Toys for the holidays

December 24th, 2010

Well, the votes are in and the absolute favorite item featured in The New York Times article from last week was the Cold painted cast lead dog figure, c.1930. I received numerous comments and emails on this piece, including “The dog is my favorite, it is almost impossibly poignant”, “I especially liked the little dog with the ‘prosthetic’ leg” and “That little dog you have is so much better than any mint-in-the-box action figure or something like that”.

With that in mind and with this being the holiday season, I am including some other toys with inventive repairs that I hope you will enjoy seeing again. Please click on the title to see the original post with information and additional photos.

Cast iron horse drawn ladder wagon, c.1900

German doll head pen wiper, c.1900

Toy cast iron cannon, c.1880

Googly doll door stop, c.1930

Staffordshire child’s mug, c.1840

Happy Holidays and I look forward to sharing more examples from my collection with you in 2011!

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The New York Times, December 16, 2010

December 17th, 2010

Second-class citizens no more, “inventive repairs” have been acknowledged in an extensive article in The New York Times. The Fix Is In: Finding Beauty Beyond Repair appeared on the front page of yesterday’s Home section, featuring photos of me and my collection. Andrea Codrington Lippke wrote the wonderful article and Ira Lippke took the beautiful photographs, 11 of which are included in the online slide show.

The response has been overwhelming and I appreciate the over 100 emails and phone calls I received, as well as the many new subscribers to this blog.

Article photos by Ira Lippke for The New York Times

Click here to see the ultimate lighted makeup mirror reviews.

Posted in publication | 7 Comments »

My top 10 favorites

December 15th, 2010

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

Posted in anecdotal | 6 Comments »

Emergency Handle for Domestic Receptacles, c.1922

December 8th, 2010

I purchased this innocuous cup with “Pekin” transfer decoration in April 2008 and was intrigued by the removable metal handle, an apparent “do it yourself” replacement. Unlike most examples found in my collection, this was obviously not a handmade repair.

Due to heavy rust, the handle appeared to be unmarked and I was unable to proceed with executing any further research.

When I originally added the cup entry to this site in March 2010, I surmised that the handle “looks like something found at a local hardware store”.

Then in April of this year, two years after the discovery of the mysterious replacement handle, I purchased a copper lustre child’s mug with an identical metal handle, which I posted on July 6, 2010.

Luckily this handle was in excellent condition and clearly boasted a patent number.

Reino Liefkes, Senior Curator of the Ceramics & Glass Collection at the V&A Museum in London, recently discovered my blog and sent me the original patent specification and drawing for the “Emergency Handle For Domestic Receptacles”, patented in 1922 by inventor Frederick Warren Wilkes of Birmingham, UK. Upon further research, I found the American patent specification and drawing from 1923, pictured here.

Originally, a tiny rubber band was attached to the lower end of the handle to help cushion it against the delicate ceramic surface

Many thanks to Reino Liefkes for his most appreciated sleuthing!

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Etched glass champagne jug, c.1880

December 1st, 2010

English blown glass champagne jug with intricately etched decoration made for the American market, with applied handle and cut glass base. Once this fragile jug was dropped, it was destined to live out the rest of its life on a shelf, for display purposes only

Small iron staples were carefully attached to both sides of the pig’s tail shaped crack to stabilize the break

Ewer stands 11-1/4″ tall

A skillful engraver etched the design of a lion attacking a bird of prey, possibly a coat of arms for a distinguished family

The other side of the ewer reveals a more conventional foliage pattern

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English stoneware harvest jug, c.1850

November 24th, 2010

A two-tone unsigned salt-glazed stoneware jug from England, possibly by Doulton Lambeth. The sprigged hunting scene & cupids decoration has a glass-like coating, achieved by adding salt to the kiln and firing at approx 1660 degrees F (780 degrees C). As the sodium chloride vaporizes and bonds with the silica in the clay, it creates a silicate glass “salt-glaze” finish

Jug stands 5-1/2″ tall and is 5-1/2″ wide

A detail of the applied sprig decoration to the front of the jug

Judging by the many chips along the rim, I am not surprised this jug lost its handle as well, as it was not doubt used daily for many years in an English pub

The tin handle with thumb grip and horizontal band replaces the original handle, created by a tinsmith in the middle to late 1800’s. Tin replacement handles are one of the most common types of inventive repairs and I have dozens of examples in my collection

This jug still has its original handle and gives an idea of what the handle on my mended piece would have originally looked like

Photo courtesy of WorthPoint

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Leeds pepper pot, c.1830

November 19th, 2010

Provocatively profiled pearlware pottery pepper pot. This 4-3/4″ tall Leeds pepper shaker was made in the region of West Yorkshire, UK, known for quality pottery which once rivaled the wares of Wedgwood

With a cobalt blue 7-point star design on the top…

and a ribbed, feathered band around the middle

The original base has been replaced by a beautifully made tin replacement, painted to match the cream colored body, but now yellowed with age

A cork in the bottom allows this pot to hold and dispense the pepper once again

Another Leeds pepper pot with a more typical baluster form, maintains its original base

Photo courtesy of Prices4Antiques

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Large copper lustre jug, c.1830

November 10th, 2010

A large copper lustre stout bodied baluster shaped jug from the Staffordshire region of England has a hidden inventive repair. Copper lustre decorated wares originated in the 9th century and were first made by Islamic potters. Inspired by these early pieces, English pottery houses Spode and Wedgwood developed their own techniques, starting at the beginning of the 19th century and continuing to around 1860. Silver lustre, once referred to as “poor man’s silver”, was another popular glaze created during this period and is highly prized today

Jug measures 6-1/4″ tall and is 8-1/2″ wide from spout to end of handle. The unusually wide blue band is curiously devoid of any decoration

The scrolled handle includes a small thumb rest at the top. A dramatic large gash reveals the red clay body beneath the glazed surface

Somehow the bottom of the jug broke or simply wore out. Today if this type of damage occurred, the piece would most likely be thrown out and replaced

A surprising glass patch covers the hole in the bottom, allowing the jug to hold liquids once again. An early form of putty was used to adhere and seal the glass piece to the bottom of the base

This copper lustre jug with a similar form and large blue band is overpainted with a more typical pink lustre decoration

Photo courtesy of Antiques Atlas

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Qianlong cream jug, c.1750

November 4th, 2010

A lovely porcelain baluster form cream jug with sparrow beak spout, decorated in the Famille Rose palette. Made in China during the Qianlong period (1736-96) for export to North America and Europe, when fine porcelain was in high demand

The delicate ornamentation rendered in polychrome enamels depicts a cashpot, itself decorated, and spilling with flowers, vines and a pumpkin

Jug stands 3-1/2″ tall, minus its lost cover

When this jug was dropped and its handle lost, it was brought to a metalsmith who fashioned a replacement handle from bronze. The scroll shape of the new handle, more elaborate in form than its predecessor, suggests it was forged in the early to mid-1800’s

This cream jug, from the same period and of similar form and decoration, has its original cover and handle intact

Photo courtesy of  Guest & Gray

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Staffordshire salt glaze teapot, c.1850

October 26th, 2010

A squat one cup bachelor’s teapot with raised Gothic Revival decoration on a pale blue paneled body, often mistaken for a piece from a child’s tea set. This salt glazed pottery teapot was made in the Staffordshire region of England in the mid 1800’s

Teapot stands 3-1/4″ tall and has the same scrolled decoration on each panel

When the original lid became lost or broken, a metalsmith made a simple replacement metal lid of tin with a delicately turned pewter knob

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Posted in teapot | 4 Comments »

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