The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-08-24
IMITATION ANTIQUES
lE WAY CABINETMAKERS CAN COPY
ANCIENT FURNITURE.
Curious Inside Information That Was
Cleaned by Inquisitive Visitor
at n Little Shop In an English
Country Village.


Is sober only three days week. When
ask him the reason he merely says
be doesn't know. Yesterday when /
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-
put. The veneer was inlaid with ebony
lines and l<ingwood bands. The accu-
racy of the jointing was wonderful,
the finish perfect.
"You must come in again when I've
stained and polished it, he went on,
"and then you'll think it one of the
best Queen Anne pieces extant."
Don't your customers ever find you
out?" asked.
Lord. no, sir When you've pulled
seventeenth century furniture to pieces
all your life and learned the things the
lemons and 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. wait until you see ii toned down
and the drawers fitted with set of
Did Boule handles and scutcheons I've
got by me and a few little dents ham
mered here and there, especially about
the feet where they get kicked.
You'll not know it then. See that lit
tie black knot I've left on the face of
the third drawer? That knot would
take in all Wardour street"
He is always frank with me about
his fakes. He seems to take a pride
in being able to deceive trained eye
and a satisfaction in explaining his
dexterity.
I left the bureau and began examin-
ing n hoary looking oak settle gray
with age.
Looks ancient, doesn't itT" he OBJ
served.
"Looksv' 1 wondered. "surely It's
genuine"
He shook his head with wise old
smile. Its as genuine as dilute nitric
acid can make it. oh, you needn't go
by the panels. They're purposely
warned with hot ammonia. The sun
and rain do the rest-bleach it, you
know"
But the carving?" 1 argued. cts
almost effaced in places"
eft would be after half an hour with
d sand blast, a little thing of my own
contriyance. The worm holes l make
with q very fine punch. Beginners use
shot. but that's a clumsy way. OF
course the timbers it's made of are old.
They are bits Of a Charles /. table
mostly. The hinges are ordinary trade
copies that have lain in the wet all
summer and got nicely rusted. and If
YOU were to draw the screws that hold
them you'd find they were rusty, too.
and had no points. Those l filed OH
and then hammered the heads bit"
II didn't know you-treated metai
as well as timber 1 admitted
"Sometimes. See that firebackY
went to the corner indicated and
scrutinized the fireback. AS far as
could tell, it was beautiful specimen
II hammer work bitten and worn by
over two centuries of use, as It's date'
1857, seemed to show.
-ssI bought a dozen OF those OF differ
emf dates from a man who makes
them. They're only cast, but after
they've had a bonfire over them in my
yard for a week or two they get soft
and look right enough, don't theyy
admitted that they did. fiinching
bit. though, at the adjective he used.
There's a regular trade between tne
manufactur of faxed antiques and
the country dealers-more than with
the London ones. Why? Well, the
III
people 20 into the country districts
now hunting for antiques. They think
the things they pick up there must De
genuine. The simple countryman IN
apires 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 I'm doing, that
the facts discovered. But when man
knows lie 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
tbey had at the Louvre would have
been known as forgery if somebody
badn'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
enceT'
L used pocket magnifying glass
this time, but at the end of several
minutes 1 came to the conclusion that
they were identical and said so.
IT gave one and nine for the imita.
ton one. but 1 can't tell which now
he admitted.
"And the selling price?' 1 inquired.
"Six guineas each. One of them's
worth that. After all. it doesn't really
matter, for there's no difference be-
tween them intrinsically." = London
Mail.
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vfx~ Ten mt