The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-08-25
A NEW TRADE.
THE ART OF MAKING NEW FUR
NITURE LOOK LIKE OLD.
Catering to the Taste for the Antique
Operators of the TruquaGe-
Production Of Old Pala-
tial Furniture.


Production Of Old Pala-
tial Furniture.
Truquage, although q term probably
unfamiliar to many of our readers, never
theless deserves to rank among the finer
arts of modern civilization, such is the
industry and skill and ingenuity with
which it is carried out. Burns cottur
mother was chiefly admirable for the skill
with which she gard auld things look
maist as we'll as new," but the truqueur
devotes himself, on the contrary, to the
art of making things look quite as good
as old. The connoisseur in furniture of
the present day is well aware that, for
certain important qualities of soundness,
good workmanship and good taste, the
"old is better,' with valid reason also
for his opinion. But the crowd, who
have neither his leisure, his knowledge
or his experience, naturally fall into the
hands of the scientific experts of tru-
quage, an easy prey to the spoiler.
The stock-in-t trade of the French tru-
queur and his English congener-quite
as expert as he-need not be large. Wal
nut juice-which gives an agreeable mel
lowness of tone--and nitric acid are
neither of them expensive. The latter
initiates pretty closely the ravages of ants.
and holes bored with hne augur easily
gives worm eaten appearance whica ap-
peals to the lover of the antique in carved
furniture. The writer was informed by
workingman's wife that her husband
was one Of those solely employed in the
boring or augur business; but in Paris
live worms are kept to do the work, and
do it even better, aud to order, which is
more surprising. New oak can be stained
by solution of old iron in hot vinegar,
which darkens it to deeper tone; it is
then carefully oiled and polished. The
price demanded, however, is such that
s'bargains" can be boasted of by the in
experienced, while really fine work al
ways commands its value in the open
market.
The unhappy pieces of furniture which
have to date from the sixteenth century
are severely beaten with heavy b.ud-
geons, which serves to give them the
worn appearance necessary to three CEN
turies of existence. A common device
is to paint the panels of cupboards,
roughly carved on the premises, with,
white paint; they are then dried in the
sun, and, after keeping some months. are
washed in potash, which removes the
paint in patches, and the exquisite finish
of the carving beneath is apt to be taken
for granted by the buyer; who is aware
that in the last century much good pan
cling was thus painted, and preserved to
our, generation in consequence of all its
pristine freshness of cutting an outline.
Buhl of very ordinary description is
ornamented by French dealers with brass
scroll work, after the designs of Gillot,
who succeeded Buhl. Those who can
be taken in by these mechanical repro
ductions must be left to their fate. In
porcelain and faience one can only say
caveat emptor, so c,e7er are the tricks
by which even the learned are deceived.
At Cages mandatory at Versailles the
faience de Nevers is reproduced to per-
fection; but here all is fair and open
dealing. If the buyer prefers his pur-
chase Hantique," NJ. Cage will bake it
for him until the glaze crackers. 1t is
further mellowed in manure heap, and
q slight extra charge is imposed. The
special marks of favorite potters are
easily initiated, and as much pains is
taken with spurious ware, with intent to
deceive, as would suffice to give value to
real specimens. The character of the
early decoration is carefully preserved
the even white of the Moustiers ware;
the dead, dull white of the Marsellaise,
and the careful finish of the old Delft
potters.
At Venice the reproduction of the old
palatial furniture is thriving industry,
and the same at Florence; but it posses
ses little or no artistic value. The
ebony is black stained wood; the stipi
are bone, and not ivory; the shapes and
patterns are, however, carefully copied,
and the prices are not excessive, and
good patterns are distinct gain in fur
niture; but the modern production will
not hav We the lasting qualities of the old.
Ivory triptychs are manufactured at Yer
sailles. The golden tint is gained by
boiling in oil, then plunging into boiling
water and drying before hot fire, which
cracks the ivory to perfection. These
REQUIRE q skilled eye to detect, as the
carving is often meritorious. Even
works of the highest art do not escape
the truqucur., Clodion, the late eminent
French sculptor, discovered that group
bearing his signature had been sold for
4, 500 france. Legal proceedings were
instituted accordingly. 1t was brought
to light that the work in question was
due to one Lebroc, who had made it his
study to initiate Clodion. Nevertheless,
three eminent judges-Millett, Chapu
and Guillaume-aftcr careful examina-
ton, and in spite of the signature, de-
cided that, in their opinion, it was not
the handling of Clodion. So the sales
were annullcd, and damages were not al.
lowed BY the courts. Clodion's real name
was Michel, and some of his earliest and
finest works are thus signed. The arts
of truquage extend themselves even to lit
erature. AS long ago as the seventeenth
century we find the printers of Lyons
and Rouen Stimulating princeps editions
of Racine and Molicre. The type, the
paper, the colophons, all being re-
produced with unscrupulous accuracy,
"a thon noImed off "a genuine