hr: Antiques

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We often take for granted how we were able to calculate time. It is as if it’s just natural that we know of it. Looking back, it all started with the Sun Dial. Observing the movement of the sun, the moon and the stars were the key ingredient why the Sumerians and the ancient Egyptians were able to calculate time.

After the sun dial, the Chinese in 1000 BC discovered the use of angles in how to better place the indicating arm of the sun dial. It is still not accurate but it was an improvement. Then came the sextant, which evolved to a more complex instrument that is still in used up to this very day globally.

In between those significant inventions, people around the world tried their hand in calculating time. There was the water clock that ancient Mesopotamia used to calculate time. A container will full of water was created and a very small hole was made to let the water out and it helped them to indicate how much time was spent. There is also the very collectible hourglass, which follows the basic principle of the water glass. Many collectors are buying them. It was around the 15th century that this came out, just as the glassblowing technique surfaced.

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Mechanical Clocks such as pendulum clocks were invented around 1510 but it was still not accurate then by 1577, a clock with a minute hand was created but with problems as well. However, each time an inventor discovers something new, it gets us nearer to what we have right now. 

Quartz clocks were invented and our lives were never the same again.

There had been so many beautifully created timepieces between then and now. Avid collectors are having a fine time hunting for them. They are not only fun to collect but a practical piece of work as well.

If you are so into it, check the following sites to get your hands on some of items on sale: Antique Clocks, Antique World, AntiqueClock, Pacific Antique Clock.

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Looking for antiques is very much like looking for treasure. There is one extraordinary treasure, a collection of the most valuable things, documents, art, gold was sent to Russia willingly by the government of Romania for supposedly safekeeping purposes during the height of World War I.

It was the gravest mistake they ever did because until today it was never returned. Some pieces were sent back but the bulk and the most important and the one with the most intrinsic value stayed in Russia.

The Romanian government felt during that time that Germany will eventually capture the whole Romania and would definitely get their hands on their most valuable possessions. They originally want it to send to England but some banker with such influence advise then Prime Minister Bratianu that Russia might be offended if they sent it to England and thus sealed the fate of the Romanian valuables.

Both government signed a treaty but unfortunately, there was a communist revolution in Russia and they did not respect the treaty that was signed. It only means that the Romanian valuables will stay in Russia. Each time a new administration seats in the Russian government, Romania tries to get it back.

In 1935, they did get some of it but the most important of them all, the Pietrosaele treasure, which of course – the gold never left the Russian soil. Out of the 42 carriages that were sent only two were returned.

Even after the fall of the USSR, whoever holds the highest position in Russia still refuses to return the treasure. Another treaty was signed between the two countries back in 2003 but the infamous treasure was never mentioned. Only an agreement that a commission will be created to make a study of the case was made.

If rumors should be believed, there are some items from the treasure that are already in the hands of some private collector.

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They are often regarded as the most remarkable atlas ever created. It composed of two thousand and plus beautiful maps, prints and drawings. A visual documentation of the 17th century which gives us a picturesque idea of the geography, warfare, politics and their society during that era.

It was a lawyer in Amsterdam, Laurens Van der Hem who used Joan Blaeu’s Atlas Maior as his foundation of his magnificent collection. He collected more maps, charts and several architectural prints and portraits done by well-known artists.

Included in his collection are four volumes of manuscripts maps and topographical drawings that are considered by historians and artists alike to be such an impressive work of art.

The Atlas is right now in the care of the Austrian National Library in Vienna. A lot of people wanted to get hold of this atlas since it is not only aesthetically beautiful but the information that it holds is quite massive: Geography, architecture, sculpture, folklore, topography, navigation, warfare and many more.
When the Van der Hem died, his daughter naturally inherited it and took care of it with infinite care. She turned down several offers who wanted to but the Atlas. During 1711, she showed it to a known and highly respected bibliophile Konrad Zacharias von Uffenbach. At first, the gentleman could not understand why so many are at awe with the collection but when he saw the whole collection he said that it should not be called Blaeu-Atlas but a truly Royal Atlas,

When the daughter died, it was auctioned in 1730. Prince Eugene of Savoie, a famous general and art lover and collector was the one who bought it. It made his personal collection even more attractive. It was rumored that he bought the whole collection for 22,000 gilders. When he died, a niece of his by the name of Victoria sold it to the Imperial Library in Vienna which is the Austrian National Library we know of today.

It is considered to be one of the largest and well-made Atlases ever created.

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Around 1835 up to 1850 cast iron furniture was introduced in the American market.  This type of furniture was influenced by architectural ironwork. Since the process of making cast iron can easily make a variety of intricate shapes and designs, it was only but a matter of time that furniture maker will get the idea of using them in making furniture.

They started by pouring molten metal into different molds then bolted them together to create one piece.

It was originally created to adorn parks, gardens or anything outside the homes. The designs were so creative since the process of making them allows the designers to unlimited forms. During the 1800’s, it inspired them to make such beautiful and romantic pieces that are so right for outdoor use. It was the in-thing during those times.

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By 1850, designers thought to bring the cast iron creations inside the home.  Instead of wood, they made replicas of the Victorian wooden furniture and have them painted in black or bronze. It looked so elegant inside the house so many different types of furniture were made.

Today, it is still very much popular and one can still find many of them inside one’s house and that made it so difficult for collectors to differentiate what was created hundred of years ago from those reproductions.

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If you are looking for a work of art that is unconventional, extraordinary, and thought provoking, then this is the guy for you.

Damien Hirst, a British contemporary artist, is one of the world’s most expensive living artists.  He has become highly controversial and notorious, but extremely rich, for his eccentric creations.  His work explores the fundamental themes of human existence which is life, death, truth, love, immortality and art itself, in a rather edgy and brutal way, be it on installation, drawing, painting or sculpture.  His masterpieces have been called tasteless, weird and absurd by some but it has sold for millions of dollars.

He is best known for the “Natural History” works which presents animals in vitrines suspended in formaldehyde such as “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” in 1991, which is a 14-foot tiger shark immersed in formaldehyde in a vitrine.  It was sold in 2004 to American collector, Steven Cohen, for $8 million dollars.

His other works include “Lullaby Spring,” a stainless steel cabinet containing 6,136 multicolored handcrafted pills, which has sold for $19.3 million at Sotheby’s in 2007.  His “Lullaby Winter,” which is made from stainless steel and glass filled with mainly off?white handcrafted pills, has sold for $7.4 million at Christie’s also in 2007.

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His latest and most expensive work of art is called, “For the Love of God.”  This was inspired by the similarly bejeweled Aztec skulls.  It is a diamond?encrusted platinum skull which was sold at the price of $100 million dollars in 2007.  The skull was said to have been cast from a 35-year-old European man from the 18th century.  It has retained its original teeth for the grotesque element.  The platinum skull was embedded with 8,601 diamonds weighing 1,106.18 carats.  It has a huge 52-carat pink diamond on the center of its forehead reportedly worth $4.2 million and is studded with 14 pear-shaped diamonds.  When asked about this piece, he said, “I just want to celebrate life by saying to hell with death.  What better way of saying that than taking the ultimate symbol of death and covering it in the ultimate symbol of luxury, desire and decadence?”

Sotheby’s will auction a new series of Damien Hirst’s work of art in September 15 and 16 of this year in London.

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In May of 2008, an Albert Einstein letter fetched £207, 600 ($404,000) at Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair, London to an anonymous private collector.  It exceeded its presale estimate of £6,000 to £8,000. 
Albert Einstein is best known for his theories of relativity and for the most famous equation in the world, E=mc2.  He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics.  His popularity made the name Einstein synonymous with genius.

The highly publicized letter, handwritten in German in 1954 to a philosopher Eric Gutkind, contains his thoughts and views about God and religion.

The physicist wrote, “The word god is for me nothing more than an expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.”

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He rejects the notion that the Jewish people could be God’s favorite.  He wrote, “For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions.  And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people.  As far as my experience goes, they are no better then other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by lack of power.  Otherwise, I cannot see anything ‘chosen’ about them.”
It is signed, “With friendly thanks and best wishes, Yours, A. Einstein.”

According to John Brooke of Oxford University, one of the country’s leading experts on the scientist, despite Einstein’s rejection of conventional religion, he became angry when his views were appropriated by evangelists for atheism and was offended by their lack of humility.

Interestingly, another bestseller of Einstein include an entire collection of 53 love letters between Einstein and his first wife, Mileva Maric, which was auctioned and sold in 1996 for $442, 500 at an auction at Christie’s in New York.

There has been an increase of strong interest and demand on antiques coming from Asia these past few years. They are also getting good prices. There are some items that were sold for higher prices than they did five or ten years ago.

It is hard to really get the good pieces since most of them are being declared as national treasures.One country that has plenty of beautiful antiques with unbelievable craftsmanship is South Korea.

I will be featuring on this site, every now and then, different items they considered to be national treasures. These are tangible artifacts and sites, which has superb aesthetic, intrinsic and historical value in their country.

Most of these items or sites have become popular tourist spots and has long been a favorite among their Asian neigbors particularly when the Korean Wave started. The first list of these Korean National Treasures was given by their Governor-General back in 1938 forged during the Japanese occupation to preserve the beauty and heritage of their past.

One that is included in the list is the Wongaksa Pagoda.

It is a ten story marble pagoda, which is 12 meter high. It was originally part of Wongaksa Temple in Gyeongbokgung Palace now it is on display in a protective glass case at Tapgol Park.

Antiques experts and historians considered this treasure as one of the finest proof of great pagoda art during the Joseon Dynasty.  The temple that housed this pagoda does not exist anymore. It is the sole surviving stone pagoda in that dynasty and on that reason alone, the officials made it the second national treasure of Korea back in 1962.

When you see the 10-story pagoda, you will find an inscription on its upper part: “1467, the 13th year of King Sejo’s reign.” What makes it more rare is that it is made of marble. There are few existing pagodas that were made of marble because most of the artists used granite, a material easily available to them.

It has a three-tiered pedestal supporting the pagoda. It was intricately designed with the first three stories shaped like its base and the remaining seven stories are shaped in squares. Each story has carvings like Dragons, Buddhas, Lotus Flowers, Phoenixes, Four Heavenly Kings. The amazing thing is that it looked like it was made from wood, from the way it was carved.

Many collectors believed that it would have fetched a large amount of money if it is auctioned.

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There were a lot of variations in styles depending upon the country or area where the artist came from. Some were a mixture of different styles. There are those, which are known to be British styles and mainland European styles. It is quite confusing at first but when you get to familiarize yourself with them, it is easy to differentiate them.

There is what the experts call the Medieval Era. They were mostly Romanesque items, which were brought by the Normans to Britain. It has a typical Romanesque attribute such, as rounded arches but there are very few that still exist up to this day. After Romanesque, Gotham style flourished. An example if the coronation chair that can be found in the Westminster Abbey. A gentleman made it from Durham, Master Walter back in 1296. Incidentally, it was the very first English furniture that was traced back to its maker.

The Elizabethan Era, which of course can be attributed to Elizabeth, The Virgin Queen in 1558. This is the time where pieces are created more out of function than decorative art. They were mostly plain but functional. Although, influences from France and Netherlands somehow were incorporated to the plain Elizabethan pieces such as carved caryatids, strap work, etc.

The Jacobean Style refers to the geometric moldings, split balusters during the reign of James and was popular until about 1720.

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The Carolean, which is attributed to Charles II who was restored to the throne in 1660.  Franco-Dutch Baroque style, which comprises of caned seats, carved scrolls and twisted legs.

The Queen Anne. This is a mixture of English skills influence by the foreign styles during the Queen’s reign in 1702-14.

The Gerogian Period: Early Gerogian, Mid Gerogian and Late Gerogian. Mostly during the reign of George I – III. It was during these times that claw and ball feet became in thing. There are more Italian baroque pieces that are flourishing in the market. They began using mahogany instead of walnut. This is when the famous Chippendale furniture started to infiltrate the market. The start also of neo-classical designs such as vertical lines, circles, carvings. Some with influences that were attributed to Louis XVI style.

(To be continued)

In December of 2007, a 5,000-year-old sculpture set a new record for the highest price ever paid for a sculpture and for an antiquity at an auction. The Guennol Lioness, carved ca 3000 2800 BC in ancient Mesopotamia, had fetched an impressive $57,161,000 million dollars at Sotheby’s in New York, exceeding its presale estimate of $18 million dollars.  The successful English bidder wishes to remain anonymous.  This rare sculpture was described by Sotheby’s as one of the last known masterworks from the dawn of civilization remaining in private hands.

This “Lioness Demon” is an anthropomorphic sculpture made in limestone that is 3 1/4 inches in height.  It is a diminutive well-muscled feline figure with humanlike posture.  The head is turned to the left, resting upon massive shoulders.  The paws are clenched in front of the muscular chest.  According to scholars and historians, many ancient Near Eastern deities were represented with merged human and animal features.  Such humanlike animal images evoked the Mesopotamians’ belief in attaining power over the physical world by combining the superior physical attributes of various species.

The remarkable piece was previously owned by private collectors, Alastair Bradley Martin and his wife, Edith Martin, in 1948 and was part of an extensive and celebrated Guennol collection of ancient, Asian, African, and American Folk art.  The Guennol collection takes its name from the couple’s New York estate.  Guennol is a welsh name for Martin.  The Guennol Lioness has been on display in New York’s Brooklyn Museum of Art for nearly 60 years until it was sold in 2007.  The proceeds will benefit a charitable trust formed by the Martin family.

The previous record for a sculpture sold at an auction was $29,161,000 for Picasso’s “Tete de Femme” in November of 2007.  The previous record for an antiquity sold at an auction was $28,600,000 for a 2,000 year old “Artemis and the Stag” on June of 2007.  Both auctions were held at Sotheby’s in New York.

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It was not until the 1970’s when the museums began to collect and present photographs to the public that marketing photography as an art gained real momentum. Before that time, you can only see them in photo books. Oh yes, there were studios, galleries and exhibitions but they were not treated with much importance as an art itself.

In the world of photography, we often heard the words, “vintage print”. However, there were disagreements on how to differentiate the vintage prints from the others. There was even a dispute on how much time will have to pass by between the creations of the negative itself and the printed image. Basically, they consider an image a vintage print when several years had passed already after the negative was made.

When you visit auction houses and museums, they are cataloguing their photographs first by the year the negative was made only to be followed by the year it was printed. It is their only way for them to be clear on the differences between vintage print and modern print.

Naturally, those vintage prints are valued ten times or more even fifty times the modern print are even if they have the same image. They are valued by looking at the paper and the technique that was used to print them. The older and nearer the era that it is to the year the photographer or artist made it are significantly more valuable. Experts believed these negatives are closer to the artist’s hand and mindset during the time it was created.

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There are popular vintage photographs that can fetch an amount closely to half a million dollars especially if it was signed by the photographer. It is such a difficult thing for ordinary mortals to differentiate old and new since the technology now can create replicas and present it as something so old as well.

Best way to identify the vintage from the modern prints is through the paper used. Museums usually use black light to determine it’s authenticity since before WWII, the photograph papers that was used does not contain new paper ingredients such as brightening agents that will be transparent in black light and a purple tint will reflect in the white areas.