Saturday, August 28, 2010
It measures approximately 6” by 5 ½” by 2” tall. There is but one tiny fleck on the underside of the rim.
I don’t see any signs of use. It was probably put in a china cabinet, and there it stayed. I’d guess 1920s or somewhere in that range.
The little bite is indicated by my red arrows. That is about the only angle from which it can be seen.
The person who came up with the idea of using that quote from Hamlet was probably thinking that this “consummation devoutly to be wished” meant that the hand he’d been dealt was a good thing. Quite to the contrary, Hamlet, in the famous “To be or not to be” dialogue was addressing the existential questions of life and death. ”To die: to sleep: Nor more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to; ‘tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die; to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream:”
RANDOM 341 OBJECT
Antique ACOMA PUEBLO Indian Pottery JAR / VASE-$73
Pottery from Acoma was known for its quality long before the automobile brought more and more tourists to the area. Their pots were in great demand by the Hopi and others. This pot likely dates to around 1910 or slightly earlier, and it has remained chip and crack free.
It is not decorated with the intricate lavishness seen on much of the Acoma pots today, nor is it constructed with the precision developed over that last half century or so. It is a piece from another time – a time before most of the world began to recognize it as a delightful and unique Native American art form and collectors came out of the woodwork.
It is clearly marked “Acoma, N. M.,” but there are some other markings which may or may not give us a clue as to the name of the potter – possibly even the date and original price. Wouldn’t THAT be fun!
You’ll notice some age and fire toning and some wearing of the design here and there, but none of it is serious by any means. It is simply evidence of it being handled hundreds of times over the years.
Friday, August 27, 2010
RANDOM 341 OBJECT
Antique CHINESE Export B & W CANTON TUREEN w HOG Heads-$104
A long, long time ago, someone had a bad day. They dropped great-grandmother’s tureen lid. They didn’t exactly break it to smithereens, but it did break into three pieces and snapped off the finial. Later it was taken to one of those old timey restorers who used metal staples or cleats to mend it. Nowadays they do “invisible” repairs.
The funny thing is that with all this old rascal has been through, there are no chips. However, there is also a line in the tureen.
There’s that line in the tureen I mentioned. So I guess what I’m really saying is: “If it weren’t for the line in the bowl, it would be in perfect condition, if it wasn’t for the busted lid.
