The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-04-01
cory iERf'rfr sRrc. a.nHac
Deseacrnte Cenditsss ct tie Fu~nisure Trade
--rha l<saeMsMalea ~ ~ NlA Alcslrs.

--'rha i>sAsssstssa ~ m Oss Ncsl-r.
" have been dcnicr In Old furniture and !
art curtt-ities bri"-h brac IL what they ruLi II
how'-for moro thnn thirty years" said u sexa-
gennrtah 81 the east side. ind have son a |
great many sal changes. hat what grievcs me
most Is the oresoni decentralization OF taste In
art matters. and tho degradation NJ largo ,pr-
ton Of our once respectable business. Decsp-
tions in eurositics were often practised In tlpe
old days. but these. bud A. they were. reacted
upon the tlealer only. Buyers used Ia demand
genuine work and pay for II. At present men
buy limitations as such; poor. miserable weak
limitations turned gu: BY the thousand. and
try to cheat theE friends with them.
big. burly fellow asked me boldly last week
for some cheap furniture In Roman and Pom
pciian forms. Ho said. Such things givo n
hno tone. u flavor Of antiquate.iness TO our
hpmes. Merciful gracious! flavor OF ant iquatet-
ness Why. that horrible brute was brought up
on three legged stool. Yet white no was talk
down on sSs us anS
son was actually hu!ied into selling him Tor 90
n,, Mary Queen Of Scots private 6edstssd he
prised, sir; at the number Of the fools who come
os to Sp shnys w hss.s n'vE oTs is
Hero is a Venetian mirror. 1t is small but
and mirror yysssSo T bS what %Ssss
amount e hand labor tostowod in grinding it's
beyels. They must DO followed w through Al
their curves and nrabcsQucs. and finished with
exquisite accuracy in every part. But what no
you think of attempting to initiate such
dinsy rrossSS glass! Yet Yet such artistic shams
are turned out by the thousand; Thcy are
the aennipc article owes ali lis w2ndrous
beauty The th1S is base 'r h utterly bqse
prevail. This bit Of Delnfosscs handi work is \
case n point; The carving you observe is
to do the smallest part Of that work on round
Sox and , seq what 90, VEL
pressed woodwork glued w, and stained. It's
Thsre seems a1s tt IN e srnn
gle 70 mako everything resemble something
whichn It is not m, ,,ro,, ., ,D;,r;r, ,ro hv
anything may say upon this II SUBJECT When
people are crazy after fashions Of any kind no
VII s: fraud sas
prics is low and he thinks he can deceive his
guests. In any event he gets the flavor OF an
Sau, isF Tss s fnss Sns last sssa
An advertisement Offering for sale q recipe for
making Queen Anne furniture. II sold well.
ws"k Tagged chairs that are d ispossd Of. Peopls
must know that they are bnying limitations.
dcaars .as aos. beyona BELIEF ons Of Them
soid full set the other days full set. mind
nns 1p'Hn rs ns o Sr Of thu a Mhs
bought the Life Of Agrcoln in two volumes.
when what We know q him wouldn't make q
tnined. Tn. set WINS, Of ebony throughout, yet
Egyptian chairs in ali. nnd only one Of them Is
e tsSony What Were the imiialG%ns made 6 o
with extract Of logwood. That is the way to
rsS Exynn GSof X. A. 1S a, 4nn
an antique furniture dealer pick upa chair and
ddeberarhey smash i to ,r PeSf 9 h tnf stone ns
and some American putty 70 repair 1t. II a
customer should question the ripenoss of its
remark. quietly: Our ancestors must have
placed high value on that article. or they
wouldn't have spent 80 much money in keeping
There is n little laugh among the trade Just
jusI now over denler who puts on the ;e-tleti:
seems that wealthy buyer came along and
joI anis ir a.k in, ssys
old chairs: some Of them old antiques
classic furniture is a direct u!come OF shod-
dyism. The newly rich have been 70 heavily
for their Lack 81 anIy Hat MAT t1eS
articles, or old limitations. which they pretend
are ,nherit"d. l went one day to house in
sornice. The proprietor called my attention e
his iurnt%rs This chair . + supsrS niece nee OF
great grandfather u fine old Engishman and
here, is the old Gentlemnn's clock The old
description, Even the works were not designed
until he had been in his grave for half q cen
be- tho poores, '1 sbIe American imitation o.
the English Glastonbury.
The trouble with many people who want te
give the antique flavor To their house furnish
in:s is that they let their cravings run into
mania which it is imposs bic for the dealer IN
| h.in u l,r,l.. tSf n q
customer who wanted an imitation Dagob.r,
chair. That was well enough. but he insisted
Inc. In moment Of most reprrIensibe weak
ness my son gave 1T TO him: and now ! thinl
but one Of the chairs in the world and that one
h, in tho Louvre, he is the subject OF consider
partner bought a% That tnns; 1, is sspgin'
nscticni; When entered the classic shade. o
through IT. ha LET to so FSarsl
fP aritanIc casin.t worE. perseiysd that ~
old State was not free from guile in the matte
ward eSnpis Of chairs which lie said had bse,
in An old Gonnecticnt family for three genera
} sia5. While wo were .haxelinx, my MAJ
ss. on tour soon on
snp.y ~, .hs! tho o, dcs Ispni
ture which h. regularly peddled out to sum
mer visitors. The so-eaied relics which thi
gsuiousy deceptive. I saw imitation worn
holes lbored with sim!ctl In his furniture !
there were many LAMENTATIONS and false mend n {,
, bsen touched up with filc.and hammer TO max
4 than look rs though made by hand; He had
3 | a cherry chest which wanted 10 buy. until
n saw that the bottom was clinched In with th
n Malleablc Iron Company's patent horsesho
: nails or course he showed a venerable cha
I that Putnam had sat iD-tiiey all do that; Tn
t old General must have rested often In his r.
-" rhe mummy caskct? Yes; I had forgotte
1t is for a customer, and will stand in the co
ner of his library, labclled Ramssss l.. snl
nrmor of the eleventh century. Rare? Slight
i Plate arInor did not come into use nntll u
year 1900 Complete arnLor Of even the fltteen
- century il hardly to be found outside OF u
, Tower OF London. But the sheet-iron shops I