Dealing Antiques, January 30, 2003
behind the scenes...

Click on the images to enlarge.
Some of the stock

Click on the images to enlarge.

Left photo was taken the first night with my new desk, customized by Tom.
On the right, Photography Department, Reference Library

The office now has an ergonomic desk chair, an ergonomic computer keyboard and tray,
plus, a new rug, window valances and fabric for curtains,
two, new paintings from Denmark and finally...
a photographer's light tent!

I finally came up for air, to catch up on this project a bit...
Some of the Summer activities

Summer is a good time to focus on buying inventory, since sales are slowest in July and August.
My main purchases and sales were primarily of porcelain and faience.
I was able to purchase several sets of fine china, including,
two sets of vintage Herend and a 19th century set of Sevres-style Limoges.
I also found a good pair of French faience pots pourris. All but the Sevres and Limoges came from Denmark.

My best find was a rare Sevres inkwell , in mint condition,
from the early part of Napoleon's reign.
It's a fabulous satire of the anciene regime.
Each of the eagles looks like a ludricous Louis XIV from the front!
It sold immediately. I hated to let it go!

Click on the images on each end to enlarge.

Everything shown on this page is porcelain,
except for the French faience pot pourris on the right end above.

The same customer (European) bought my Chantilly plate, center above
... an extremely rare, 18th century,soft-paste porcelain plate
from the the short-lived factory at Chantilly,
which operated prior to the creation of the Sevres factory.
A very similar example, in bad condition, is in the Bowes Museum in England.
Mine is pristine! There are very few examples outside museums.
Letting it go was not easy either! That's worst part of this business... I can't keep it all!


(not my photos)

This set of Sevres style Limoges is all hand-painted, and the gold is etched.
One customer bought the entire set.




This set of Herend from a Danish estate came with almost 18 full, place settings of everything,
plus some more serving pieces, which are not shown.

Most exciting and quite unusual was a customer
who nearly cleared me out of inventory one week!
She purchased all of my best items at the time.
She was a former Rockette dancer from Radio Center Music Hall in the 1940s,
who had taught dance and collected antique ceramics most of her life.
You just never know who you will meet in this business!

Continued...
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