Hidden Treasures by Leigh Keno & Leslie Keno

Author:Leigh Keno & Leslie Keno [KENO, LEIGH]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: HOM008000
ISBN: 9780446549363
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2008-11-16T05:00:00+00:00

The secretary-bookcase on display at a Buenos Aires antiques show.

As he later described to Morgan, “The owners were walking toward me with warm, welcoming smiles, but all I had eyes for was this piece of American Federal furniture that leapt out at me amid all those gleaming European things. Of course I didn't want to show my excitement, but there was no denying it was a wonderful thing. Streamlined, perfectly proportioned, mahogany veneers with a satinwood trim—simply a fantastic-looking object.” And then he added, “Most incredibly, the secretary had an enormous amount of églomisé incorporated into its facade. I've been in the business a long time, but on first impression, this was the greatest piece of Baltimore furniture I had ever seen. Clearly no expense had been spared in its execution.”

Ed jumped to the conclusion that the secretary was from Baltimore based upon the appearance of the églomisé panels he had mentioned. Églomisé is a method by which the back of a piece of glass is used as a surface for drawing decorative designs in paint or gilt. A coat of varnish or a piece of paper is then applied to protect the image before the entire package is set into the fabric of the furniture, much like a decorative veneer. The technique itself dates back to ancient Roman times but reached a heightened level of popularity in the United States during the Federal period (meaning the first few decades following the signing of the Constitution of the United States in 1787), particularly in the city of Baltimore, although it was certainly used elsewhere. Such was the logic behind Ed's rapid judgment call as to the origin of the secretary.

With all these issues swirling in his head, Ed managed to look away from the secretary long enough to introduce himself and his wife to the two antiques dealers, who immediately invited him to examine the piece more closely. So while Margaret chatted quietly with the men, Ed began to give the object a more careful run-through. He started at the slender pediment, which featured an arched églomisé panel in the center, flanked by two narrow rectangular panels, or plinths, with two smaller plinths at the ends. All four of these pediment plinths displayed a gilded pattern of a mask entwined with vines, set against a luminous pale blue ground. Ed marveled at the way the colored glass appeared to gleam from within like reflectors on a bicycle.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.