Category Archives: Knowledge is power

Add this new type of Daum Nancy reproduction to your list

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For the foreseeable future, I will publish once a week on Monday.

In my duties as the paid glass and lamps expert for several major auction houses, I’m regularly asked to review items for potential sale at auction. This past week I reviewed an interesting vase.

Most reproduction vases are low enough quality that it takes me a millisecond to identify them. The example above took a few seconds, as the quality of some reproduction vases is improving.

Let’s take a closer look, as there are no instant giveaways that an untrained eye would notice. The most obvious is the top rim, which rarely has a ring of colored glass and seldom is ground flat (but there are plenty of exceptions to that rule).

This vase is authentic

Next let’s move to the martelé wheel-carving in the background. It’s very uneven and carved too deeply into the background color. Pictured above is an example of martelé carving on authentic Daum vase. It’s more even and more subtle.

Notice the center of the flower is acid-etched and appears hollow. Daum didn’t do that.

The signature is bad, but that would be very tough for an amateur to tell. In this example, notice the A in Daum is modern (and different from the A in Nancy) and the M has a curved trough at the end. They’re just wrong.

Lastly is the color scheme, which is close, but off. That observation would take a trained eye.

I’m curious whether reproductions of this type are coming from Romania. Most of the Gallé and Daum reproduction glass is Romanian. Let me know if you know.

If you still can’t tell if your vase is authentic, I am available for authentications/appraisals. My fee is $125 for the first item and $75 for each additional.

The Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show is now only three weeks away, at the end of this month, August 30 – September 2, 2018. Unfortunately the Baltimore show promoter has moved the show one week later than usual, to the Labor Day weekend. The show used to be held over the Labor Day weekend, but that was many years ago. The show is wonderful, so we’ll continue to exhibit there regardless of the change of dates.

We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I recently listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

How can you tell if an etching is authentic?

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For the foreseeable future, I will publish once a week on Monday.

There isn’t much going on in the summer, so I’ve decided to reprint one of my most popular blogs, How can you tell if an etching is authentic?, published originally on 7/29/2009.

Louis Icart pulling a proof of Joy of Life from the etching press

Louis Icart pulling a proof of Joy of Life from the etching press

First one has to understand the process of producing an etching. The artist does his work on a copper plate, so the “original” is a copper plate that’s rarely for sale. To produce the image, the plate first is hand-inked. Then the paper is laid down on top and the two pass together through the etching press, under tremendous pressure. The pressure transfers the image to the paper. Since the copper plate has thickness, it “dents” the paper around the edge of the image. This “dent” is called a plate impression. You can see it and feel it around the edge of the plate. So #1. A real etching has a plate impression.

Since the process is not photographic and there is no printing press, there are no dots in the image. If you use a magnifying glass to look at a photograph in a newspaper, you can see the entire image is made up of dots. Use a magnifying glass with an original etching and there are no dots. So #2. An authentic etching does not have any dots in the image.

An authentic pencil signature of Louis Icart

After the edition is printed by the master printer, it is given back to the artist for hand-signing. Prints or other fakes have copies of the signature. So #3. Authentic etchings are hand-signed by the artist, usually in pencil.

The blindstamp of the Louis Icart Society

In the case of Louis Icart, a raised seal called a blindstamp, was created in mid-1926, and was usually found in the lower left corner, just below the image. Most Icart images produced after this time have the blindstamp, but don’t use this information as a crutch. There are some fake etchings that have fake blindstamps. And conversely, there are many authentic Icart etchings that do not have blindstamps. Supposedly the etchings without blindstamps were not for export from France, but personally I’ve found too many instances where this rule doesn’t pertain. If you’re still not sure, you need a professional appraisal.

Because of this post I have received many requests over the years for authentication of etchings by artists other than Louis Icart. I am only an expert in the works of Louis Icart, not other artists. So please, if you have questions about your etching, don’t send them to me. I really can’t help unless the artist is Louis Icart. And remember, there is a fee of $125 for authentications and/or appraisals.

The Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show is now only four weeks away, at the end of the summer, August 30 – September 2, 2018. We were forced to give up shows like Denver. Unfortunately the Baltimore show promoter has moved the show one week later than usual, to the Labor Day weekend. The show used to be held over the Labor Day weekend, but that was many years ago. The show is wonderful, so we’ll continue to exhibit there regardless of the change of dates.

We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I recently listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

What’s special about this Gallé vase?

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For the foreseeable future I will publish once a week on Mondays.

One cabochon is the sun with acid-etched rays and the other is the center of a flower

Occasionally I sell a French cameo vase that is worthy of discussion. Today’s Gallé vase is quite interesting, incorporating a variety of techniques.

Notice the cabochons on this side of the vase are acid-etched

First notice the vase is transparent. That immediately tells you the vase is early Gallé, from the Cristallerie period in the 1880s-1890s. Then look at the giant applied cabochons, four in all, all different. One cabochon represents the sun, with acid-etched rays surrounding it. The others are the centers of flowers.

The “sun” cabochon has internal foil decoration, but no acid-etching

It’s interesting to note the presence of metal foil within the glass. How did they do that? There was only one way. As the molten vase was being formed on a punty (the metal rod  used to hold the vase), the metal foil was applied to the outside of the vase. While still hot, more transparent glass was applied over the entire vase, encasing the foil. Now it was inside.

Wait, there’s more. The vase was then rolled in powdered, colored glass on the marver (usually a flat metal table) several times and heated in the furnace between each application. This added a uniform colored layer of glass to the outside. Finally heated glass discs (the cabochons) were applied to the outside. Then the vase was ready for the annealing oven, where it cooled slowly over the course of a full day or more.

This is a fancy, acid-etched Gallé signature only found on early vases

We’re not finished as there’s no design on the vase yet. So it went to an artist who covered the vase with a resist (a waxy substance or other acid-resistant covering like bituminous paint). The vase then went into a tank of hydrofluoric acid, where the unprotected glass was eaten away. Voila, the vase then had a design, but was still unfinished.

Notice the wheel-carving in the background on the left, the internal foil and the acid-etching of the cabochon

The flaws in the background were removed by wheel-carving. (You can see the wheel marks when turning the vase in reflected light.) The very last step was to heat the outside of the vase with a broad flame. This technique is called fire-polishing and gave a shine to the exterior. The vase was finished and I’m tired just thinking about it!

I hope now you have a better understanding and appreciation of all the time and effort that went into this special vase.

Our next show is not until May 18-20, 2018, when we’ll exhibit at the 2nd edition of the resurrected Chicago Antiques + Art + Design Show at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. It’s a wonderful venue for a show that deserved to be restored from purgatory.

We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I recently listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

A $26 painting may be a $26 million masterpiece by Raphael

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

raphael-madonnaDuring the filming of a BBC series entitled Britain’s Lost Masterpieces, a painting attributed to a minor Renaissance painter was determined to be a genuine masterpiece by the master Raphael. It’s an interesting story. Click here for the original article from artnet news.

winnetka-2016Our next show in Winnetka, Illinois, is just around the corner, November 4-6, 2016. This is our only fall show in the greater Chicago area (and probably our last show of the year). We always look forward to exhibiting there, especially to see all our friends and clients. Put it in your calendar. It’s a lovely show!

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I will update it as often as time permits. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

This is why you buy from me

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

Daum poppy vase with handles

Daum poppy vase with handles

I was offered a lovely Daum vase by a serious French dealer, with whom I’ve done a lot of business over the years. The decoration of poppies was particularly pretty and desirable, especially with the applied handles and gilding. I agreed to buy the vase. The dealer shipped it to me without prior payment, as we have a longstanding relationship.

A closeup of the regilded foot

A closeup of the regilded foot

It looked good in the original photo from the dealer, who I trusted not to send me a vase with problems. Boy, was I disappointed. The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was the strange gilding on the foot. It had been poorly redone with metal leaf. It stuck out to me like a sore thumb. Then came the handles — even worse. The two handles did not match each other in texture at all, nor did they match the body of the vase. They both looked like they had been spray-painted by a restorer of little ability. Do you think you would have known if you had purchased this vase? I doubt it. I venture to guess that most people would not have had a problem with it.

A side-by-side comparison of the two handles

A side-by-side comparison of the two handles

I felt like he tried to slip one past me, but that wasn’t going to happen. It’s going back to France and I’ll be out $73.25 return postage. The good part is you’re not going to buy it. I act like a filter, filtering out fake, repaired, ugly, unimportant, and common items. If I’m offering it for sale, it’s passed my inspection. And that’s why you buy from me.

I’ve been quite busy buying and selling recently, partly because I’ve listed many new items on my website. I will continue to list more daily. Please click here to take a look.

We’re still very much in business between shows, especially since there are fewer shows nowadays. Please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

$33 million lost Fabergé egg discovered by Midwest scrap-metal dealer

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

Fabergé Third Imperial Egg

Fabergé Third Imperial Egg, circa 1887

A Midwest scrap-metal dealer bought a golden egg with a clock inside for approximately $13,000, hoping to flip it quickly for a $500 profit. As luck would have it, he overestimated its melt value and wasn’t able to sell it quickly, giving him time to do a little Internet detective work. He typed “egg” and “Vacheron Constantin”, the name engraved on the clock, into Google and hit the jackpot. The information in a 2011 article in Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper indicated that the egg might be a lost Fabergé Imperial Egg.

faberge-egg-2The dealer hopped on a plane to London to meet with Kieran McCarthy, the author of the article in the Daily Telegraph.  McCarthy is the Director of Wartski,  a firm specializing in Russian works of art, especially Carl Fabergé.  The dealer had no appointment, but just casually walked into the shop, wearing jeans, with a portfolio of photos.  McCarthy was so excited by the photos, he flew to the US to authenticate the egg.  He determined it to be the Third Imperial Egg, made in 1887, for Tsar Alexander III, as an Easter gift to his wife, Tsarina Maria Feodorovna.  It had made its way to the West when the post-Russian Revolution Soviets sold their treasures in a policy known as turning “treasures into tractors”.

With the Midwest dealer’s blessing, Wartski then sold the egg to a private collector, for an undisclosed amount, possibly up to $33 million. It was displayed to the public at Wartski from April 14 to 17, for only the second time in its history.  The first was at a 1964 auction. Now it’s back to privacy for the egg.  Who knows the next time it will be available for view by the public?  In the meantime, the Midwest dealer is basking in the sunshine of his good fortune.

This wonderful Daum Nancy fall scenic vase is just in

This wonderful Daum Nancy fall scenic vase is just in

It’s spring, so there are no shows, but we’re still very much in business.  Click here to view my new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.

A couple of interesting surprises at Christie’s New York Interior sale, December 8, 2011

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

Christie’s New York held an Interiors sale on December 8, 2011. Two lots that I was following had very interesting results.

R. Lalique vase Senlis, Christie's lot #82

Lot #82 was a gray R. Lalique vase, entitled “Senlis”. I knew that Senlis was a very good model because it had bronze handles. The problem was that I only knew enough about R. Lalique glass to be dangerous. I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about Lalique as I am about French cameo glass or Tiffany Favrile glass. I hoped that perhaps it would go unnoticed and slip through the cracks. Wrong! Estimated to sell for $2,000 – $3,000, it sold for $40,000, including the buyer’s premium. I would have gambled up to $10,000, but not more since I didn’t really know the value. Obviously others did.

French dolls, Christie's lot #235

Lot #235 was listed as: A FRENCH BISQUE AUTOMATON DOLL STANDING BEFORE A CHEVAL MIRROR, with an estimate of $800 – $1,200. The lot was actually two dolls — one seated and the second an automaton with a mirror. Apparently the dolls were way better than estimated, as they sold for $20,000, including buyer’s premium. Again, I knew enough about dolls to be dangerous. Many years ago, I bought about 100 dolls from one collection and learned the basics from that experience. So I knew that to sell for $20,000, there had to be something else going on. I never had a chance to examine the dolls in person, but I suspect that one was made by an important French maker, like Bru, Jumeau or others. That would explain it.

Knowledge is power. Need more proof?

Rare Tiffany Arabian lamp in glorious blue color

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Rare Tiffany Studios andirons sell at South Bay Auctions on Long Island, December 10, 2011

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday. There will be a post this Thursday about of couple of nice surprises at Christie’s Interior sale.

Pair of andirons, South Bay Auctions lot #263

South Bay Auctions of East Moriches, Long Island held a Fine Art, Antiques & Sporting auction on Saturday, December 10, 2011. Included in the sale were a pair of andirons that were sold as lot #263, with the following description: Pair of Art Nouveau nickel plated bronze torchieres with iridescent stained glass tops, 23-1/2″h; one misshapen, loss to plating. No estimate was listed for them. It’s likely they were sold without reserve.

Detail photo showing where the cast iron was originally inserted

Torchieres they weren’t, as there was no way they could provide light. Rather, they were nickel-plated bronze andirons. A detail photo of the back shows where the cast iron portion was originally inserted. It had been cut off somewhere in its history.

Superb leaded glass turtleback tiles inset into the top of each andiron

The proof that they were Tiffany Studios was in the top — leaded turtleback tiles. Fabulous! The quality, materials and workmanship all screamed Tiffany Studios. The andirons were unsigned, but Tiffany didn’t sign everything. Every once in a while, something got out unsigned.

The bidding started at a few hundred dollars and continued in hundreds until about $2,000. Then a phone bidder jumped the bid to $5,000 (a failed attempt to scare off the other bidders). After a few thousand more dollars, the live audience dropped out and left the bidding to two determined phone bidders. Again the bidders jumped a few bids, until the final price of $28,000, for a total of $33,040, including the buyer’s premium. I’ve got a pretty good idea of who the bidders were, but that’s not for publication. In my opinion, if the pair were signed and in better condition, they could have brought double or more at a major auction house in New York City. In the meantime, I’m sure the consignor was thrilled with the result.

Knowledge is power, and this item was another example.

A killer Daum Nancy vase, just acquired

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Knowledge is power, part VI

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This story doesn’t end the way I planned it, but I trust you’ll find it interesting.

Daffodil table lamp, Hindman lot #346

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, of Chicago, held their Marketplace auction on January 19-20, 2011. Included in their offerings was lot 346, described as An American Leaded Glass Daffodil Table Lamp, after Tiffany Studios, raised on a tree trunk standard. Height overall 18 1/2 inches, outer diameter of shade 13 7/8 inches. Estimate $800-1,200 , and that’s where my story begins.

As soon as I discovered lot 346, my curiosity was piqued. Here was a lamp that was described as “after Tiffany Studios”, which is auction-speak for “the lamp is not authentic”. To my eyes, the lamp appeared to be authentic, but late-period. Late in their production, Tiffany Studios stopped using their own glass that had been manufactured in-house. Rather, they purchased glass from outside suppliers, like the Kokomo Opalescent Glass Company of Kokomo, Indiana. This outside-purchased glass had a different “look” to it — “flatter”, less subtle and more garish. To the untrained eye, late Tiffany lamps look like reproductions. So here was the perfect opportunity to sneak up on an item and use my knowledge to gain the advantage. (Read my blog of July 24, 2009 for a good example. Here’s the link. July 24, 2009 blog)

I called the auction house and spoke to the expert in charge and asked Hindman to ship the lamp to me for inspection. I volunteered to pay for the shipping in both directions. Unfortunately, they were unable to comply with my request as this wasn’t their property, but the property of the consignor (in this case an estate). They sent many detailed photos, which only confirmed my suspicion that the lamp was authentic. The problem was that photos were insufficient to make a 100% decision about its authenticity — I had to see it in person. Unfortunately, the only way I could do that was to fly to Chicago.

So, on the Saturday before the auction, I flew to Chicago. The expert in charge, Mike Intahar, kindly agreed to meet me at the auction house to view the lamp. In person, there was no question — the lamp was authentic. I turned right around and flew back to New York. In and out in a few hours. Now armed with knowledge, I could bid with confidence. The lamp had a retail price of $25,000 – 30,000, but I wanted to be conservative, so I could resell it quickly for $20,000 or less.

The auction took place on Wednesday, January 19th. The problem was that I didn’t record it in my calendar, so I completely forgot about it. I was in the city with my wife, when I checked my phone. There were two messages from Hindman’s that I had missed their calls. My heart sank! Here I had spent the time and money to go to Chicago to inspect a lamp, only to forget about the auction!!! Argh! I called Hindman’s and much to my relief, I hadn’t missed the lamp. It was an unimportant lot, earlier in the sale, that I had missed. Whew!!! Dodged a bullet on that one. Now I was prepared to bid. They were going to call me back within the hour.

At around 2 PM EST, Hindman called me to bid on the lamp. The bidding started at $400, which was a very good sign. It meant that no one had left a bid. I let other bidders start the bidding before I jumped in. $1000, $1500, $2000, still good. I was prepared to bid $10,000, or more, so there was plenty of room. $8,000, $9,000, $10,000 — oops, not looking too good any more. $16,000, $17,000, ($20,740, including buyer’s premium), and the bidding ended. Oh well! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I exchanged one day’s time and $500 in expenses for the possibility of a big payday. But it wasn’t meant to be. Two other bidders, one on the phone and one in the room, were also knowledgeable.

I have no regrets. If I have the opportunity again, I will do exactly the same thing. Throw enough #*&% against the wall and something will stick.

If you like my blog, please let your friends know by sending them a link. Then check out my new Tiffany, Daum, Gallé, Webb and R. Lalique acquisitions. I’ve recently listed many of them on my website, including Daum swans, rain, a Gallé monumental red vase — more each day, plus a killer red Tiffany Favrile vase and a millifiori vase. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Even Sotheby’s makes mistakes

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Rare Tiffany Studios Laburnum table lamp, Sotheby's lot 227

Sotheby’s New York will hold their sale of Important Tiffany today, December 16, 2010. There are only 33 lots in the sale — but most of them are important and high quality. The offerings range from original oil paintings by Louis Comfort Tiffany to glass to lamps, like a Laburnum, lot 227.

Reproduction Tiffany Studios vase, Sotheby's lot 202

You would think their experts would be able to spot a fake Tiffany vase when they saw one, but lot 202, sneaked past them and into their catalog. It’s listed as “A Superb Monumental Floriform Vase”, circa 1900, Favrile glass, engraved L.C. Tiffany-Favrile W2977, 16 5/8″ high. Provenance — Private Collection, Paris. $15,000-20,000. The only problem is that it’s not by Tiffany Studios, but a modern reproduction. Upon receipt of the catalog, I immediately doubted the authenticity of the vase, but waited to make a final judgment until I could see it in person. There was no doubt in person. The cup part of the vase was good quality, but the foot was all wrong. It’s a decoration Tiffany did not do. The signature was an obvious fake, of which, unfortunately, I don’t have a photo. I can only assume that the European consignor was an important client with other valuable objects, so the vase did not get the proper scrutiny it deserved. It’s rare for reproductions to get past their experts.

(P.S. – Thursday afternoon, December 16, 2010, 1:55 PM. I just found out that Sotheby’s withdrew the above lot, #202, before sale time. I don’t know if someone read my blog and informed them or if they found out another way, but luckily it was not put up for sale. It saved the potential buyer a lot of grief.)

Christie’s Tiffany results were excellent on December 15th, so I can only assume that Sotheby’s will be too. I’ll post blogs next week about the recent 20th Century sales in New York at the major auction houses. One item soared past estimates to sell for almost $1 million.

If you like my blog, please let your friends know by sending them a link. Then check out my new Tiffany, Daum, Gallé and R. Lalique acquisitions. I’ve recently listed many of them on my website, including Daum blackbirds, swans, rain, and more to come in the next few days, plus a killer red Tiffany Favrile vase. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com