Furniture reference
Refinishing
Refinishing and finish-condition posts from the RareVictorian archive.
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19 archive posts.
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William Koelle, Philadelphia Maker's Label
One of my first late-19th century table purchases was a real beater, but I bought it because at the time I felt it was probably a table by Merklen Brothers. I thought that I'd get around to repairing and refinishing it a
The Curious Case of the Victorian Carved Bench
As I eluded to yesterday, there are a few changes happening at Rare Victorian - all for the good. I'd like to introduce Cynthia Boris who will be helping out with a Forum News post every week to summarize the interesting
20 Foot Clawfoot Table
I thought that you might be interested in seeing a 20 foot clawfoot table that I captured from my camera phone in the Fry's electronics store in Los Angeles. The original marble top has been replaced with a modern glass
Pair Matched Robert Mitchell Throne Chairs
If you remember the recent post on the Robert Mitchell chair that I own, here's a matching pair up for sale from Bradford's Antiques. These chairs are a fun addition to any hallway or parlor. Oftentimes, if you can find
Nearly Identical Pair Of Rococo Bedsteads
If you've ever wanted a pair of Rococo style Victorian beds, QUEEN size no less, then this is your chance. There are minor differences in the carvings, but you can see that they appear to have come from the same shop, po
Video - Final Episode: Refinishing A Merklen Brothers “Shabby” Table
Well, the table is finished and it looks fantastic. In this final episode, John Hutchinson of Rose Valley Restorations in West Chester, PA explains the process that he, Kyle, and Bill followed to bring the table to this
Video - Part III: Refinishing A Merklen Brothers "Shabby" Table
A quick update on the table's progress in this video. It is fully stripped and sanded and the quartersawn Oak shows in all it's bare glory. We select stain for the wood and paint for the griffins. Video Part I and Part I
Video - Part II: Refinishing A Merklen Brothers "Shabby" Table
Here's Part II of the Merklen Brothers table refinish project. If you didn't view the first Part yet, I recommend you watch it first, here. In this episode, I'm in the shop of my favorite local furniture restoration busi
Video: Refinishing A Merklen Brothers "Shabby" Table
This will be the first of hopefully many video blog posts here on Rare Victorian in the future. I did end up rescuing the Merklen Brothers table from this previous post and I hope to capture the transformation on video f
Merklen Chair Weekend Puzzler Winner
Thanks to all who responded this weekend on the puzzler that I posted on Friday. Above you will find another version of the chair that was pictured and here you will find another version as well. The big differences betw
"What's Hot" in 19th Century Furniture
Every once in awhile I'll run the "What's Hot" Ebay search from the "Shop for Antiques" page to see what people are buying in the 19th century space and I just ran it this morning. Judging by what is there, it seems that
Renaissance Revival Bedroom Sets
Two fine three-piece Renaissance Revival bedroom sets are up at auction this week and one of them is seeing heavy bidding. With 6 days to go, the bedroom set above has 13 bids taking it up to $8,101. A newspaper stuffed
Victorian Table For The Equestrian
Here's a great early Victorian (1830-1840) table for hanging up your horse-riding boots after a ride in the countryside or for storing any other high-top style boots. The table appears to be in excellent condition; proba
Determining When Antique Furniture Isn't Old
I ran into these photos on Craigslist yesterday as I was looking for a Victorian bed. Craigslist listings may provide some good deals but their minuscule photos do not provide any means of checking the condition of the i
Questionable Antique Descriptions
I thought that I'd share a personal experience of an example of the problem with online antique descriptions. This scenario happens to involve a dealer, but I won't isolate dealers as the only individuals capable of misl
George Hunzinger Patent 1866 Folding Chair
Up at auction is a George Hunzinger stamped chair, patented in 1866. This chair design is depicted on page 51 of "The Furniture of George Hunzinger, Invention and Innovation in Nineteenth-Century America" by Barry Harwoo
Pair of Hunzinger Lollipop Chairs
It's not unusual to run into a Hunzinger lollipop chair but I haven't run into a matched pair: armchair and rocker. As I write this, the set has been bid up to only $202, though I anticipate them reaching a much higher p
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
Charles A. Boudoine Laminated Rosewood Sofa ca. 1855
I have a recently acquired habit of collecting sofas. I have more sofas than I have space to put them in. A recently purchased Jelliff sits in my garage while a Belter scroll sofa sits at a right angle to a French rococo
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