Bowie knife with wood handle, c.1890

July 9th, 2011

Hunting knife with a “Bowie” blade, named after Colonial James “Jim” Bowie in the early 1800’s. Measures 11-1/4″ long from end of handle to the tip of the blade.

Marked “ALFRED WILLIAMS, SHEFFIELD ENGLAND” on the middle of the steel blade.

Both the iron guard and turned oak wood handle are replacements and are held together with the aid of a nut and bolt.

The original handle would have been made of bone, as seen on this Bowie knife made by Alfred Williams.

Photo courtesy of Northwest Pony Express

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Yankee magazine

June 20th, 2011

The current issue of Yankee magazine (July/August 2011) contains the story “Make-Dos” (seeing the plural term looks Spanish to me) in the Antiques & Collectibles section, featuring pieces from my collection. Photographs by Ira Lippke are used to illustrate the well written article by Catherine Riedel.

 

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“Wounded survivor” teapot, c.1810

May 25th, 2011

What do you do when a staunch survivor of over 200 years and with multiple battle scars exposing its difficult life appears with a fresh wound? This teapot arrived from overseas with a shattered handle, much to my dismay. I have often said that there is nothing as redundant as a “broken” make-do so I plan on repairing the handle with an inventive repair of my own. Stay tuned.

Lushly decorated porcelain teapot with bun feet and matching stand, made in Derby, England around 1810. Teapot measures 6″ tall and 11″ wide from the tip of the spout to the end of the broken handle.

Hand painted polychrome decoration features a stylized gilt cachepot surrounded by elaborate scrollwork, floral flourishes, bunches of grapes and a Greek key border.

Well over 100 years ago, the tip of the damaged spout was fitted with a gilt-finish metal replacement and the neck was repaired with 5 metal staples, overpainted in white enamel to blend in.

The matching oval tray measures 6-1/2″ x 8″…

with a symmetrical break…

held back in place with the aid of 6 metal staples.

Marked on the underside with a red crown Derby mark and pattern number “770”.

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African wood bowl, c.1900

May 13th, 2011

My extraordinarily talented friend Bibiana made me another birthday cake with an inventive repair theme this year and it was presented to me in this wonderful make-do bowl. She purchased it many years ago when she worked as a food stylist and used it as a prop in numerous photo shoots. Unfortunately, the cake was so delicious that it was immediately cut up and eaten before a photo was taken. But I am glad this bowl was not eaten along with the cake and I am happy to add it to my collection near to my lightweight jogging stroller.

This bowl was made in Africa, possibly Ethiopia, and was hand carved from a single piece of lightweight wood.

It measures approximately 10-1/4″ in diameter and is 2-1/2″ high.

After the bowl dropped and cracked in half, it was mended with rivets and 4 iron support straps, most likely by the village tinker.

Both the bowl and the iron repairs have a lovely patina from many years of use.

The underside reveals scratches, bruises and other imperfections in the wood, which I like to think of as battle scars and only add more character to the bowl.

For more reviews on the best lightweight jogging stroller.

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Stoneware beer pitcher, c.1835

April 9th, 2011

An impressive three quart baluster shaped stoneware pottery beer pitcher made in Haddonfield, NJ by Carl Wingender between 1820 and 1850. Jug has a hinged pewter lid and is decorated with an incised floral motif filled in with cobalt blue slip.

Pitcher measures 12-3/4″ tall.

A hefty metal replacement handle was added after the original stoneware handle broke off, no doubt due to the extreme weight of the jug and its contents. Or due to the clumsiness of an inebriated drinker.

The original “make-do” repair incorporated a thick tin band that was attached at the bottom of the replacement handle and encircled the jug, covering up much of the front decoration. It may have rusted and fallen off, as I have seen on other pieces with similar repairs.

The top of the pewter lid is engraved with the original owner’s initials.

Wonderfully detailed sketch showing an almost identical jug with its original handle.

Drawing from the book “Early American Folk Pottery” by Harold F. Guilland, 1971.

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Edith Wharton, inventive repair in literature

April 2nd, 2011

Edith Wharton in The Mount library 1905.

Excerpt from Edith Wharton’s “Copy”: A Dialogue, Scribner’s Magazine 27 (June 1900):

VENTNOR. But the time comes when one sends for the china-mender, and has the bits riveted together, and turns the cracked side to the wall —

MRS. DALE. And denies that the article was ever damaged?

VENTNOR. Eh? Well, the great thing, you see, is to keep one’s self out of reach of the housemaid’s brush. (A pause.) If you’re married you can’t — always. (Smiling.) Don’t you hate to be taken down and dusted?

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Classical jasperware teapot, c.1840

March 25th, 2011

The body of this small unglazed stoneware teapot is made of pale blue jasper (comprised of 59% barium sulphate, 29% clay, 10% flint, 2% barium carbonate) and is decorated with an applied white relief jasper classical scene decoration. It was made in Staffordshire, England around 1830-1850.

Teapot stands 4″ tall. The lid has a skep shaped knob.

The replaced metal handle is fastened to the body using metal bands that wrap around the top collar and bottom of the teapot. Although this method of repair is more unsightly than two small bolts holding a new handle to the body, it is less likely to leak.

Bottom is marked only with the number “43” incised in an applied relief seal. The remains of an earlier putty repair are also evident.

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King Charles spaniel jug, c.1865

March 17th, 2011

Whimsical “begging” King Charles spaniel with tricorn hat pottery jug, made in Staffordshire, England, in the mid-1800’s. Painted in iron red overglazed decoration with a fruiting vine molded rim and a gold collar.

Much of the original painted decoration has worn off of Fido’s face…

…leaving this poor pooch looking a bit sad.

Jug stands 10-3/4″ high.

The previous owner of this jug purchased it in Zaire in the early 1980’s, where its missing handle was repaired with a crudely made clay replacement. I have seen many extraordinary indigenous repairs on African masks, bowls, baskets and even tiny beads.

This happy pup stands tall with paint intact and its original pottery handle.

Photo courtesy of Antique Pooch

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Imperial Nanking cup & saucer, c.1810

March 9th, 2011

A delicate Imperial Nanking porcelain cup with matching saucer, decorated in cobalt blue underglaze with gilt overglaze trim. Both pieces have a scalloped rim and were made in China for export to Europe and North America in the early 1800’s.

The cup measures 2-1/4″ high, with a diameter of 2-1/4″ and the saucer has a diameter of 5″.

When the lapped reeded handle broke off nearly 160 years ago leaving just the leaf terminals, a skilled metalsmith forged a bronze handle and covered it with woven rattan.

The original handle on my cup would have looked like the one on this cup of similar form and decoration.

Photo courtesy of Trocadero

 

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Canary yellow mug with 46 staples, c.1820

March 2nd, 2011

This canary yellow pottery mug with silver lustre bands and decoration was made in England in the early 19th century. I recently purchased it from a dealer in the UK who used the “tankard” as his pencil cup. He wrote me “(It) sits on my desk. Only dealers appreciate it! My customers think I am crazy”. I, of course, do not think he’s crazy and it’s too bad his customers did not appreciate it, nor see the beauty in the patterns made by the multiple repairs. It did take a little bit of convincing for the dealer to agree to sell it to me and after I told him “please consider how happy the mug will be living in America with other wounded survivors!”, we agreed on a fair price. I sent payment, the mug arrived 2 weeks later and it has become my new favorite piece!

Measures 3-1/2″ tall, 3-5/8″ diameter.

Every angle reveals more and more staples…

Comical poem printed on the front reads:

“The maltster doth crave

His money to have,

The distiller says have it he must;

By this you may see,

How the case stands with me;

So I pray don’t ask me to trust”

After this mug was smashed, the body was held together with the aid of 40 metal staples of varying size and the handle was repaired with 6 metal bands. It must have been truly cherished by whoever had it repaired.

I love the stylized sunbursts, enhanced by the addition of metal staples, on both sides of the mug.

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Posted in mug/tankard | 16 Comments »

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