Tag Archives: rococo

From the monumental Tiffany centerpiece to the towering Polish tureen on stand and striking Russian Kovsh, the January 12 Fine Silver auction features some of the most imposing pieces I have worked with. While I have too many favorites to list, one such piece that caught my eye was the German sleigh-form centerpiece (Lot 206). Though my interest may stem from daydreams of this piece in the center of a holiday table setting, this impressive sleigh highlights some interesting aspects of the Hanau region of silver production as a whole.… Read More

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.