Author Archives: Stephen Fletcher

Antique Weathervanes, Part III: Function and Form

Americana, folk art, sculpture, historical documents, cultural markers, scientific tools, advertising devices: weathervanes are all of these. Since the 1970s, they have been increasingly sought after by collectors, and in recent years many vanes have brought five- and six-figure prices. A few have sold for millions. The present record price is $5.8 million for an Indian Chief vane sold at auction in 2006. But records are meant to be broken…

However beautiful, whimsical, historically significant, or imaginative a weathervane may be, it is fundamentally utilitarian.… Read More

How to Buy American Antique Furniture: A Guide for New Collectors

While I’ve heard some say “the golden age of antiques collecting is over,” in fact, it’s not over, and for some, it’s just beginning. There’s so much opportunity out there, especially for twenty- or thirty-somethings just starting out and setting up homes.

Stylish Living in New York City: The Greenberg and Faraminian Collection

An army veteran, Dr. Jesse Greenberg graduated from Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine in Chicago in 1954. His partner, William Faraminian, pursued a career with the United Nations. Dr. Greenberg and Mr. Faraminian split their time between New Jersey and an apartment on Sutton Place in New York City, where they stayed as they enjoyed the ballet, opera, and the arts.

In addition to these interests, Dr. Greenberg and Mr. Faraminian strongly supported the gay rights movement as it progressed from the aftermath of the Stonewall riots towards equality, knowing full well the risk to their careers in medicine and diplomacy.… Read More

A Tale of Two Portraits: A Previously Undiscovered Folk Art Painting Brings $252,000 at Auction

I’ve been an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow since the very first episode in Concord, Massachusetts  eighteen  years ago. Now, the Emmy® Award nominated show attracts thousands of people to events in cities around the country. I love meeting these people and seeing what keepsakes they treasure. Some of the items have only sentimental value, but occasionally I find items of real aesthetic or historic value. These are the special objects that have inspired many to take another look at things tucked away in attics and basements.… Read More

Collecting American Pottery: Focus on Mochaware

Mochaware was everyday pottery in early America. The simple, geometric decorations and dynamic colors have remained timeless and popular since first made in England in the early 19th century. The August 11, 2013 American Furniture & Decorative Arts auction features a group of mochaware from private estates as well as other consignors. An early 19th-century barrel-form pitcher (lot 414, $500 to $700) and a silver-mounted mustard pot (lot 420, $300 to $500) are two examples of the variety of forms to be sold.… Read More

ADA Award of Merit Dinner in Philadelphia

Next week, the American antiques world will shift its attention to Philadelphia, where the annual Philadelphia Antiques Show will be held. A highlight of the show weekend is always the annual Award of Merit Dinner presented by the ADA (Antiques Dealers’ Association of America), which honors a figure from the world of antiques who has had a lifetime of achievement and impact on the field.

The ADA invites you to attend the dinner on Saturday, April 13th in honor of the well-known dealer Peter Tillou.… Read More

F.W. Woolworth, the American Dream, and a Silver Punch Bowl

Few pieces of design excited the early modern American imagination like Cass Gilbert’s skyscraper for F.W. Woolworth. Built in Manhattan as the tallest building in the world (792 feet tall), it literally pushed to new heights the frontiers of modern engineering and design. Referring to Woolworth’s success as a five-and-dime magnate, the New York Times would later call the building “the skyscraper built by the nickels of millions.” The 20th century archetype for the American Dream started his first shop with a few borrowed and saved dollars; by the time he commissioned Gilbert to design his corporate headquarters, he was personally worth many millions.… Read More

Remembering Bob Skinner

I met Bob Skinner in 1964 at one of his first auctions in Harvard, Massachusetts. He helped me load a Silas Hoadley tall case clock into my car. At $85, it was a big purchase for a 17-year-old! I worked for Bob Skinner that summer, and again after graduating from Wellesley High School. After I joined the Navy, Nancy Skinner wrote to me regularly with updates on Bob’s antique adventures. When I returned home, a job was waiting for me in Bolton, Massachusetts.

Auction Highlights: A Rare French Canadian Chest of Drawers
Canadian Furniture | Antique Chest of Drawers

This antique commode looks like it could be American. It also looks like it could be French. It’s a piece of furniture that we don’t encounter very often at all, in fact. I first saw this little three-drawer bureau many months ago in a house on Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

This piece was an interesting read from the start: an unusual piece of furniture, in a dark room, being used as a TV table. A closer look revealed one major clue: the secondary wood. Eastern white pine was used to make the drawer sides and the backboard. A gut reaction told me that it was a rare piece from French Canada. Only when it finally arrived at Skinner, in time for our recent Americana auction in August, were we able to examine it to the degree it deserved.

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