Saturday, January 23, 2010
RANDOM DECOY
RANDOM 341 OBJECT
FINE RARE Antique WICKER PARLOR TABLE Heywood Wakefield-sold $1,501
I don’t care how many auctions you attend or how many estates you prowl, you’re very unlikely to ever discover one of these exuberant Victorian parlor tables in this condition. Add to that the fact that it retains its original finish, and you’ve got yourself a rare bird indeed.
By the way: Did I mention it is by HEYWOOD BROTHERS & WAKEFIELD COMPANY? Well it is, and the original label remains on the bottom.
That means it was made between 1897 and 1921. My best guess is that it dates to right around the earlier part of the period up to 1910 when interior design still favored the graceful, sometime exaggerated forms we think of as Victorian, or more precisely in this case, Edwardian. Within a very short time, the Arts & Crafts movement began to have a profound influence.
I hope you’ve already noticed the subtle green wicker woven into the “natural.” That is just one of the things that elevates this table to another level in the general category of antique wicker. Condition is another.
I hope you’ve already noticed the subtle green wicker woven into the “natural.” That is just one of the things that elevates this table to another level in the general category of antique wicker. Condition is another.
That’s the label, of course. I can’t make out the form or style number. It was likely written in pencil. However, the rest is easily read. “Heywood Brothers Wakefield Company – Chicago, Ill. U.S.A.”
For Heaven’s sake! No wonder it has remained so solid and strong!
RANDOM ONION
God's Wrath According To Pat Robertson
700 Club founder Pat Robertson stated that the earthquake in Haiti, which may have killed 100,000 people, was God's punishment for a deal Haitian slaves made with the devil 200 years ago to get out from under French rule. Here are some other tragedies and Robertson's explanations for them:
Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980: Divine wrath was incurred when people were too busy enjoying the natural beauty of Washington state and not spending enough time appreciating God
Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion, 1986: Ten-year-old Walt Sudul, of Racine, WI, made friends with a Jewish boy at school
Oakland Hills Firestorm, 1991: Emily Garrity pointed out a logical inconsistency in the concept of an omnipotent god to her Sunday school teacher
Magic Johnson Tests Positive for HIV, 1991: An ardent Portland Trail Blazers fan, God was horrified to see His team lose 4-2 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1991 Western Conference Finals, and thus decided to give the winner's best player AIDS
Crash of American Airlines Flight 587, 2001: Though the flight was filled with pious individuals, God was distracted by a masturbating 14-year-old in Boise, ID and was therefore unable to keep the aircraft from falling apart in midair, like all planes would without His loving intervention
Columbine High School Massacre, 1999: Tinky Winky
Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2004: Newlyweds Todd and Nancy Tate experimented with non-missionary sex during their honeymoon
Hurricane Katrina, 2005: Divine retribution for Girls Gone Wild: Mardi Gras (Volume 3)
RANDOM 341 OBJECT
1984 NUDE FEMALE Drawing INDIANA Artist RICK SCHROEDER-unsold might be the skull.
The title of the work is Saturday Night, Sunday Morning. Until I saw that skull at the bottom, I thought I fully understood reason for the title. The gal, who’s nekked as a jaybird (left) looks like she just got home from a rather boisterous Saturday night out. Then, in the center, she’s all cleaned up for Sunday School. Then there’s that danged skull. What’s THAT all about?!
I mean . . . what’s not to like? (I could do without the pearls, but that’s just me.)
To me, that’s the sexiest pose. Just as death is part of the life experience, anticipation is a large part of any intimate encounter. (In neither case is it the best part, but it’s part of the whole deal anyway.)
