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John Jelliff
Archive hub for John Jelliff examples, attributions, and comparisons.
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Neo-Grec Parlor Suite For Sale
I get a lot of offers to buy Victorian furniture and recently I've been passing on them personally and handing the opportunity on to you. Here is a Neo-Grec three-piece parlor suite that I have not run across before. It
M. H. Schrenkeisen Factory
I thought that I'd share this M. H. Schrenkeisen factory drawing from an October 1880 Scientific American cover. It depicts the full cabinetmaking process beginning with raw logs coming into the factory and in the lower
Let's Put The Jenny Lind Theory To Rest
I'm thinking that maybe a 16th century sofa can end this Jenny Lind rumor for us, but let's review the ground we've covered on this topic for a moment. In this first post (yes, long ago), I announced a contest asking eve
Jordan & Moriarty 1883 Parlor Suit
I was digging through the original furniture manufacturer catalogs that I have and ran across this Jordan & Moriarty parlor set that has a caption of "Library Medallion, Marie Antoinette, Grand Duchess, &c." Noti
5-Piece Neo-Grec John Jelliff Parlor Set For Sale
If you are in the market for a quality Renaissance Revival parlor suite, then you may consider this 5-piece Neo-Grec suite which is available for sale. It is comprised of 2 matching but opposed recamiers and 3 matching a
Auction Results - Neal Auction Fall Estates Sale
Fine Victorian furniture was in abundance at Neal Auction Company’s mid-September event. More than 1,000 lots of American furniture alone crossed the auction block. The top piece of Victorian furniture to sell raked in
Another J.W. Hamburger Prince Of Wales Set
Another 3-piece Renaissance Revival parlor set that I believe to be a "Prince of Wales" set by J.W. Hamburger has popped up on Ebay. This one is nicer than the others I have seen due to the inclusion of brass plaques, bu
"Jelliff" Crest For Sale
Just a quick note to give those that collect Victorian furniture parts a heads up that a "Jelliff" crest is for sale. I say "Jelliff" with tongue firmly planted in my cheek as I soon expect to put up my last post on the
John Jelliff Neo-Grec VSA Article
John Jelliff in The Victorian Times I recently "met" Roberta Mayer virtually through this site when she saw my posts on John Jelliff and the "Jenny Lind" carved arms. She made me aware of an article she had written on th
I'll Gladly Pay You Tuesday For A Hamburger Today
No sooner do I put up a post about J.W. Hamburger than woodwright points out the Great American Auction sale coming up tomorrow. I had previously reviewed the lots, but since I just did the post earlier this morning, one
John Jelliff Or J.W. Hamburger?
Compare this 1872 catalog image of a J.W. Hamburger sofa, model "King William Suit", to a 7-piece parlor suite currently for sale as a John Jelliff. The overall form is strikingly similar and a few decorative elements ar
Carved Bust Arms Not Jenny Lind
If you haven't read the first part of this series on proving/disproving the Jenny Lind association with the carved arms on Renaissance Revival furniture, you can read it here. This may take a few posts to get through, so
Jenny Lind She Ain't
I've longed referred to these female busts as "Jenny Lind" due to the prevalance of this belief in the marketlplace. People know which arms you are referring to when you describe them as Jenny Lind carvings. It has never
M. & H. Schrenkeisen Sofa With Carved Bust Arms
I thought I'd post a catalog reference image for M. & H. Schrenkeisen to help set the record (kinda) straight on this sofa. I say "kinda" since one can never believe everything one reads, but this is photographic pro
Victorian Renaissance Revival Towel Rack
I try to avoid making my 1887 Victorian home a clutter-fest with all sorts of Victoriana dripping off of the walls and table surfaces. I have a bare minimum of art and some period statues, candelabras, Victorian wall she
For The Record: J. W. Hamburger Prince Of Wales Chair
In another installment of "For The Record" on Rare Victorian where I feature the work of low profile makers of the 19th Century, I'm pleased to present what I strongly believe is a Joseph W. Hamburger Prince of Wales cha
Who Made This Chair?
There is museum evidence that helps attribute this chair to two possible makers. Stop by the forum to read about this chair, submitted by a site visitor. I have also added another feature to Rare Victorian - a quick refe
Yesterday's Fontaine Sale Encourages Me
I'm encouraged by some of the prices realized at the Fontaine sale yesterday. Here's a sampling of some of the healthy results: Meeks Hawkins sofa - $10,000 "Pottier & Stymus" Aesthetic Sideboard - $12,000 Meeks Rose
Fontaine's Exceptional Antique Auction Sept. 27th
Plenty of high-end Victorian coming up in the Fontaine sale in a few days with all the usual suspects: Belter, Roux, Meeks, Jelliff, Baudouine, Pottier & Stymus, and Horner among others. The Meeks Hawkins pattern set
Thomas Brooks Attribution Response From Philadelphia Museum of Art
I heard from Jennifer Zwilling at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the Thomas Brooks attribution basis for this sofa I recently posted about. I thank Jennifer for taking the time to respond and to do so with the amount
Philadelphia Art Museum Attributes Sofa To Thomas Brooks
I spent the weekend in antique mode (what else is new?) with Saturday spent at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Sunday spent perusing the antique stores of Adamstown, PA. The difference is that I did it all with some v
John Jellif Furniture Prices Dropping or Anomaly?
I will be checking the results of the above attributed John Jelliff 4-piece parlor set after the July 12th Neal Auction sale is over. The 8-piece set that recently sold at Cowan's drew a disappointing $2,600. Maybe there
Book Review: Victorian Detail by Priscilla S. Meyer
I had previously mentioned that I'd be giving you a little more of a review on my latest book purchase, Victorian Detail, by Priscilla S. Meyer, so here goes. Lise Bohm tipped me off to this book, as she occasionally doe
John Jelliff Items Slipping Through the Cracks
If you remember this post talking about common misspellings of furniture makers' names; well, if you're on the lookout for John Jelliff items, that blog post is playing itself out right now. There are 8 items listed with
Stellar John Jelliff Pieces at Neal Auction
For Jelliff fans out there, it doesn't get much better than what is coming up for sale during the December 1st and 2nd Neal Auction sale. Two tables and a parlor set that have been attributed to Jelliff will go up for bi
Rare Victorian Attire Available!
Ok, this might go down as the worlds worst attempt at humor but the idea hit me and I created a shirt for myself to wear to antique shows, auctions, etc. I've opened up a shop on CafeExpress so that that fans of Rare Vic
The Dietz Rebuttal - Jelliff or Schrenkeisen?
Michael O'Docharty reminded me of the letter that Ulysses Grant Dietz wrote to The Magazine Antiques in response to the 1999 Anna Tobin D'Ambrosio article that I mention in this prior post. Dietz is curator of Decorative
High-Style, Mass-Produced Furniture
Who made this chair? The answer follows... I often blog about the highest-end Victorian furniture from the period, but there is a class of furniture a notch below which was still high-style but mass-produced for the midd
John Jelliff "Elbow" Armchairs
I ran across these unattributed chairs at an upcoming auction with an unusual design element that I recognized - arms that float on protruding elbows. According to the Newark Museum's "Century of Revivals" publication, t
John Jelliff Carvings Update
I ran into yet another carving style for the Jelliff arms after I submitted the post yesterday, so I am adding it here. A Jelliff-attributed sofa just went for sale with the above arms including something I've never seen
John Jelliff Carved Bust Arms Analysis
There is a sidechair for sale on Ebay that is not attributed to any particular maker, but by zooming in on the arms one can see a carved Jenny Lind bust that normally would point to the chair being made by John Jelliff.
Jelliff Aficianados, Lend Me Your Thoughts
I picked up this chair at auction that at initial glance reminds me of the overall form that a John Jelliff armchair would have. There's a natural tendency to assume that what you now own is made by the famous maker that
3-Piece John Jelliff Parlor Set
If you can get past the aging tufted upholstery here's a nice 3-piece John Jelliff (attributed) parlor set. The female figure on the carved arms gives this away as most likely from Jelliff. Many times Jelliff sofas are d
Neo-Grec Four-Piece Parlor Set - Jelliff Style
Up for auction is a Four-piece Neo-Grec Parlor Set made in the manner of John Jelliff. The carved arms provide the hint that this is possibly from Jelliff. Bidding ends on May 10th and pricing starts at $1,750 with expec
John Jelliff Sofa with Carved Bust Armrests
Up for sale is a John Jelliff sofa with armrests adorned with carved female profiles. This sofa has a floating central back area to the typical Renaissance three part back. Bidding starts at $4,750 and can be seen here.
c1850 John Jelliff Lady's Writing Desk
I think we're all used to seeing pieces done by John Jelliff in the forms of sofas and chairs, most with the trademark carved arms with figures of animals and humans. Here is a lady's writing desk attributed to Jelliff a
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