May 27, 2012
Tanker; rhymes with . . .?
To be honest every time I see a tanker desk I think how good a mooring point they’d make, but this one isn’t too heavy. In fact it is light enough that one scrawny used stuff slinger can move it (with a hand truck) across level ground without additional help.
Moving up or down stairs could be another matter.
The desk measures 50 inches wide 24 inches deep and 29 inches tall. Although there is one small crinkle in the front right corner of the left side drawer stack it is in good shape overall. The drawers and slide out writing shelf all work well too.
Although the paint is in fine shape as is it’s rather drab by modern standards. Maybe post-atomic apocalypse bunker is your decorating scheme (that’s OK) but if not this would be a great candidate for repainting .
Think candle apple red, mandarin orange or blue lagoon. Yowza!
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, AVAILABLE!, Metal, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Modern, Storage, Tables, Vintage |
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May 17, 2012
This cabinet is a good functional cross between table and a display cabinet. The inside has two glass shelves which are lit from above, so you can show off ‘precious things’ while the top is still low enough that it can be used as a table stand for something else. As an added bonus it has two shallow lined drawers. It is in very good condition and measures 30 1/2 inches wide, 18 1/2 inches deep and 41 inches tall.
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Posted in $151-$200, 21st century, AVAILABLE!, Display, Glass, Storage, Tables, Wood |
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May 15, 2012
I’ll admit that ‘modernist art print’ isn’t exactly the most evocative turn of phrase, but I’m a second-rate charity fundraising sales hack with a penchant for furniture, not flat work or art history, so you’ll either have to bear with me or go in search of a real art blog.
If you’re still reading I’ll presume you’re ‘bearing with’ and move on.
This is a big print 48 1/4 inches by 76 1/4 inches. It’s numbered 193 of 210 (or 250) and signed in a scrawl that would do a doctor who is the seven doctoral son of a seventh doctoral son proud.
In other words I can’t figure it out even though I’m fairly certain the artist’s name begins with ‘M’.
The print was framed in Anchorage, Alaska, which could be a clue or a frozen red herring. I’ve chased the herring angle and come up with nothing, not even a bit of bait, oil slicked rock, or traces of cocaine done off an oil drum.
Apparently what happens in the frozen north stays there even if it is an interesting art piece that is sort of evocative of a bastard stepchild of Chuck Close’s work crossed with a flat color cubist paint palette and the Cartesian grid system as seen in a parallel universe.
Or something.
It’s an interesting piece but it’ll need a big wall to look its best.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, AVAILABLE!, Paper, Print, Seemed like a good idea . . . |
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April 26, 2012
I wonder if furniture, were it sentient, would ever question what it was. Would it wake up in the morning and think “I am not a sideboard, I’m really a table?”
If so it might look like this.
At first glance this is a sideboard of buffet with two drop leaves. It is 42 1/2 inches wide, 19 inches deep and 30 1/2 inches tall with two 12 inch drop leaves. There is an open shelf and a drawer below that.
However if you pull out what appears to be the top drawer you discover that it converts into a massive table. Or at least converts into a table with the aid of six 15 inch leaves and some long table slides. In the largest configuration it can be as much as 122 inches long.
The table is unmarked, but it came with several Leg-O-Matic folding chairs with the same finish so I suspect it was made by the same folks.
The table is in fair condition, the biggest problem is that the folding leg which supports the middle is a bit wonky to use.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Eclectic, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Seemed like a good idea . . ., Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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April 12, 2012
This one has great bones and good lines, but could use a little spa time to get back on top of the world.
The biggest flaw in my mind is that some of the woven cane in the back is breaking. It’s nothing substantial yet (you won’t fall through for example) but it could use a fix. The next thing is that there are no cushions. It came with some horrid flowery cushions from another, differently shaped (demi-lune) love seat but they made this look dowdy so we . . . uh. . .”released them into the wild.”
Finally, one of the seat springs is missing. The others are pretty good as they held this used stuff merchant up during the all important testing phase.
Did I mention that it had great bones and good lines? The arms are a lovely ovate cross-section sculpted form with a little neck where they meet the back.
And look at those lines: notice how the front and back legs are angled just a bit and the they have a bigger taper where they meet the bottom stretcher/foot? Someone thought about this and worked hard to make a form that was pleasing to the eye.
It is marked with the usual Danish Furniture makers tag and a branded stamp that reads JK Made In Denmark. At first I thought that this was a product by the great Danish designer Jacob Kjaer, but further research shows that this was designed by Hans Olsen for Juul Kristensen. I couldn’t find the sofa but chairs that are designed on the same principles were made in 1958.
I hope this work doesn’t go to waste.
It is 48 inches wide, 29 inches deep and 27 inches tall.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Chairs, Couches, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Vintage, Wood |
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April 4, 2012
Thanks to an awesomely helpful customer we now know that this mask was made by the Baule Tribe of the Ivory Coast. I did a bit of looking but my references are not the best for this sort of thing. Thanks awesome customer!
The Baule are relatively recent immigrants to the area (a few hundred years) and probably adopted carving from their neighbors.
This is one of three types of mask, a Kpan mask worn during Goli dances and represents an idealized beautiful and wise woman.
This one is 18 inches tall, 9 1/2 inches wide and 7 inches thick. It is in excellent condition so it was probably made to be sold.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Sculpture, Tools, Vintage, Wood |
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March 30, 2012
Robert Sonneman is one of the great American designers of lighting in the second half of the 20th and early 21st century. His design grammar is obviously based in the mid-century modern aesthetic but he’s worked to stay current in the contemporary design environment too.
He started his first lighting company in 1967 but then in 1974 launched Sonneman Design Group which designed lighting for both the Sonneman brand and for other manufacturers.
This light bears a Robert Sonneman Associates sticker and is stamped on the base with “Luci Cinisello Milano T395 Made in Italy.”
Most references I could find for this light suggest that it was designed “circa 1965.” Although there isn’t a lot of reference material out there it seems that the Sonneman Associates name was only in popular use for a brief period in 1970 and 1971 so it is more likely that this was designed for Luci by Sonneman Associates sometime in the early 1970′s.
The lamp has a red enamel metal base with slots that allow the chrome stem and head to move forwards and backwards and to each side. It stands roughly 19 1/2 inches tall and is in good condition except a small bend at the angle where two of the slots meet. This is minor defect and is not immediately noticeable on casual inspection and does not hinder the use of the lamp.
The light head also pivots so you can shine light better upon the object you are working upon.
$200
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Lighting, Metal, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Modern, Sculpture, Vintage |
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March 1, 2012
The favorite part of my day is the time I can spend on ferreting out interesting stuff (and there’s some doozies coming up!). Sometimes I run out of time or I just don’t know where to go with the limited information available. That’s the case here.
This is not a normal, run of the mill table. I’ve seen a lot of those and this is the first of its kind. The etched copper panels are really unusual.
To me the look like they depict a series of folks dancing, or doing something that you’d see depicted on an Egyptian tomb wall.
But a definitive who made it is just beyond my knowing at this point. It’s so close that you’d think I’d have figured it out, but despite lots of trying I’m stumped. There is the remnant of a paper tag stapled to the underside of the table. It is almost entirely legible (almost).
There is some slight wear and damp staining and it probably* reads:
Stebert Inc.
79 [illegible numbers]
5548-7
Copper
Oil walnut
As I interpret the remains of the tag this table was made by Stebert Inc., a company that I could find little about other than that it might have been incorporated in California in the late 1950′s (if even the same company) but is now out of business. The second line might be a phone number. If so it is a southern California exchange added in the late 1990′s, which seems a bit late for the construction techniques used in the table. 5548-7 is probably the model or pattern number. The other lines are the materials and finishes used.
In other words, without supporting data, your interpretation is as good as mine, which is as good as anyone else’s. That means there is one person out there who definitely knows what the story behind this is, who’ll think me a fool for not knowing.
The metrics: This sofa or hall table is 55 1/2 inches long by 12 inches deep and stands 24 inches tall. It is in very good condition and is undoubtedly an unusual piece so we’re asking $200.
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*Using the possibly/probably/likely continuum of qualification of statements. Each subsequent step is representative of an increased likelihood of being right. I’m not that confident, nor that un-confident in my interpretation hence the use of probably.
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Artistic wonder, Contemporary, Eclectic, GONE! SOLD!, Metal, Tables, Wood |
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January 23, 2012
We know this table is old, but like my high school French teacher, it’s not about to say how old it is.
It seems pretty certain that this table was made in the 19th century. The drawer has hand cut dovetail joints and there are a number of nails visible underneath (and holes where others have been removed). Most of these are post-1880 wire nails, but one has a hand forged head and might be an early 19th century hand-made nail.
Overall it is in OK condition however the top has a plethora of water ring marks. None are bigger than a drinking glass so I think it may have been used as a bedside table.
I think if one looked at these marks long enough you could probably distill the story of a lifetime from them . . .
The table is 21 1/2 inches deep, 21 3/4 inches wide and it is 30 inches tall.
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Posted in $151-$200, 19th century, Antique, Farmhouse/Country, GONE! SOLD!, Rustic, Tables, Wood |
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December 22, 2011
Update: I just discovered that this line was actually designed by Leslie Diamond, not Russel Wright (although for a long time the line was wrongly attributed to Wright). It seems that this is a far too common error and I apologize for the wrong attribution. I’ve made a few changes below, but let it stand as a cautionary tale about jumping to conclusions. . .
Problem: In 1935 you followed the nomenclature zeitgeist and called a line of furniture* American Modern (in a style which we now call Art Deco). It was produced from 1935 to 1939, but time has passed. The second great reaping of the world’s youth is over and the intellectual class hasn’t been desperate enough yet to come up with the sophistry of post-modern to describe that which comes after modern. What do you do when you need to sell the next line of furniture?
Solution: In a scenario like hyphenating names after marriage you take the old name and add a descriptor to make it fresh.
The line was introduced in 1949 by Conant Ball and was named modern mates (yes, in lower case**). Like American Modern it too was designed by Russel Wright and also featured the use of light-colored (birch) finishes and “modern” styling.
We’re fortunate to have a side table which is 22 1/2 inches tall, 16 1/2 inches deep and just over 18 inches wide. It is in surprisingly good condition with only one little abrasion of the finish next to the drawer on the front right vertical board. You can see it in the pictures below and it is only 1/2 inch in size.
The drawer slides nicely and it’s a handsome piece.
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*There was also an incredibly popular dinnerware line with the same name but made by Bauer (1939 to 1959). We’ve had a fair number of pieces of it over the years such like this divided dish and this open server.
** Was this reactionary? Was capitalization seen as a thing of the past? Should contemporary rebellious kids begin using proper spelling and grammar in text messages?
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Modern, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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October 16, 2011
Cute, effective, economical.
This is a smallish piece that still offers plenty of storage. It is 36 1/4 inches wide, 18 inches deep and 30 inches tall. There is a full width drawer, and adjustable lower shelf and four small drawers for storing flatware or other small items.
I’ve seen furniture with drawers like these used as dressers before. It seem that compulsive sock folders find these are perfect for displaying the wonders of orderly foot coverings. As the scion of a short, stubby, gnarled and stubborn tree of disorderly pack-rats I won’t even pretend to understand.
It is in very good condition and it was made by Vinde Møbelfabrik of Skive, Denmark.
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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August 20, 2011
Since I’ve misplaced not one, but two pieces of paper with the dimensions for this piece I’m going to get it over with and state them now. This vintage waterfall dresser is 32 inches wide, 49 1/2 inches tall and 17 1/2 inches deep. The third time’s a charm, or so they say.
This piece probably dates to the 1930′s, has five storage drawers and is in good, useable condition. Even the decorative plastic inserts in the pulls are all there.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Art Deco, GONE! SOLD!, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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August 12, 2011
Let’s start with the bad news shall we?
First, AMC’s Mad Men, while drawing upon the zeitgeist of the early 1960′s and featuring drool-worthy furniture is fictional.
Secondly, this desk is not quite at the level required for a Mad Men cameo. It also has some slight issues.
Issues that are only issues due to neglect and deliberate hard-hearted malfeasance. Most notably, someone once attached something to the underside of the desk (like a keyboard tray?). This was done by drilling through the stretcher (or skirt) under the desk top, on both from and back. Apparently they were students of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre inspired measure never; drill a bunch of holes school of construction. Rumor has it that after botching this installation they were promoted to a planning position for a large local bridge construction project.
In any case there are several small holes in the front and rear stretchers from this. If one felt like administering first aid, they could probably be repaired. There are other, minor defects, like a small area of missing veneer on the side of the drawers (shown in the same picture that shows a sampling of the holes) and a few light spots on the top from differential wear and use.
Otherwise this is a nice mid-century modern desk. There is a cubby-hole and two drawers on the left side and there is a slight elevated lip encompassing the perimeter of the back half of the desk top, which is my favorite part of the piece. The desk is 51 1/4 inches wide, 27 1/2 inches deep and 29 1/2 inches to the top of the elevated lip.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Otherwise useful, Storage, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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July 18, 2011
One of the cool things about untitled art is that you can call it whatever you’d like and no one can prove that you’re wrong.
Personally I’ve taken to calling this one The Cause Of and The Cure For Jerome K. Jerome‘s Indigestion. It was probably once titled something much more prosaic, like Race Day, or View of the Regatta, but in the absence of information proving otherwise I’ll stick with Jerome.
This painting is on board and measures 44 1/2 inches by 32 3/4 inches in frame. It is signed and dated in the lower right corner “J Taylor 1977.”
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Contemporary, GONE! SOLD!, Modern, Other Natural Materials, Other Unnatural Materials, Painting, Vintage, Wood |
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July 16, 2011
I’m a sucker for old pieces like this. More exactly I’m a sucker for old stenciling. Sure, I know this was factory production made and the stencils were used on about a half-gazillion pieces but I like them just the same.
The chest of drawers is 34 inches wide, 19 1/2 inches deep and stands 46 1/2 inches tall. It’s in good condition with age appropriate wear.
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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July 3, 2011
I’m not certain if this Bombe chest came from a retailer or private party, but it is in great condition. It demonstrates a modern take on the classic balloon shape of the Bombe chest and is decorated with stenciled chinoiserie birds and plants. It is 37 inches wide, 19 1/2 inches deep and 34 inches tall.
The Bombe style was developed after the death of Louis XIV and during the subsequent regency of Louis XV. Apparently the Sun King preferred conservative, classically derived, styles of furniture notable for sharp lines and rectilinear geometry. His death signaled an opportunity for experimentation with the use of curved surfaces and embellishment with motifs derived from Chinese trade goods.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, 21st century, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Storage, Wood |
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June 11, 2011
Vintage teak desk with two drawers and a sliding top. It is marked underneath with the cross over double M mark of Moreddi, but it’s a bit too faint to get a good picture of.
The desk is in fair to good condition. It has definitely been used so there are some areas of differential fading, one water stain and some old tape marks.
It is 29 inches tall, 25 inches deep. With the drop leaf in the ‘up’ position it is just under 60 inches wide, without it is about 40 inches wide.
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Storage, Tables, Wood |
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June 4, 2011
We’ve got a nice set of four of these classic mid-century chairs.
They’ve been refinished at least once over their life so we can’t tell who the original manufacturer was, but likely doesn’t matter. There were many makers of chairs like this and with good reason: they’re incredibly useful and good looking.
They’re comfortable too.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Chairs, GONE! SOLD!, Metal, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Vintage, Wood |
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May 25, 2011
Very unusual ‘Mod-Pop‘ bedroom set by Broyhill. These feature solid wood construction with a white lacquer finish and applied injection molded ABS plastic drawer faces and were part of the Premier Chapter One line circa 1970.
They are imitative of pieces designed by Raymond Loewy. Raymond Loewy is considered the ‘father‘ of industrial design, was the first industrial designer to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine and designed all sorts of great stuff, including streamline locomotives, the iconic Lucky Strike white package, Sears refrigerators and the interior of the Skylab Space Station.
He did furniture too, including the Doubinsky Freres DF-2000 line from which these are derived.
We’re fortunate enough to have three items in this line by Broyhill. The collection includes:
A triple dresser with mirror. It has nine drawers in two sizes. It is in good condition with some damage to the right side (probably from being stood on end) but otherwise with age appropriate wear. The mirror is in perfect condition. The triple dresser is 62 1/2 inches wide, 19 inches deep and it is 29 3/4 inches tall to the top of the casework. To the top of the mirror it is 72 3/4 inches tall. The mirror does have hooks on the back so it could be hung on the wall separately. SOLD
A Five Drawer Chest of Drawers. It is in very good condition with one small chip on the lower left corner as the only notable flaw. Otherwise it has age appropriate wear. It is 39 1/2 inches wide, 19 inches deep and 43 3/4 inches tall. SOLD
Finally we have a single nightstand. It is in good condition but does have some bubbling or buckling of the veneer on the right front corner. there are also a couple small area of old retouch paint on the left side. It is 27 inches wide, 17 inches deep and 21 1/2 inches tall. Sold!
Posted in $151-$200, $500-$1000, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Modern, O. M. G., Plastic, Retro, Sculpture, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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May 23, 2011
Vintage mahogany desk with a glass piece to protect the top. All the things that look like drawer fronts are drawer fronts, except for the two on the bottom of the right hand column. These are actually part of one double depth file type drawer.
It is in good condition with some signs of regular but not abusive use.
It is 46 inches wide, 23 inches deep and 30 1/2 inches tall.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Storage, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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May 19, 2011
This original oil painting is is untitled. It is very similar to another work of his that also shows a view Eiffel Tower from the Place de la Concorde. They’re similar enough that they may have been painted in the same session.
Andre Franchet was born in 1896 and actively worked until his death in 1961. This work is signed in the lower left corner and the 12 inch by 24 inch canvas is in great condition. The frame is a bit dated and does have some slight damage. In frame it is 17 1/4 inches by 29 1/4 inches.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Other Natural Materials, Other Unnatural Materials, Painting, Vintage, Wood |
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May 18, 2011
It figures.
Three chairs.
Three Eero Saarinen style tulip chairs. We’ve seen this movie before. The standard dilemma whether to split the set or not applies. . . we’ve decided to leave them as a set.
Two of the chairs are in great condition but the third sits at a slight angle. These are vintage copies (not by Knoll) and only one of them is marked. It was made by the world-famous North Central Industries of Johnson Creek Wisconsin.
Not exactly as seen at MOMA, but still quite nice!
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Chairs, GONE! SOLD!, Metal, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Plastic, Sculpture, Vintage |
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May 11, 2011
Original watercolor by Portland artist, Muriel Pallay. It shows a great view of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach on what appears to be a typical Oregon day. It looks slightly overcast and just a bit chilly (the figures are wearing coats and one has their hood on).
Murial Pallay is a Portland based NW Coast Artist, won a 2008 Achievement Award from the Watercolor Society of Oregon and has a regionally famous collection of hat-pins.
The painting is hand signed in the lower right corner, in frame it is 23 inches tall by 30 inches wide and the frame and contents are in good condition.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Painting, Paper |
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March 22, 2011
“Born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Job (5:7)
We mentioned Klee’s apocalyptic skies and here’s another example.
I know, deep in my heart, that he wasn’t looking to portray a church on fire. However, it kind of looks like that. . . Sacrilege aside I rather like the effect.
This is the least developed of the three Raymond Klee works we have so we’re making it the cheapest. It is framed to match the Notre Dame painting and is 24 by 36 inches (32 1/2 by 44 1/2 inches in frame).
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Artistic wonder, AVAILABLE!, Eclectic, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Other Natural Materials, Other Unnatural Materials, Painting, Retro, Vintage |
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March 11, 2011
Some things are too cool to pass up even though they’re not in perfect condition.
Take for an example the bent plywood back, wasabi green vinyl upholstered chair shown in the picture above and in the slide show at the end of the post. We know next to nothing about it. It doesn’t have a makers mark and the condition is a bit dodgy due to two longitudinal tears in the seat upholstery and one torn front seat corner. On the other hand, the lines are great, the tufting is fab (!) and the color is cool (again). SOLD
Then there’s this mid-century lounge chair. The arms and base are teak with black leather-covered cushion that rests on a canvas ‘sling’ over tubular metal frame. It reclines and swivels. Alas there’s no ottoman and it too has some condition issues: again there’s some damage on the front corner (barely visible in the picture above) and some of the canvas is slightly damaged.
It’s darned comfortable and is good design (whatever that means). SOLD
Posted in $151-$200, $51-$75, 20th century, Chairs, GONE! SOLD!, Leather, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Other Unnatural Materials, Vintage, Wood |
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