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oriental antique furniture Article Of The Month

Antiques -The Past Never Goes Out Of Style

By Michael Russell

As a society, we all must be a little paranoid. We can barely contain ourselves, waiting for the next techno gadget to make our lives better. And even if our lives isn't better for owning it; we have to buy it anyway, just to keep up with the Jones'. As soon as we get this new toy, it's great, at least for a little while. We eventually get bored with our new toy. We start to misplace it, lose it, it doesn't even matter anymore because we've completely lost interest. Slowly but surely we start to buy more and more new gadgets, but it doesn't matter because they all seem to end up in the same place. Somewhere, in the back of our closet, gathering dust, with all the other super incredible gadgets that we once ran out to buy. We really don't want to throw the old toys away because we might want to use them again; but as time passes and objects start to pile-up, we reluctantly make the choice to dispose of our old toys, to make room for the new.

They say, "everything that is old, becomes new again". Styles come in cycles, so if you're around long enough, an old style will become new again. This concept really does apply to fashion. It's amazing to see clothing styles from 20 and 30 years ago, brought back as the latest fashion. But we can only wonder, if it's the clothes, or the fact that the people wearing them are so young that they have no clue that their style has been done before.

Maybe it's our human need to stay somehow connected to the past; that has driven us to create an industry for the past. And this industry would be that of antiques. Yes, antiques, that old junk that was left behind by our great-great ancestors. No one has really created a definition for antiques that everyone agrees on; but a more general description is, objects that have reached an age which makes them a witness of a previous era in human society.

Objects, which are antiques, usually show an attention to detail and design; like the older model automobiles. The more unique an antique is, the more valuable it's likely to be. Just about any object can become an antique if it lasts long enough. It seems very strange, that an industry like antiques, which at times appears to be like a private club, has no say so in who can enter the club. Antiques can be purchased in stores, or through dealers and even on the internet. There are many people who have become dedicated in shopping for antiques; and they don't just do it from home, but they travel around the country, hoping to find a special piece.

It's amazing how society can create an industry, where apparently one didn't exist. In antiques, people are basically salivating over objects that many of us would've considered old junk. Yet, we have lots of people willing to pay great deals of money for the privilege of owning an object that probably had very little value, back in its heyday.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Antiques

Hints On oriental antique furniture

Use only white glue to adhere broken pieces of porcelain, stoneware, or pottery together. After applying glue, press pieces together and shift slightly for a tight fit. Wipe off excess glue from both sides with a damp cloth and let dry. Use masking tape to hold pieces snuggly while drying if necessary.
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When repairing dolls remember that changing the original hair in any way will lower its value.
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Examine the knobs and drawer pulls. Are any missing? Is there a telltale shadow or outline in a different shape, indicating that the hardware has been replaced? Look behind the door and drawer where the hardware is affixed for old drill holes, holes that have been plugged, or modern screws and bolts�indications that this may not be the original hardware. Replacements are not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the new hardware is appropriate to the piece and of proportional quality.
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Don't use plastic bubble wrap to store silver and ceramics. Heat and humidity can cause permanent discolorations.
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Polish old carved furniture using paste wax applied with a stenciling brush. Buff using a shoe brush
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oriental antique furniture Galore

Chinese Paintings and Scrolls, Calligraphy on Antique Chinese Art Forms

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:26:47 -0600
Antique Chinese paintings and scrolls, calligraphy on wall panels, Chinese ancestor paintings, vintage art on reverse glass, porcelain and more.

Antique Maps and Old World Globes

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:26:00 -0600
Did you know that map makers for 100 years believed California wasn't always attached to the west coast of the North American continent ..and that's how they drew it on their maps - as an island. Here's an article that's a beginner's guide to Collecting Antique Maps - and tips on how to get started in this hobby.


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Antique Updates

Our Featured antique italian bedroom furniture Writer

Appraisal, Valuation and Inspired Guesswork or the Rise of TV Antique Shows and the Collecting Bug

By Howard Lewis

The Price is Right.

Once upon a time you knew precisely where you stood. You were, metaphorically speaking, peering over the shoulder of the venerable Arthur Negus, denizen of that epitome of middle class culture, The Antiques Roadshow. Now, however, you�re turning this way and that, amidst a plethora of antiques discovery programmes, as you seek to satisfy your voyeuristic craving and perhaps learn a little something as you go.

Life used to be very simple in the antique firmament on TV. Its first airing was Going for a Song in 1965, so ancient a time that England had yet to win the World Cup and I was still in short trousers, in a programme memorably described as a

�Pooterish pottery riddleathon, chaired in its glory days by Max Robertson with Arthur Negus stapled to one side for a bit of gossip. Max would then proffer a vaguely familiar looking antique loom at teams of experts and a clueless public, demanding both date and asking price. Points were awarded for the closest bid.�

That won�t ring too many bells with today�s protagonists, by all accounts. This was an age in which most educated people were expected to have a routine general knowledge of art, antiques and collecting because it suggested some hint of engagement and appreciation of the world around them. Of course, the clueless public were a convenient prop to the cardsharps around them but the scenario hasn�t deviated too far over the last forty years. Having said that, presenters could always be relied upon in yesteryear to wear a jacket and tie and a sensible haircut � this was the BBC after all � so one wasn�t confronted, as is our current misfortune, by a bunch of D listers swathed in Hawaiian tee shirts and an all over tan.

Yet the extraordinary thing is that these programmes � and, believe me, there are plenty of them � have such enduring appeal. The antiques themselves obviously play their part but the real key is the human dimension and, without exception, it is a feature of all the latter day productions that the viewing public are encouraged to make contact and tell their stories. However, whereas The Antiques Roadshow was deliberately more formal in its approach, more recent entrants are positively gushing. The three best examples of this new genre are Flog It, Bargain Hunt and Cash in the Attic, each of which, like The Antiques Roadshow, have spawned some very ugly American hatchlings. More of that anon.

Back here, we have David Dickinson, full of grandiloquent gestures and gravelly tones, hosting Bargain Hunt. Dickinson, notwithstanding that he loves the sound of his own voice, has certainly done the rounds and knows his stuff unlike the motley crew from Cash in the Attic who look like cast offs from a lifestyle channel. Bargain Hunt is not designed to be too successful but just give a taste of what could be achieved with a good eye and a judicious approach though, as ever, it is most watchable when confronted by the unexpected. One contestant so successfully bought and sold a copper log box that Dickinson, momentarily speechless, had to dispatch a crew member to an ATM to cough up enough cash when he ran short. Priceless!

Howard Lewis, Chairman http://www.invaluable.com Only Invaluable gives you unrivalled access to pre-sale and post-sale information for auction houses and salerooms across the globe. Find art, antiques and collectables. Try our Keyword search, register at http://www.invaluable.com for a free 14 day trial.

Tips About antique italian bedroom furniture

Marble sculptures will discolor from pollutants if near a window or an active fireplace. They may scorch or crack near a heater.
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Parliament Clocks. During the 18th century these large clocks were displayed in inns and taverns. They are of a plain design and approximately two to five feet in diameter. The name comes from a brief tax against clocks passed in 1787 but repealed after a few months. Popular legend holds that the clocks were displayed in protest of the tax.
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Antique Musical Instruments -Vintage Guitars

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 03:37:37 -0600
Old player pianos, vintage guitars and Vintage guitars and violins, saxaphones, horns, grand pianos, old phonographs and vintage sheet music - instruments from the past .. a history of Les Paul Vintage Gibson Guitars and news about a Very Ancient Musical Instrument - the Bagpipe - did you know it wasn't invented in Scotland but goes back to the Babylonian Empire .. and its being revived in modern music.

Old World Collectibles

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:25:35 -0600
Over 2000 items of Old World home decor and decorative collectibles, and an article about Mastering Old World Skills. The Reality TV programs of today have taught us how little we know about the old world's survival skills, or the ability to make things using old time hand tools & methods.

Oriental and Persian Area Rug Styles - Patterns and Designs

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 03:01:17 -0700
The older an oriental rug is, the greater its value. In Persian Area Rugs, the hand made rugs are one of a kind but there are many, listed by the city of production, from Arak to Tabriz and Tribal, which are the rugs woven by nomadic groups. Perhaps the most well-known of the Tabriz works are the twin Ardabil carpets most likely made for the shrine at Ardabil, today in the collections of the Victoria and Albert.