The Antique Victorian Furniture Blog

On Saturday, October 24, Stair Galleries of New York will host an auction of the Hunt Slonem collection contained in Edgewood Terrace, also known as Cordts Mansion, “an imposing Second Empire-style brick mansion that stands at the top of a hill overlooking the city of Kingston in New York’s sprawling Hudson Valley.” Previews run from October 9 to October 24.

I’ve attached the press release and photos here for you, so there’s not much need for me to elaborate. Suffice it to say that this is going to be one magnificent auction. Here’s some more from the press release to entice you:

“After restoring his country retreat to its original Victorian grandeur, Mr. Slonem filled the rooms with an eclectic combination of 19th-century furniture and decorations, modern art and his own exotic, vibrantly colored, neo-expressionist paintings… The sale will feature an extensive selection of 19th-century furniture, decorative arts and fine arts as well as a number of 20th-century paintings, prints and photographs.

According to Mr. Slonem, ‘The collection represents nine years of gathering.’ The impressive array of 19th-century furnishings, spanning the years from 1830 to 1900 and encompassing all the major styles of the Victorian era, is heavily focused on the Gothic Revival. Throughout the house are chairs, center tables, dressing bureaux, secretaries, gilt-bronze mantel clocks, glass vases, porcelain teawares and ironstone toilet sets embellished with tracery, pointed arches, steep gables, pinnacles and cusping. Balancing the medieval-inspired pieces are furniture and decorations in other revival styles including Rococo, Renaissance, Louis XVI and Neo-Grec. Modern works of art, hung on brightly painted walls inspired by the colors in Mr. Slonem’s paintings, serve as a foil to the Victorian furnishings.”

Wow.

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here for the catalogue. You have to see this.

For information, contact Walter G. Ritchie, Jr. of Stair Galleries at 518-751-100 or walter.ritchie@stairgalleries.com. Visit Stair Galleries’ website at http://www.stairgalleries.com/.

Technorati Tags: 19th Century, Antiques, Chairs, clocks, decorative arts, Furniture, gothic revival, Hunt Slonem, louis xvi, modern art, neo-grec, paintings, Renaissance, Rococo, second empire, secretaries, Stair Galleries, tables, Victorian

I just came across a blog called Slip Into Something Victorian. Its most recent post is about Lizzie Borden. Mystery and the Victorian era sure do go hand in hand.

Denise Eagan, the author of the post, recently visited Lizzie’s Victorian home, which is located in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was in this house back in 1892 that Lizzie’s father and stepmother were found murdered in exceptionally brutal fashion. Lizzie was brought to trial but acquitted.

To this day the crime is unsolved, although Lizzie remains the primary suspect in the minds of many. The post gives a very nice summary of the circumstances of the mystery, with some interesting details about such things as possible sexual abuse and the miserly nature of Lizzie’s father.

And here’s something you probably didn’t know. The home today is a bed and breakfast. You can actually sleep in Lizzie’s room, in a nice antique Victorian bed, I might add! I don’t think I would shut my eyes for a second, and not just because I was admiring all the furniture in the room.

Slip Into Something Victorian contains a gallery of pictures, among which are an excellent selection taken at the Borden house. There’s a lot of antique Victorian furniture in there. You’ll see beds, chairs, mirrors, dressers, a dining room table, a striking medallion back sofa, and more – all within the confines of one of the world’s eeriest Victorian homes.

And maybe you’ll be inspired to visit the home and spend the night. I understand you’ll be treated to the breakfast the Bordens had that morning. The contents of Abby Borden’s stomach actually provided an important clue as to the time of her subsequent murder. Food for thought.

You can read the post here. If you have trouble finding the picture gallery, click here.

And here are some earlier posts of mine involving mystery of one kind or another: Nov. 24, Nov. 20, Nov. 17, Nov. 16, Nov. 13.

Technorati Tags: Antique, Bed, Beds, Chairs, Dresser, Furniture, Home, House, lizzie borden, Mirror, Mystery, Sofa, Table, Victorian

Sometimes antique Victorian furniture can become the inspiration for something that isn’t exactly Victorian.

The Hartford Courant ran an article two days ago about a couple who left their suburban home in favor of a downtown condo. They bought the condo on the basis of architectural drawings alone but were depressed when they actually saw it. It was smaller than they thought.

They hired a designer to expand the sense of size and otherwise make the condo reflect their own tastes. The result, from the one photo provided, is colorful, contemporary and chic.

The starting point for the whole design, however, was a Victorian sofa handed down from the woman’s grandmother, a sofa with a “curving spine and petite proportions.” They chose a fabric, reupholstered the sofa, and allowed the rest of the condo’s design to follow. The overall effect is not exactly Victorian, as I mentioned. But it’s quite striking.

And it’s interesting to think that such a contemporary design could flow from the curving spine of a Victorian antique.

You’ll find the article on this colorful condo and its inspirational sofa here.

Technorati Tags: Architecture, Design, Reupholstery, Sofa, Victorian

I truly enjoy posts written by people who are excited about finding just the right pieces of antique Victorian furniture for their homes.

Here is one by a woman in Wisconsin who is remodeling the 1898 home that she and her family are living in. She had been looking for an antique Victorian sofa for years but had never found one she could afford. Finally she came across this one on Craigslist “for a really great price.” She tells us that it’s from the late 1800s and seems to belong in the house. Note the comment on the date though.

You can find the post with photos of the Victorian sofa here. You’ll see why she’s excited about the piece. It’s a great find. I’ll add that her blog overall is well worth the visit, and I myself plan to return.

On another note, this is the second post I’ve written about someone who was thrilled to find the perfect piece of antique Victorian furniture on Craigslist. The first was about a woman who had just found an elegant suite there: a Victorian sofa, love seat and chair.

If you yourself are searching for that perfect Victorian antique, you may want to take a look over there.

Technorati Tags: 19th Century, Craigslist, Home, Remodeling, Sofa, Victorian

Here’s something light and a little different. I discovered a blog called Cedarwood, which promotes an historic 1830s antebellum farm estate of that name, located just outside Nashville, TN.

As this attractive blog tells us, Cedarwood is available “for the most romantic day of your life – your wedding.” What’s more, the estate’s gorgeous Victorian sofa can be used in the photo session! And they’ll take it anywhere on the estate for your photographs, to create what they call a “juxtaposition of contrasts” with the natural surroundings.

They’ve treated us to four photographs of the sofa, with the bride of an August wedding glamorously seated on it. Be sure to enlarge the photos to see the details of the carving and the upholstery. The sofa has a beautiful floral theme with appealing contours. Not to mention that it simply looks comfortable enough to take a nap in.

If you’re looking for a resplendent place to get married and would like to add an antique Victorian sofa to your gallery of memories, Cedarwood might be your answer!

See Cedarwood and its Victorian sofa here.

Technorati Tags: Antebellum, Antique, Photography, Sofa, Victorian

I came across this nice little post on the Blossoms&Lace blog, authored by a woman named Jill. Jill is extremely excited about the Victorian sofa, love seat and chair she just acquired.

Interestingly, she found her antique Victorian furniture on Craigslist. It had been posted for five days, and the only reason it hadn’t sold was because it didn’t have any accompanying photos. That’s something to look out for. Given how excited Jill is, I suspect she got a pretty good deal on it.

Take a look at the photo she provides. You can click on it to enlarge it and see the detail of the carving. Very elegant suite.

Click here to take a look.

Technorati Tags: Antique, Antiques, Chair, Craigslist, Furniture, Love Seat, Sofa, Victorian

I came across a newspaper article about a woman named Jean Barnes who restores antique Victorian furniture in a shop in Stantonsburg, North Carolina. She started her business 32 years ago, with a bit of personal experience and the need to support her children. She also had a love of history and inherited a few antiques from her grandfather.

Jean specializes in Victorian pieces with woods like mahogany and walnut that are uncommon today. She even supplies furniture for movie sets.

As she is interviewed, Jean discusses an 1860 Victorian sofa, with a hand-carved, walnut back. “A good piece of antique furniture is constructed so much better than the newer stuff; the craftsmanship is better.”

“You cannot get wood like this new,” she says.

Take a look at the article. It will remind you why we love this furniture so much.

Technorati Tags: Antique, Antiques, Craftsmanship, Furniture, Restoration, Sofa, Victorian