The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-20
TRADE in OLD FURNITURE
NEW YORK THE THIRD MARKET IN
THE WORLD FOR ANTIQUES.
Comparatively Little Now to Re Found
in Farmhouses-High Prices for
Fine Pieces.
New York Post.

Paris Is not the chief market for gent
Inc antique furniture Of all kinds. hav-
ing drawn largely upon Italy and all other
c~outries. London ranks next, and the i'm
portance OF New York in the trade has
been increasing so rapidly that it Is now. or
soon will be the third market in the world.
Americans will pay higher prices than buy
ers OF any other nationality. A great many
OF the purcases for this country are made
on commission. for rich people who know
what they want and to whom cost is no
object.
The city OF Amsterdam used to be an
important market, and so was Brussels.
The latter city still has much fine old
French work and many excellent reproduc-
tions. Hamburg does a considerable bust
ness in antique furniture, mostly obtained
In the south Of Germany, and ships largely
to England. Very little of the kind stays
In Germany. except in the hands OF collec-
tors and q few peorsons of wealth.
The large demand I'm this country for an
ticue furniture or furniture which looks
like the antique. is said to have begun with
the craze for the tall, eisht-day timepieces
Familiarity known as "grandfathers
clocks" These were picked up In farm
houses all over the country, and quantities
OF them were brought here from England.
where they were very plentiful. Fine, old
specimens now fetch all the way from
$50 10 $500. AS a rule, the works In old
clocks are found to be i'm very good condi-
ton, including not only the hall clocks,
but the manteI timepieces and the wall
clocks made by Willard in New England.
which are known from their shape as banjo
cIrcks.
The taste for these articles soon ex-
tended to old furniture of every variety.
and this country was ransaoked for 1T,
with the result that New England, which
wSs richly stored with IL, was cleaned
up a long time ago. and the South was
largely depleted. There was never very
much of II in the Middle States, IL is said.
except in Philadelphia. But a few years
ago, amateur collectors and the agents
OF dealers were able TO secure fine speci-
mems. here and there. in farmhouses. They
can rarely do so now. and rural owners
have become keenly alive to the value Of
their inherited possessions. When these
can be obtained, the work OF scraping,
cleaning. oiling and general resorting usual
" adds considerably TO the cost of the
original purchase.
COLONIAL PIECES PRICED.
Nearly all the old furniture originally
owned in this country was made in Eng
land. The highboys. or chests OF drawers
III III W Keep liicu. ctC. dlc SuuC
lively English. except a few which are early
Dutch. The former are almost invariably
Of carved mahogany and are usually In
Chippendale designs. and the highest
priced. Dutch specimens are chiefly of oak,
and are Of severe pattern. The cost of a
good old highboy ranges from 500 to $1,000.
There are also cowboys. which are similar
chests about half the height of the high
boys. What are known as console tables.
some of which are surmounted by mirrors,
are both English and French. and are
made of mahogany In Georgian and Empire
styles. between which there is little diff
ference. Then there are old card tables
ter as have a ribbon effect on the edge Of
the top being known as pieccrust tables.
Genuine antiques of this kind are sold for
from $50 to $500 apiece.
FOUR-POSTERS, SIDEBOARDS AND
MANTELS.
There has been a considerable demand
for the old four-post bedsteads, which were
formerly hard TO get. but a good many
came on the market G year or two ago, a
number being imported from England. The
demand is not now so large. They fetch
from $50 up 10 $500. those at the latter
price being deliberately carved or of fine
Georgian design. Colonial sideboards are
valued at from $40 to $500. almost all being
separate pieces. while in England the old
sideboards were chiefly built in the wall.
Cabinets are scarce in colonial furniture,
and the very few china cabinets are worth
from 800 up 70 500 or $500. The same
prices apply to tho Did bookcases with
writing desks combined. Fine specimens
OF the large writing desks known as secre-
taries, In beautiful Georgian style, are
worth as much as $3.50 or 500. very few
being on sale.
Colonial mantels. taken out of houses,
fetch from S25 to $3.50 or 800. Some are
OF mahogany. while others are of oak or
or American pine, enameled. They are
timely carved. ard were chiefly made in
England. Ii Is to be noted that by the be-
ginning OF the last century a good deal of
furniture was made in this country. prin-
cipally In Philadelphia, after the Colonial
patterns. The designs of the mantelpieces
usually show the influence OF the brothers
Robert and James Adam, eminent English
architects In the eighteenth century. Such
pieces of what Is called the English clas-
steal style have been obtained in various
parts of the country, but they have been
largely taken from old houses In MARYLAND
and Virginia. Many beautiful examples of
Colonial furniture have come from Charles
ton, 5. c., and many are still there, in pri-
yate ownership. Although New Orleans has
been Largely rely, drawn as o1d upon R1a,d it still contains s
a style distinctly different from the Eng
fish.
ANTIQUES FROM EUROPE.
In antique furniture brought here from
Europe the Italian influence largely pre-
dominates, and II Is said that in the last
five or six years as much fine and old
italian furniture has been imported here
as has been sent TO England or France.
Cases have occurred in which the entir.
contents OF an Italian palace have been
bought at once. and all the furnishings.
including the trim and tapestries, have
been taken out. This has been done both
BY dealers and by private purchasers.
INSCRIPTIONS dealers have fitted up an
old house with reproductions of old furnish
ings, and a few real antiques, and then
succeeded In selling the lot as genuine.
Single reproductions are sometimes sold In
a similar way In France and England, be-
ing placed In some private house or Inn &c
which the attention Of a likely purchaser is
directed. 1t IS said that in England this
scheme is worked only by French and Ital-
Ian makers, OF whom there are a large
number In London. There are a number
or auctioneers In this city who have done
the same thing.
A good deal OF genuine Elizabethan, ia
cooean and Queen Anne furniture has beer
orougnt 10 the United States, but not SO
held at high prices. Conspicuous among
the european antiques In request are bridal
chests. which come mostly from Italy and
france. although a few OF the palmer are
Ensilsn. Fine specimens, deliberately
carved. are worth from $50 TO 1850. and
some exceptionally valuable ones, we'll ht-
ted TO be museum pieces. are rated al
thousands Of dollars. But little of the
finest English work OF the eighteenth CEN
tury now finds Its way TO this country.
All genuine designs by chippendale. Shera-
ton. Heppelwhtte. and the brothers Adam