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Restoration
Restoration and repair posts from the RareVictorian archive.
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43 archive posts.
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No Reserve - Signed Alexander Roux Bed
You don't come across a signed, Rosewood Alexander Roux bed for $2k that often (current price with no reserve). It's not an overly grandiose bed in size or sophistication of design, but the carvings are exceptionally wel
Alexander Roux Cabinet Hiding On Ebay
I've always liked perusing Ebay for Victorian Antique finds because you never know what will pop up at a reasonable price. I believe that I have run across an authentic Alexander Roux cabinet (auction completes on 1/4/11
"Jos. Stiner" Chair Lands At Armour-Stiner House
Continuing from where I left off with my Victorian cliff-hanger - I was about to unveil the name written under the upholstery of one of my Egyptian Revival chairs. I was pretty excited when John Hutchinson of Rose Valley
Pottier & Stymus Egyptian Revival Restoration
A few years ago, I purchased a three-piece Pottier & Stymus Egyptian Revival set. There was strong evidence to back up the attribution that I had made - the set was pictured in many of the reference books and labeled
For Sale - Late Renaissance Revival Mahogany Console/Library Table
Offered for sale is this late 19th–Century Renaissance Revival Marble-Topped Carved Mahogany Console/Library Table, rectangular” black-veined marble top, over frieze with carved foliate decoration, supported on 3-D h
Victor Quetin Would Be Proud - 150 Years Later
Speaking of Victorian Furniture restoration, you might remember an ebonized French pedestal that was found in pieces and I was able to locate an original catalog image to identify it's maker and original configuration. W
Kilian Brothers Table In Hiding
I'm always on the lookout for Victorian furniture of note that is "hiding" in obscurity, either behind a coat of paint or a unknowing seller description. Here was a recent one that showed up on Ebay, disguised long enoug
Wareroom Pieces of Prudent Mallard Sell at New Orleans Auction Galleries
NEW ORLEANS – October 10 and 11 found New Orleans Auction Galleries, Inc. in full fall swing offering more than 1,200 important lots including some fabulous Victorian items. Of most interest was an elegant mid-19th cen
Victor Quetin Pedestal, Paris, 1860
A recent antique appraisal customer supplied the above images of a 19th century pedestal that they had in their possession and were wondering if it were worth restoration of the piece considering the shape it was current
Mystery Chair - Late Classical or Nouveau?
Here's an intriguing mystery chair for you which is in the middle of disagreement on it's age. This isn't a casual situation where a curious chair owner would like to know, but a case where the chair is being offered to
Upholstery Choices Giving "Victorian" A Bad Rap
Victorian-Era Furniture has gained a bad rap over the past 100 years for it's "garishness" and I think that there is no potential end to that reputation, and thus, it's lack of mainstream appeal. I think there is one thi
Rare Victorian Forum: Restoration Tips for Cleaning Compo
Tcandkk may be a newbie poster on the Rare Victorian board, but it's already obvious that she's not a newbie when it comes to buying Victorian furniture. She loves a deal and is prepared to put the work in to bring a les
Miniature Furniture Antiques
I enjoyed the video below of high quality antique miniature furniture produced by Antiques TV. These aren't your ordinary dollhouse furniture pieces - they are very well made and use high quality materials.
"Empire" Furniture Isn't Always Empire Furniture
I interrupt this blog that occasionally masquerades as something scholarly and amounts to not much more than Victorian eye-candy and tabloid-style cabinetmaker worship to discuss the use of "Empire" to describe more than
Herter Brothers Bookcase At Mark Vail Auction
Mark Vail's June 6 auction has a lot for sale that I will call "entry-level" Herter Brothers. From what I see this is a 100% authentic Herter Brothers bookcase. It's not one of Herters' high-style pieces as the design is
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
Rosson House in Phoenix, AZ
While on business travel in Phoenix, AZ, a colleague suggested that we have dinner at the restaurant that Oprah anointed as the best pizza in America - Pizza Bianco. We waited 2 1/2 hours and we overheard that two women
Pottier & Stymus Egyptian Revival Two-Piece Parlor Set
Fotaine's has this two-piece Pottier & Stymus Egyptian Revival parlor set coming up for sale on October 18th. Of the P&S ER sets that were ever made, this is a more conservatively styled design without too much o
Superb Renaissance Revival Bed Needs Some Work
This bedstead on Ebay will be sold by the time some of you read this but I thought I'd mention it due to the quality of the piece. It is a Renaissance Revival bed with 101" height and 75" length and not quite Queen width
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
1870s Renaissance Revival Center Table
Here's an excellent marble top Ren Revival table that has been listed by yours truly. The recent Merklen restoration put me in a position of having one too many tables and I'm reluctantly selling this one. These days you
Video - Antique Rococo Revival Chair Crest Repair
Some good friends of mine asked for a recommendation on a repair shop and I mentioned to them that Rose Valley Restorations does good work for me, so they brought the chair to me to take in to John Hutchinson. This will
Antiques Hit Hard Across The Board - Almost
As regular visitors to this site are aware, I've been watching the health of the Victorian antique market recently for concrete examples of this trend and I thought I'd take another quick glance at some fresh auction res
Meeks Pieces At Jackson Auction Today
I'm on the road again so Rare Victorian access is somewhat limited but I caught a window of time to mention that there are a few Meeks-attributed items going up for sale during a Jackson's Auction sale happening today. T
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 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
It's A Good Time For Rare Victorian Billiard Tables
John (AKA Woodwright) has sent me a message that I thought would fit well as a post on Rare Victorian. Little did he know that he had became the first guest-poster on RV ;-) John is a relatively recent addition to the co
Why I Do The Research That I Do
The stand above is a good example of why I read and research Victorian Furniture to the extent that I do. When I first started collecting Victorian Furniture it was only so that I could put furniture in my home (built in
Antique Victorian Brunswick & Balke Billiard Table
For Victorian antique billiard table fans, this table made by Brunswick & Balke in 1878 is coming up at auction by Bob Courtney Auctions on May 17th. This is the best looking table I have ever laid my eyes upon and i
The William P. and Emma C. Bancroft Bed
Recently, during one of my wife's painting weekends (she is making sure all the white walls in our home's upper floors adopt a real hue), we moved one of the beds away from the wall and I noticed this label on the back o
Completely Restored Regina Music Box From 1909
An anonymous commenter got the mystery device's name correct - this is a Regina, technically a ReginaPhone 240 Music Box and it plays 15 1/2 inch Regina discs. I've wanted one of these for a while but they are so highly
How Original Do You Want It?
Here's a great Eastlake table that looks like it just came off the showroom in 1875 and I think it looks quite wonderful. The question is whether you want it to look gorgeous or like it should look 130 years later? My gu
Early John Henry Belter Applied Crest Chair
This chair sold yesterday and I kinda wish I had bid on it. Those of you who have been in the Victorian Furniture world for longer than I may have run across this form before, but I have not. I believe that the seller co
Alexander Roux Labeled Hunt Sideboard
Coming up at auction on August 30th will be a fantastic labeled Alexander Roux Hunt Sideboard. I would say that this one is at least on par with the one at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A Roux sideboard achieved a hamm
Stamped George Hunzinger Aesthetic Chair
Up for sale is the George Hunzinger chair profiled on the back and inside of the book, "The Furniture of George Hunzinger - Invention and Innovation in Nineteenth Century America" by Dr. Barry R. Harwood (you can almost
House of Representatives Chair Update
Thanks to William Flatt for the comment on our earlier post regarding the House of Representatives chair. He had pointed out a sale for an identical chair (95% or so identical - note the differences in the carvings on th
Gustave Herter Rosewood Chair
For those of you who like to buy pristine furniture with an impeccable finish which is ready to be placed in your home, this blog entry is not for you (nor was the last one for that matter). I'm fascinated by rare Victor
Three-piece Herter Renaissance Revival Parlor Set
Another week of business travel kept me away from the Victorian furniture for a while so I've done a little digging this morning. Here's a Herter Brothers (attributed) parlor set (sofa and 2 arm chairs) being sold by Woo
Ebonized Aesthetic Pedestal
Up for bidding is an excellent c. 1870s Aesthetic Pedestal from an unidentified maker. It has many attributes of a very fine piece: burl walnut panels, detailed inlay work, and gold incising. I wouldn't be surprised if i
7-piece John Henry Belter Rosalie with Grapes Parlor Set
It's not often that you see a 7-piece set of Belter furniture come up for sale together. This is Belter's Rosalie with Grapes pattern, circa 1850, consisting of a sofa, gentleman's arm chair, meridienne and four side cha
R.J. Horner Winged Griffin 12 Foot Dining Table
As usual, Bradford's Antiques has yet another great piece of R. J. Horner furniture for sale. This time it's a 12 foot dining table with four 20" leaves which are skirted and carved to match the carvings on the table top
R. J. Horner Style Quartersawn Oak Griffin Sideboard
If you are a fan of R. J. Horner, you will love this Quartersawn, heavily carved sideboard. Although it is not being attributed to R.J. Horner, the quality, style and carvings are very representative of his work. If you
1880's Victorian Billiard Chandelier
As someone that collects Victorian Furniture for a Victorian home, modern or even "restoration" reproduction lighting ends up looking out of place so I have installed and display many pieces of period lighting. Here is o
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