SO, WHAT'S IT WORTH?
Sofa table wasn't made by Phyfe
March 7, 2009
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John Sewell
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Q: This antique library table came to my friend through his parents. His maternal grandmother bought it in Toronto in 1929. His aunt feels it may be a Duncan Phyfe, but we're not sure. We know the black material in the marquetry is ebony and the quality of the carving seems to be very good. The table is about 77 centimetres high (30 inches) and 105 centimetres wide (41 inches) with the leaves down.
Denis, Ottawa
A: This is a nice early table, but it's not a library table; it's a sofa table. Library tables don't generally have drop leaves. It's most likely English, but there's a possibility it could also be American. It definitely dates to around 1840 and it's made of mahogany veneer.
When high-back settles (benches) began to fade out of fashion around 1780, they were replaced by low-back sofas. These tables were placed behind the sofas so people had a place to put a book or a cup and saucer.
This table didn't come from the New York workshop of the Scottish-born master cabinet maker Duncan Phyfe. If it did, it would have much finer features and greater detail.
It does, however, have Duncan Phyfe-ish characteristics, such as the winged paw feet.
Some very elaborate sofa tables can be worth more than $10,000, but this one, as nice as it is, is considered mid-range quality and as such would command roughly $2,000.
Q: The history in our family is that
this platter once belonged to Sir
Garnet Wolseley, who distinguished
himself in Sudan, China,
India, South Africa and in Manitoba
during the Louis Riel days. The
platter eventually ended up with
our great-grandparents in Manitoba.
It measures 23 by 31 centimetres
(nine by 12 inches). It’s now bequeathed
to our daughter.
Peter, Toronto
A: This platter is at least 180 years
old and has apparently been put into
active service over the years.
Sir Wolseley, as you probably
know, was a distinguished British
army officer under whose leadership
in 1870 troops were dispatched
in Manitoba to make the difficult
journey to Fort Garry (now Winnipeg)
through geographically challenging,
Metis-inhabited land. This
mission is what helped to establish
Canadian sovereignty over the
Northwest Territories.
As for the platter itself, it’s original
Mason’s ironstone made by G. and
C. Mason at their Patent Ironstone
China Manufactory, Staffordshire
Potteries, England.
You still see pieces made today
that say “Mason’s ironstone”
but what you have is
the original, early ironstone.
The decoration on
this piece is typically Oriental
and something the
English had copied since the
1700s.
The durability and porcelain-like
whiteness of ironstone pottery
proved to be so popular that when
the patent ran out in 1827 other
companies jumped on the bandwagon
and started making their
own versions of it.
This is a nice, early piece of ironstone
with interesting provenance
(although not provable, I suspect).
Value wise, I think it’s worth about
$375.
Q: We’re intrigued by this black
iron piece we bought about 40
years ago in the Uxbridge area.
It’s 68.5 centimetres long (27
inches) with a diameter of 29
centimetres (11 inches) and
marked “Rettie’s Patent, Birmingham,
England.” Unfortunately,
there’s a large piece missing
along the lip. What we’re most interested
in is what it was used for.
Dorothy, Brantford
A: It’s not a bed warmer, I can tell
you that. It’s actually a gridiron,
used to cook meat in an open
hearth fireplace. Rettie patented it
in 1840 and this is the way it
worked: you’d place the raw meat in
the centre and thrust the whole
thing into the fire, where it would
be simultaneously baked and fried.
The juices would run down the
convex channeled ribs to the outside
trough, where they could then
be poured off via the spout and
saved to make gravy or a sauce.
This is a rare and early piece of
cookware and I suspect it would be
sought after by collectors. The
damage is a bit of an issue, but in the
overall picture it’s not that significant.
In this case, I believe rarity and interest outweighs the damage
factor. I’m thinking a collector
might be willing to pay as much as
$350 for it.
John Sewell is an antique and fine art appraiser.
To submit an item to his column,
go to the ‘Contact John’ page at
www.johnsewellantiques.ca. Please
measure your piece, say when and how
you got it, what you paid and list any
identifying marks. A high-resolution
JPEG photo must also be included.
(Only email submissions
accepted.)
Appraisal values are estimates
only.
Toronto Star