Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-06
IMITATION ANTIQUES i D
THE WAY cAelNETMAkERs CAN copy
ANCIENT FURNITURE.

Cleaned by an InquIsitive yisit,,
at Little Shop In an Enn1i.b
Country Villngc.
Sober, he is one Of the most inter.
estlng men know. Unfortunately be
is sober only three dnys a week. When
ask him the reason he merely snys
he doesn't know. Yesterday when u
walked into the laboratory at the back
of his little Village shop he was Band
OF Hope epitomized.
There's something you'll like" he
said, indicating small bureau, old
Spanish mahogany within, new satin.
wood veneer-so far unpolished-wIth
out. The veneer was inlaid with ebony
lines and kingwood bands. The accu.
racy of the jointlng was wonderful,
the finish perfect.
You must come In again when Two
stained and polished It." he went on,
"and then you'll think 1t one of tho
best Queen Anne pieces cxtant."
Don't your customers ever find you
out?" asked.
Lord, no. sirl When you've pulled
seventeenth century furniture to pieces
Ill your life and learned the things the
lemons md mortises and the finish tell
you, It's easy enough to get the right
effect, The public hasn't any judg.
ment, and, for that matter, many OF
the London dealers aren't much bet.
ter"
"But this veneer-so very new" !
hazarded.
"Ah. walt until you see 1t toned down
and the drawers fitted with n set Of
old Boule handles and scutcheons I've
got by me and n few little dents ham.
mered here and there, especially about
the feet, where they get kicked
You'll not know 1t then. See that lit.
tie black knot I've left OH the face of
the third drawer? That knot would
tnlSe In all Wnrdour street"
He Is always frank with me about
his fixes. Hc seems to take pride
In being able to deceive trained eye
and satisfaction In explaining his
de5terity.
left the bureau and began examln.
ing hoary looking oak settle gray
with age.
Looks ancient, doesn't itT' he OBJ.
served.
Looks" I wondered. Surely IT'S
genulne?"
He shook his head with wise old
snSlo. "It's us genuine MS dilute nitric
acldFcin make 1t. Oh, you needn't go
by the panels. They're purposely
warped with hot ammonia. The sun
and rain do the rest-bleach 1t, you
know"
"But the carving?" argued. "Its
almost effaced in places"
at would be after half an hour with
sand blast, little thing Of my own
contrlvance. Tho worm holes I mako
with very fine punch. Beginners use
shot, but that's clumsy way. OF
course the timbers It's made of are old
They arc bits Of n Charles I. table
mostly. The hinges are ordinary trade
copies that have lain In the wet all
summer and got nicely rusted, and II
you were to draw the screws that hold
them you'd find they were rusty, too.
and had no points. Those filed off
and then hammered the heads bit"
81 didn't know you-treated metal
rs well rs timber" admitted.
Sometimes. See that firebackp
i went to the corner indicated and
scrutlnizcd the fireback. AS far as
could tell, 1t was beautiful specimen
OF hammer work bitten and worn by
over two centuries of use, as its date,
1857, seemed to show.
II bought dozen of those of differ
ent dates from man who makes
them. They're only cast, but after
they've Ind bonfire over them In my
yard for n week or two they get soft
and look right enough. don't they?'
I admitted that they did, hinching q
bit, though, Mt the adjective he used.
s'There's a regular trade between the
manufacturers of faxed antiques and
the country dcalers-more than with
the London ones. Why? Well, tho
manufacturers have discovered TINT
people go into the country districts
now hunting for antiques. They thlnl,
the things they pick up there must be
genuine. The simple countryman In
spires confidence. There's nothing
hardly that can't be initiated, he went
on. "Its merely question of time
and skill, of course-and It's only by
accident, or talking as Pm doing, that
the facts discovered. But when man
knows he can take In an expert It's
difficult for him to keep 1t to himself
that Is, IL he's got sense of humor.
Do you think that Syrian gold work
they had at the Louvre would have
been known as a forgery IL somebody
hadn't talked? No, indeed! There's
china. now People always think It's
above suspicion, but you just look at
those two china cows on the shelf
there. Ones genuine old Stafford. The
other Isn't. Can you tell the differ
ence!"