is also a lesson to me and hopefully to all of you, to bid and buy not rabid and frothing, but with knowledge, deliberation, and patience. Trust that little voice in your head which says "Gee I think this experimental pottery was probably made in Marblehead in a nursery school in 2003."
The Avid Avid Antiquer is a blog dedicated to bringing you interviews with leading curators, antique specialists and dealers, authors and auctioneers. I will also include videos, podcasts and much more!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Van Briggle to Van Broken
It's always like Christmas morning when the over encumbered but ever cheerful postal lady delivers my new inventory. No matter how stunning an object photographs, I need the tactile element of running my fingers over a smooth matte glazed finish on a beautiful vintage ceramic piece. I was looking forward to doing just that with an aqua glazed Van Briggle vase I had procured at a reasonable price. It was to be proudly displayed at my new antiques booth in Amherst, New Hampshire. Alas the package arrived and the lovely lady that had sold this Van Briggle to me had packed and shipped it with care, the words "Fragile" clearly marked. Well, surely accidents do happen, thus the caveat to always have a package insured, especially in the world of ceramics! The Van Briggle had already cracked and crumbled upon my tender unpacking of it. That which was not already in fragments was perilously close with the fault lines of ruin spreading down the vase. And so now I own a Van Broken, still beautiful in that archaeological shard sort of way. My creatively inspired artist sister in law wants to make it into one of her exquisite mosaics! Now that is what you call antique repurposing! I know she is sure to create a work of art that will be most exquisite. This is how we as antique dealers and collectors must see the bright side when a piece shows up looking like it was dropped kicked from its destination, not mailed. I will keep you apprised of Jenn's reworking of the Van Broken into a Van Beautiful.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
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