I am often asked which are my favorite examples of antiques with inventive repair and my reply is…all of them! But if I absolutely had to narrow down the list to my top 10 favorites, I would include those pictured below. Please know that this list is purely subjective and includes items that simply make me smile whenever I see them. These have all been previously posted so you can read more about each piece in the original post by clicking on the title above each photo.
So here they are, from 10 to 1…
Number 10: Victoria and Albert jug, c.1840
Number 9: Primitive wooden shovel, c.1870
Number 8: Large Chinese Mandarin mug, c.1780
Number 7: Stick spatter peafowl teapot, c.1810
Number 6: “Scottish Thistle” crystal cordial, c.1920
Number 5: French Delft ewer, c.1690
Number 4: Anglo-Indian brass candlestick, c.1875
Number 3: Chinese export miniature vases, c.1690
Number 2: Cold painted cast lead dog figure, c.1930
And my number 1 top favorite is: Eastern European teapot, c.1925
Andrew, congratulations on the NYT write up. And I want that dog.
Nice collection. I love the repairs.
Love your site.
Part of my collecting is best described by “items that have had a lived and show life’s marks and scars”. Some of your items go beyond that and say “I was loved” and represented something beyond mere surface beauty.
DR
Hello, I look forward to your website. I love things once loved and restored.
So often they are ‘faces only a mother would love’. I have several teapots that I enjoy just because i remember the tea parties with my children.
LR
Nice for your acknowledgement by the Times, and for the bigger message you send.
Hi, the eastern European teapot is most likely Russian, probably Gardner or Kuznetsov, for the central Asian market of Islamic customers. The Russian mark on the bottom would likely be accompanied with a translation of the company name in Arabic. I have a couple of this type of teapot and just happen to have acquired a photograph of a a group of China menders in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 1919 ca. where you can see a number of these teapots spread out at their feet. Happy to share the image with you once the photo arrives in the mail.