New Britain herald., 1930-02-08

rlSnt, ana the uliiiSual ScNeiltccltI
 Editors Note: How is the buyer of antiques to distinguish between genuine and bogus pieces: Hoy may the tricks of the fakcrs bc dis covered? What are the character istics of tue furniture of various periods and various countries These questions are answered in the fol- lowing articles which Mrs. Walter Louis Enrich. an outstanding expert in the field of antiques. has written for the Herald and NI.A NcrN ice. By Mrs. Walter Louis Enrich Someone has estimated that tn" heritage of antiques in this Counfrt should be sufficient 10 allow an an tique piece for every tenth family in tho United States today This cS- timatc is excessive, but the number | of persons who can afford 10 buE precious pieces from out of the pa t l i. great
 How to tell antiques" There ar" rules and sound rules for the buy ing public.
 The intimate historic back ground Of antiques makes absor1- ing reading. Each of the I.ouis'Hs of France is reflected in character | in the styles of their reign. Oliver Cromwell not only regimented Eng | fish morals. but left his mark on l English furniture. Queen Anne was simple and wholesome and the aes- thetic trend Of her reign followed the fashion set by the Queen. The Portuguese and Dutch trades dis covered China, and for an imm2- diatc period afterward China in fluenced all France, Holland, Eng 1 land. Italy and even left it's mark or Colonial America.
 Some Tcll-Tale Points
 The English cabinet makers were wont 10 turn the legs of chair in one fashion, those of France and Italy in another. The turn and direction of a finial on top chair will place it in one country or another, or of one per- iod or another, as will the joint or turn of a leg.
 Certain combinations of wood and inlay were used by one rou r. try's cabinet makers and not bN another.
 The field of antiques is vast aal complcH. but there has been sufti- cicnt research into the subject to start the dntipur buy"r off with some compass II is wise generally l.. h,t st [ to a single line Of qucSilnG. be 't hooked rugs, Glcss, pewter. tc%- tiles or furniturc-for the period of his initiation, anyway. There IS so much 10 learn.
 Of certain articles and modes fl is safe 10 say that they can To longer be procured, except insofar as rare collections come into fhc
 market. and that includes almost all authentic Gothic, carly 1;cnal5- sance and fourteenth and fifteenth century pieces Many treasures rc- main from those centuries bul they are mostly in museums. or are held m high ransom by dcalsti and collectors,
 "Genuinc"? Be CarcfuI.
 A popular msconccption as IT, Gards Sheraton. Adam, Hcpp'r- white, Chippcn1alc ought to be uu learned. One can safely say thI, one cannot buy a piece "by' any Of these masters. They were pri- marily designers and not excel tcrs, and the number of their l h., 5i iiNtn nrl, Ng n 1 r t,f 2. with certainty to them is not large The use of many artlices in ths making of bogus antiques ap- breaches but never equals the III
 Gefinablc quality Of genuine an t;que. First rf all there is tn' patina, the surface coloring on I
 fine piece of old wood that ages tt the sheen and quality of satin. If enough genuine pieces ar seen, this quality of surfaces be. , comes a primary guide. A genu- . inc antique will warp in a certain way and will be worn honestly T : such spots as usage induced. Fol example, the forerungs Of cha:l l or table will show more wear thar the under sides, and the interstsce> / between whe:c chairs were place { Twill show less wear than where th
 feet touched the table. Wood doe
 rot shrink with the grain, but ! across it.
 Human "}cctlcs. Too
 The wood beetle is such an ubi. , uuitous pest and spares so few o1' pieces. that the fakcr in antique' r uses his borinGs as one of hi: prime assets But here again, {
 little scientific knowledge vii