Design2Share: Where this lovely little vase come from, George?

George Evans: The Daum glassworks, located in Nancy, France, had its zenith during the years from 1890 to 1930, produced gorgeous deco and art glass like this vase. The house of Daum was begun in 1875 when Jean Daum co-financed a Nancy-based glassworks. The venture went through financially rocky times and Daum wound up buying out his colleagues and venturing off on his own. His sons Auguste and Antonin helped to bring financial calm and artistic growth to the glassworks. In 1894, Emile Galle set up his new glassworks empire in Nancy, and the local competition and amazing design savvy of Galle no doubt jumpstarted stronger creative efforts from the house of Daum. Daum's existence today is also testament to Daum's historic staying power.

GE: Daum was red hot during the time that this vase was made. Starting in 1898, the Daum glassworks started making illuminated table lamps that positioned lights that illuminated multiple layers of cameo glass. The effect was lustrous and richly layered, and we can see that rich layering of cameo glass and painted decoration in our vase. 

D2S: What process was used to make this vase?

GE: This is a prime example of Cameo Glass. In this process, there are different layers of glass used to form the delicate vase shape, and the glass is almost carved -- the process is called acid etching -- then enameled to apply the decoration.

D2S: And your comments on the decoration?

GE: Delicate floral decoration, executed with a fine hand, but definitely not "paint by numbers." This is an Art Noveau style of art, focusing on organic, floral, and nature themes. The flowers, twisted and freeflowing stems, the skyline background, and beautiful leaves show a great naturalistic style.

As a retreat from the rigid formality and relative uptight quality of the Victorian style, Art Noveau presented a romantic, beautiful, dynamic, and flowing antidote to what had come before in design. Of course the Art Noveau lines cleaned up and became more modern and streamlined to help create Art Deco. 

Notable are the wavy, freeflowing, natural lines of the flowers and leaves and the wide range of colors used to decorate the vase. The colors make this piece very desirable. I recommend that the vase be placed with an uplight or other type of illumination to bring out the teriffic colors of this piece.

Photo credit: Phenix Antiques

Design2Share: This is a very interesting group of pottery you've brought for us to see.

George Evans: I was drawn to this collection of seven hand-thrown ceramic items because they were inspired by some of the greats of contemporary pottery. Three greats came to mind for me immediately. Hans Coper was a famous British potter known for his rough and experimental abstract pottery. He would create works on the wheel, but then alter the shapes by hand to create the desired forms. Coper worked closely with and learned from Dame Lucie Rie, almost the Godmother of Pottery, who recently died in 1995. Her first pots were done in Vienna in 1923 after she enrolled in the famous Wiener Werkstatte. Eva Zeisel, over a hundred years young and still going strong, has had a run of amazing pottery work. Her modern forms are beautifully executed, and she has received international acclaim for her work.

Studio pottery has a rich tradition both in England and the United States. Working alone or in small groups, studio potters thrived at first on making utilitarian and functional wares, but in the mid 1900s, they turned to more experimental works. This put pottery squarely into the cutting edge of artistic expression along with poetry, painting, sculpture, dance, and other performing arts. All the arts tend to influence one another, so studio pottery now has a tendency to flow freer, take more daring risks, and follow a looser, surer artistic form than mass-produced pottery. Works like the ones we're showcasing this week tend to show how pottery has evolved into "ceramic art" or just plain "art."

GE: We’re not certain where the pieces came from or their specific provenance other than the fact that each piece has a small circular seal stamped on the bottom. It’s a very intriguing collection of contemporary pieces that came from someone who obviously knew what they were doing. It’s very difficult to throw pieces with such nice uniformity in the shapes, so that’s why these are very Coper in feel. Perhaps like Coper, these pieces might have been created on a wheel, then altered by hand.

D2S: Into what style would you say these pottery pieces belong?

GE: The Danish Modern influence is very strong. But look at this photo of a small ceramic pot done by Hans Coper, the British great. Our pieces are definitely inspired by his work.

D2S: You could use these pieces around the home in a number of ways, couldn’t you?

GE: Yes, you could display them in a breakfront or a Danish Modern bookshelf and they would look wonderful. Try putting them together on a coffee table or dining table to form a fantastic tablescape. Marry these pieces with any mid-Twentieth Century modern furniture, Danish Modern rugs, and Scandinavian wall tapestries and other forms of contemporary art. Mix them with glass art pieces, too, for a variety of textures, forms, and colors.

Photo credit: Primavera

Design2Share: These chairs remind us a little bit of King Arthur's throne, and they have that quirky Mediterranean furniture funkiness that was huge during the 1960s.

George Evans: The look of these chairs is pure fun. The entire Hollywood Regency movement took furniture forms from the 1930s and embellished them with gilt, flamboyance, and ornamentation starting in the 1950s. Mind you, good Hollywood Regency pieces do not scream at you. They decorate in a beautiful, glamorous way, yet they recede a bit into the background and are not over scaled. The movement is all about decoration and flair, but the rooms done up with Hollywood Regency pieces were always meant to accommodate large groups of people. These are real Party-Party pieces.

D2S: How did this furniture movement begin?

GE: As the name implies, it's a film-based design innovation, appealing to and at the same time made popular by the major stars of the 1930s like Joan Crawford. "Hollywood Regency" is a fairly recent term, coined within the past ten years, to describe a lot of furniture that was made in the 1950s that took elements from Hollywood's Golden Era and reinterpreted them.The look that inspired these midcentury design interpretations came from top 1930s designers like William "Billy" Haines and Dorothy Draper. Look at this room done by William Haines Designs, for instance. You'll see the eclectic mix of furniture styles, with luxury being the overarching theme. You'll see an emphasis on glamour, smaller scale, comfort, and subtle color (but when used, it really pops). The furniture makers who designed our dining chairs were inspired by these Haines elements.

Our dining chairs have a decorative flair to the seat backs. The quatrefoil motif is ornamental, but simple and architectural. The wrought iron is slinky, curvy, and sensual -- another hallmark of Hollywood Regency. The brass balls on top of the seat backs are the right kind of decoration and "gilt" to put them squarely in this style movement.

The wrought-iron treatment also reminds me of some of the mid-century modern pieces designed by Tommy Parzinger. Here's one of his sofas, and you'll see how the wrought-iron back reminds me of our dining chairs. The chairs were also influenced by Morris Lapidus and his Miami-based curvy, swinging, clean-but-decorative designs.

D2S: The chairs are very architectural, aren't they?

GE: Yes, for sure. The Lapidus analogy is apt since his designs in the 1950s were extremely architectural, both in the buildings he designed and in the interiors he influenced.

And there's also something fun about the black patent leather seat cushions. The use of unexpected materials is another Hollywood Regency influence, and we're starting to see more glamorous and shiny materials like patent leather showing up in otherwise very serious furnishings. The Hollywood Regency decorating style is very hot right now.

D2S: How would you decorate with these chairs, George?

GE: They would go well with a deco dining room table or a contemporary one. Think how nice they would look with a glass-topped dining table or a Paul Evans table! Look up Diamond Baratta Design and their interiors; these chairs remind me of many of their whimsical pieces and their portfolio will give you some great decorating ideas for these chairs.

It might be fun to use a pair of the chairs by the front door as hall chairs, flanking a console; use the other chairs throughout the house -- like flanking a fireplace, at a desk, or in a master suite dressing room. And when you have a big dinner and need the extra seating, you can bring all six chairs together around the table; they're subtle enough to blend in with any dining room set, yet their style is strong and will add extra punch. 

Photo credits: artnet, HGTV.com

Design2Share: Art Deco seemed to be one of those furniture styles that produced an amazingly diverse range of home decor, George. Last week's Paul Frankl chairs were great examples of American streamlined moderne, but this is something different, isn't it?

George Evans: Yes, the French deco pieces are known for their restraint, simplicity, clean lines, sensuality, and extreme sophistication. The pieces produced by Jules Leleu are particularly sophisticated examples of French art deco. The piece we're showcasing this week is almost totally unadorned, but it's streamlined and subtle to perfection. The central stylized inlaid wreath of mother of pearl and exotic woods is a nod to past periods and styles, yet it does fit in with Deco. There's almost a nationalistic kind of feel in this piece with the simplicity of the styling and the wreath that's just plopped onto this wonderful expansive and blank wooden canvas. Sweet and lovely detailing.

D2S: What can you tell us about the armoire's construction?

GE: This armoire or wardrobe is large and important, being 5 feet wide and almost 6 feet tall. But it is also handsome and restrained. The four doors are bookmatch veneer and the hazelnut wood is not common, yet it is uncommonly warm. The joinery is great and the veneer work is unparalled. This piece was likely made for a cient with no expenses spared, and in that respect, it's like a couture garment. It's a custom, handmade piece of furniture.

The piece's simple construcion is a key to its elegance. It provides necessary storage for any home, but its style is unparalled. This is also an unusual height. We often see 7-foot-tall armoires in the U.S. or pieces that are 6 feet 6 inches or 3 feet tall; so this just-over-5-foot height is exciting. The solid top is great for displaying pictures, vases, or other accessories.

The legs are fantastic. The sides are hefty and chunky with brass feet, with a little curly flourish on top. Leleu often put the same leg on much narrower pieces, and those pieces had a kind of clunkiness about them. Having these legs on such a wide piece is a nice change, and the proportions are great with a kind of lightness about the whole effect.

Of course we need to make a tip of the hat to the ebenistes or cabinetmakers who worked on this fantastic piece. The people who worked on this armoire probably continued a long family tradition of fine cabinetmaking.

D2S: What do we know about Leleu?

GE: His work was always very important, and this wardrobe is typical of his style. Born in 1883, Leleu took over his family's painting business, then he expanded into interior design with his brother. World War I came and went, and he turned to furniture design, opening up a shop in Paris in 1924. Pictured on the left is the celebrated interior he created for the 1925 Exposition Industrielle et Arts Decoratifs ("Arts Decoratifs" was shortened after the exposition to "Art Deco," and the rest is history). He designed the Grand Salon of the Ambassadors at the Society of Nations in Geneva, several French embassies in various countries, whole home decorating schemes, and in the 1930s was commissioned to design furnishings for many steamships. His designs extended to hardware, rugs, and other decor pieces. He died in 1961.

D2S: Where would you put this armoire in an interior design scheme, George?

GE: This piece is large and important, and it would anchor a wall beautifully. You can flank the piece with a pair of chairs. It would be a great addition to any bedroom or living room, but don't rule it out as a practical and beautiful storage solution for your home office. Some homeowners would want to convert the armoire to a bar or store a TV and home entertainment system inside. But I would leave it "as is." Enjoy its wonderful storage for folded clothes and other accessories.

Photo credits: Malik Gallery, Matrix International

Design2Share: You can't get more Art Deco than these chairs!

George Evans: You're absolutely right. Paul T. Frankl defined the Streamlined Moderne look for furniture with his Frankl Gallery designs. They mimicked the skyscraper and established sleek architectural looks that are part of the deco style family.

D2S: These chairs aren't really evocative of skyscrapers.

GE: No, but they fit the streamlined design of Frankl's other works. These chairs were called Speed because they were fashioned after the popular speed boats from the 1930s. Their swept-back lines comprise extremely comfortable club chairs that look like sleek boats.

D2S: What was Frankl's background?

GE: Frankl's architectural background always shows through in his 1920s wood furniture and his 1930s upholstered pieces and metal furniture. He set up shop in New York, after arriving in 1914 from his native Vienna and formal studies in Berlin. His Skyscraper Furniture business was a big hit, setting just the right note for toney jazz agers, and he featured modern textiles and European wallpaper imports along with furnishings.

Los Angeles drew Frankl westward in 1934; Frankl taught design at USC and Chouinard Art Institute as well as relocating his business to Rodeo Drive. His furniture became a fashion hit with the Hollywood crowd. Devotees included Fred Astaire, Kathryn Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Alfred Hitchcock. Frankl's style evolved and he produced mass market furniture in the 1950s. He died in 1958. 

D2S: What else can you tell us about these chairs, George?

GE: Frankl's skyscraper designs, as in the bookcase and desk on the right, are classic art deco styles that emphasize the vertical perspective. Their lines draw the eye upward. Our Speed Chairs, however, are part of the streamlined moderne tradition that uses horizontal lines borrowed from sleek vehicles  -- ocean liners, racing cars, airplanes, and speedboats.

The chairs have an amazing fabric, new to the chairs, with a jazz theme on the seats. It's a luxurious fabric, warm toned and clubby. The scale is wonderful, too, with the wide arms that you could land an airplane on. These wide arms and the small, slender backrest are hallmarks of the Frankl design ethos.

D2S: How can we decorate with these chairs?

GE: Use them to flank a fireplace or put them as traditional club chairs in a sofa seating mix. Their sense of style, almost reminiscent of Rockefeller Center, would look great in a home with contemporary furniture. Use them as reading chairs in a library room with dark wood walls. And can't you see them in a condo by the ocean? Their boat-like breeziness would pick up on the water theme amazingly.

The wit of these chairs would help them fit into any interior design scheme that doesn't take itself too seriously. Their huge arms and tiny backs create a dynamic tension and quirkiness that can play well with other tongue-in-cheek pieces.

I hope you look into our Pair of Paul Frankl Speed Chairs. They would add iconic deco flavor to your decorating scheme, as well as give you some great 20th Century American furniture collectibles.

Photo credits: Yale University Press, Art Deco

Design2Share: John Henry? We've heard that name before!

George Evans: There is definitely the mythical John Henry, the steel-driving railroad worker born with a hammer in his hand, who blasted through mountains to make railroad tunnels and drove steel spikes to set new tracks into unchartered American territory.

Interestingly enough, the real-life sculptor John Henry, is also a steel-driving man in his own right. He works with iron to create sculptures on small, medium, and very large scales from his Chattanooga, Tennessee studio in an old hosiery factory. His work is widely collected in private and museum collections, he's taught in a number of college fine art programs, he is the Curator for the Outdoor Museum of Art at Chattanooga State, and his works of art can be found in many public places around the world.

D2S: What is the size of this piece being offered through one of your Bond & Bowery dealers?

GE: It's a medium-sized work -- 53 inches tall, 33 inches wide, and 30 inches deep. So it's not one of John Henry's monumental sculptures destined to grace a public park or an open space. This study is directly from the artist, not passing through any previous owner, so we think this is a great opportunity to own a John Henry original. While this is a "study," we are not certain that he ever went ahead and executed a larger-scale Cold Mountain work.  

D2S: Where would you put a sculpture like this in a residential setting?

GE: Many of John Henry's works are right outside, and his background is in outdoor sculpture. With a work this size, you would want to find a special spot in your yard, patio, or pool area. Make sure there is a good way to view the piece from all sides. The work's composition of straight lines and flat planes creates a powerful upward, mountain-like thrust that will invite everyone to take a walk around the work and admire how its composition changes from different angles.

If you install it in a garden, I suggest mounting it on a slab of stone to give it extra height. It's the perfect piece to add a focal point to a garden plot, and the juxtaposition of the sculpture's hard iron edges with soft garden greenery and colorful flowers would look incredible.

But feel free to use the Study for Cold Mountain indoors, too. Its smaller scale makes it perfect for indoors. Set it on a stone or lucite stand, or elevate it on a table. It would look stunning in a foyer or any double-volume-height room, and it would add a contemporary art note to any room and start the conversation flowing!

D2S: So outdoor sculpture could come indoors?

GE: Absolutely; and why not? So many outdoor rooms now have area rugs, coffee tables, lamps, and other furniture and accessories once thought of only for indoor decorating. It works the other way, too. With today's garden rooms and conservatories, we're bringing a lot of the outdoors inside. John Henry's piece would contribute to the great look of any residential outdoor or indoor space.

I hope you look into John Henry's Study for Cold Mountain. It would add diversity and contemporary flair to your home art collection, wherever you decide to install it.

Photo credit: Ruder Finn Press

Design2Share: This is a strikingly hip piece, don't you think?

George Evans: Without a doubt. The distinctive curve and flared arms of the Sculptura wire mesh furniture line is classic in Modernist or Mid-Century Modern design. In this case, we have everything in the original condition, and that's unusual. We have the original orange vinyl cushions, and many cushions were removed from the wire mesh over the years or were recovered. We also have the original bronze finish on the wire mesh, which now has a rich patina. So many Sculptura pieces have been covered with coats of paint.

Our dealer was fortunate to find this piece; its previous owners had always enjoyed it on a covered patio room and never directly exposed it to the elements.   

D2S: From a design perspective, how would you break down this sofa, George?

GE: The design, with its curves and graceful legs, is very sensual and contemporary. It looks ergonomically pleasing and invites you to sit down. A designer told me that the Sculptura line has enjoyed a long manufacturing life, being produced as new furniture. Woodard had a showroom at 200 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, and eight or nine years ago, this piece was still being featured. Woodard Furniture is still going strong today, but they don't seem to be carrying on the designs of Russel Woodard and the business is no longer under Woodard family ownership.

The impact of Russel Woodard's designs were tremendous; his stylings are iconic parts of 20th Century design, much like an Eero Saarinen table is still being made because of its beauty and clean design. There were probably millions of Sculptura pieces made in their time, but we believe that few have been preserved as well as our sofa without being refinished, losing their vinyl cushions, or having owners whip out their spray cans and coat them in a different color.

It's also unusual to find this sofa size in such good condition. It's not uncommon, however, to find a pair of Sculptura chairs.

D2S: What can you tell us about Russel Woodard?

GE: It's hard to find much information on his personal life, like when he was born and if he is still alive. But here's what I do know. His grandfather, Lyman Woodard, started a furniture company in 1866 in Owosso, Michigan. They used the timber plentiful in northern Michigan and in 1882 branched out into caskets, becoming the largest casket manufacturer in the U.S. The furniture business started fading fast, however, when in the 1930s the supply of timber began drying up. By 1930, Russel and his brothers Lyman and Joseph managed the Woodard business and introduced the first hand-crafted wrought-iron furniture line. The casual furniture and outdoor furniture business was born as a result of their work and they branched off into aluminum and other lines and their company is now the Woodward Company, no longer under family ownership. Its headquarters in now in Chicago, with manufacturing still in Owosso and now also in China.

D2S: Where would you use this sofa?

GE: I recommend that it be used in a very funky and unexpected way. Because our sofa hasn't been painted and repainted, still preserving its bronze patina on the wire mesh, it makes it all the more appropriate for indoor decorating. I wouldn't automatically go into decorating default mode with this item and say it's got to go outdoors, on the patior, by the pool, or on a three-season porch or front porch. Place it on a bare hardwood floor atop a great area rug, like on a hide or fluffy Flokati rug.

Wouldn't this sofa look great paired with a Milo Baughman piece or a Modernist daybed? Or how about something with an organic shape like a Vladimir Kagen chaise? Many Modernist pieces are hard edged or totally Jetsons trippy, but the Sculptura sofa is in in neither camp. Even though it's made of metal, this sofa has a design softness about it that is pleasing. And, okay, you could use it outside, but just keep it under an enclosure so it will stay well preserved.

I hope you look into our Russel Woodard Sculptura Sofa. It would add Modernist flair to your home, and give you a great 20th Century classic with enduring appeal.

Photo credit: Jetset Modern

Design2Share: We think this lamp is quite charming. Can you tell us a bit about Handel lamps?

George Evans: Our lamp is an iconic example of the products that Philip Julius Handel created. He founded his company in the late 1800s; he first partnered for seven years with Adolph Eydom (Eydom & Handel Company) before Handel bought him out in 1892. His Meriden, Connecticut operation grew and he moved in 1893 to New York City. Handel Company, Inc. focused on making gas and oil lamp shades, one of several companies inspired by Tiffany (Miller was another). In the late 1800s they also started to make "electroliers," as the new electric lamps were called. The company added glass accessories like vases, ashtrays, bookends, sconces, and candlesticks to its growing catalog, but the Handel operation closed its doors in 1936, hit hard by the Depression.

This lamp is representative of Handel Company's popular craftsmanship, sporting an 18-inch domical shade with obverse or reverse painting and a base with bronze patina.

D2S: How was this lamp manufactured, George?

GE: The bases were usually made of a zinc alloy with a bronze finish applied, but some bases were actual bronze. The shades started out as clear blown glass forms. They were given to staff artists, many of whom were quite accomplished, like Henry Schmidt who had worked for Louis Comfort Tiffany. A watercolor of the required design was given to them along with the shade and the artist copied the design onto the inside of the shade using enamel paints.

The painters were quite creative, and they most often deviated from the watercolor templates they were given, adding extra trees, flowers, or other decorations. That's why no two Handel lampshades are exactly alike, even if multiple lamps share the same design number and were painted by the same artist. This fulfilled Handel's mission for the company, to combine individual craftsmanship with creative accomplishment.

The enamel paints from the artist were fired into the glass, making them permanent. The outside of the shade was then sandblasted, then coated with fish glue (yes, glue made from fish!), and then there was another firing that gave the shade its frosted "chipped ice" look when the fish glue, which bonds to the glass, crackles during the firing. You'll often see a Handel lamp described as "chipped," but that refers to this firing rather than a defect in the shade.

D2S: How would you describe this particular Handel lamp?

GE: It's a classic item from the Handel works, with the chipped shade and a very attractive Oriental pagoda standing out atop a wooded landscape; there's a pale blue sky and a background touch that's quite nice with boats on a lake. We're looking at around 1920 as the date for this piece, and that would coincide well with America's fascination with Chinoiserie (anything China-esque or Oriental in subject matter).

The lamp has a very Arts & Crafts feel to it. It's a very commercial piece, with a popular and romantic motif, and it no doubt appealed to a broad spectrum of the American public.

D2S: How are Handel lamps regarded today?

GE: Most Handel lamps run in the thousands of dollars, but extremely rare pieces fetch over $100,000. Since they were more commercial than Tiffany, Tiffany lamps will run much higher in value. If the Handel shade has been signed by the artist and if the base is bronze, that adds to the piece's value (see the Handel lamp below, which went for over $20,000 at auction; it had a signed shade by its artist). Handel lamps are consistently represented at fine auction houses around the United States and antique dealers carry them because there is quite a strong collectors market out there. Seventy-five or more years after their manufacture, Handel lamps are widely recognized as works of art and "paintings" in their own regard when the shades have this hand-painted treatment. 

Another important aspect of the value of Handel lamps is their Americana value. Ours is a prototypical early 20th Century crafts piece, typical of our country's interest in Chinoiserie and its exotic appeal to the average American family. The Chinoiserie element with the pagoda lends a kind of elegance to the piece and the proportions are very pleasing. The treatment on the exterior of the shade also makes the light very soft, which is a conscious tie to the sensuous shape of the shade and base.

D2S: Where could we use this Handel lamp in a home decorating scheme?

GE: This would be beautiful on a piano, and there are few lamps that look attractive on pianos. Put it on any round table. You can add this to a very formal interior design scheme, any Art Deco interior, a low-key and elegant high-end interior, a Prairie School and Arts & Crafts style interior, and also some Asian-inspired decorating schemes. The coloring of the painted shade can tie in well with many decorating schemes, and I would use it anywhere where you would like to add a touch of unconventional art, from a library table or desk to a bedside night table. Add the piece where you want to add a mystical, romantic feel relating to its pleasing shape and exotic pagoda image.

I hope you look into our Handel Lamp. It would bring fine lighting artistry with a nostalgic, picturesque feel to your home.

Photo credits: Amazon, Rago, Treadway Gallery

We're interviewing George Evans, antiques and fine design expert and co-founder of Bond & Bowery, the online center for antiques and fine design. This week George brought us an ornate French Louis XV Commode by Maitre Nicolas-Jean Marchand.

Design2Share: George, we all selected this commode to share with the D2S audience because it's a real showy piece.

George Evans: Yes, it's a very decorative and beautiful work. In fact, the design community would call this a prime example of FFF.

D2S: FFF?

GE: It stands for Fine French Furniture. As a category, FFF has often been used by high-end decorators to add importance and value to a client's design project. Some FFF pieces are incredible, ornate examples of art and craftsmanship for the home. And some of these pieces have incredible provenance.

D2S: We hear the word provenance a lot when it comes to French furniture. What does that mean exactly?

GE: It's the difference between a piece of furniture selling for thousands of dollars versus hundreds of thousands or more. And there are different levels of provenance, or where something comes from. The origins of a piece, its provenance, can link a piece of FFF to a craftsperson. It can associate a work with certain owners. Depending on the genius level of the craftsperson and/or the celebrity of the owners, value can be added to FFF accordingly. If there is authentic paperwork to prove provenance, that is the best possible scenario. Otherwise, without paperwork, a piece is reputed to have a certain provenance based on stamps, styling, expert opinion, and so on.

D2S: Can you prove the provenance of this commode?

GE: I personally cannot say if this is or is not the work of the master furnituremaker Nicolas-Jean Marchand. Our dealer reports that the Marchand stamps are on both the marble top and the cabinetry. Are they authentic stamps or not? Is the kingwood veneer original or has the piece been reveneered? These matters impact the sales price and the ultimate value of the piece, of course.   

The dealer reports that the commode has been in one family since it was made between 1725 and 1730, a family in Clement at the Chateau de Lauroy. Were they an important family? Would their ownership of this piece impact its value and add to its provenance? I can't say anything on the matter with certainty.

My advice to anyone interested in purchasing this beautifully decorative piece of FFF is simply, love it for what it is that you can see with your eyes. To me, this commode is beautiful. It is handsomely made and would cost a fortune to design and reproduce in today's economy. The size of the piece is impressive -- 50.5 inches wide, 25 inches deep, and 34.5 inches high. It's proportions, size, and marquetry kingwood veneer construction are fantastic.

An 18th Century commode without a provenance and a marquee craftsman can still be very expensive, sometimes in the mid to high five figures. We are not capable hundreds of years after this piece was made to execute furniture design this well.

If you are a serious furniture investor, you will need to explore the provenance further, with the help of the dealer and experts that you have retained. 

The highest volume of the best FFF winds up being sold at auction through Sotheby's or Christie's or other top auction houses. Other FFF pieces, even important ones, can wind up in a dealer's hands, but buyers with investment and provenance at the top of their minds should review these items further.

D2S: This would not be the first time you've advised us to love a piece for its own style and merits.

GE: That's correct. If you're stuck living with a piece of investment art or furniture you personally detest, then it doesn't matter how valuable the work is. You should love what you buy, no matter what it is reputed to be. Appreciate it on its own merits. If it's reputed to a master craftsperson or if it's reputed to be owned by a royal family or celebrities of note, bring in experts to help you make the buying decision.

D2S: We personally love this commode. Where would we use it in home decorating?

GE: This type of commode, to back up just a bit, is a chest of drawers. Typically a commode has a marble top with bronze or brass hardware and two or three drawers. It's a piece of case furniture and was most often used in the bedroom. Feel free, however, to use ours in other parts of your home. It would look great in an entry foyer. Use it as a server in a dining room and store table linens in the drawers. It's absolutely appropriate for the living room, too. Try pairing it up with Lucite chairs and other modern pieces to give it a timeless punch. Because of its decorative nature, add it to a room as you would any piece of sculpture or art.

The style of this commode will never go out of fashion. You can use it in any classic, elegant interior. One designer friend called this "a dream of a piece and perfection in its styling." As a piece of Fine French Furniture that transcends time and style trends, it is formidably decorative and is sure to be an heirloom that will be passed down to family members for generations.

I hope you look into our French Louis XV Commode. It would add an over-the-top dose of FFF to your home.

Photo credit: Spectrum

Design2Share: George, please tell us a bit more about this painting.

George Evans: It's a 1986 oil by then-British artist Peter Nadin. It's a large canvas, 62 inches wide by 72 inches high, so it makes quite a statement. View E was part of a series of six Views paintings by Nadin created for a gallery show he had in 1992 at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven.

D2S: Is this work typical of other Nadin works of art?

GE: It's a good question, basically because after 1992, Nadin left the art scene and retreated from the commercial art world. He moved from England with his wife to the U.S. and set up his home base in NYC's Greenwich Village, handy for his art education duties at Cooper Union. He and his wife bought a 500-acre farm in the northern slopes of the Catskills in Cornwallville, New York. He basically went back to nature and tried "to unlearn how to make art." He got in touch with the animals, from hogs to bees, and is now producing works of art that are "relics" of life on his farm.

You might say that View E is a work that shows Nadin's fascination with the road we all travel as human beings. Okay, I'm stretching it here, but the painting invites us to join the artist on a journey into the horizon. It's to me as if Nadin saw a ghostly image of his future work where he would try to return to a less painterly mode. 

D2S: Can you explain that a bit more?

GE: When artists reach mid-career, many of them start to question their artistic direction. Do they like where they've gone before? Is this the direction they want to continue to go in? Do they need to take a break and regain personal bearings? Do they need new artistic inspiration from muses they haven't tapped into before? My guess is that Peter Nadin took the time off, turned to academia from commercial art, changed scenery, spent quality time on his beloved Old Field Farm, and went back to the land. Many artists have gathered inspiration from nature, and Nadin is no exception.

There's a great article from the NY Times about Nadin's love of his farm and how he got in touch with the animals there, called Pork Chops He Has Known.

D2S: Now that we've completely entered the realm of pure speculation and conjecture -- do you think that his farm helped him segue from paintings like View E into something completely different?

GE: His new works are different and more primal. Now you have to realize that Peter Nadin, while not the biggest name in today's contemporary art scene, experienced many years of strong commercial artistic success. His works are in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, and museums throughout western Europe.

His First Mark exhibition in 2007 was his return to the commercial art scene, with 76 paintings and sculptures. That included works where he made marks on linen using farm materials, everything from honey and beeswax to chicken eggs and cashmere wool from his sheep. It reduced his artwork to elemental substances and processes.

You can see a video of Peter Nadin describing his Pig Mark Swine Stain collaborative art experience at 2007 Art Basel in Miami Beach.

D2S: What would your advice be for art collectors and homeowners regarding this particular Peter Nadin work?

GE: If you are drawn to View E, that would be your best reason to acquire this work of art. Nadin's work is not expensive. Many collectors specialize in living artists who are widely collected and whose prices are reasonable. Peter Nadin is very talented and is in the middle of his career, so this is often a good time to make a purchase. On a pure investment level, this would be a "buy and hold" proposition, holding the work until the artist has a more meteoric rise in fortunes.

But I prefer to value fine art on a purely aesthetic level. I see this as a beautiful abstract impressionist work. The colors are pleasing and can tie in with most any decorating scheme. And there is an added decorating bonus. Horizon pictures like View E are fantastic additions to any room because they add depth of field and great scale, extending the walls and making a room seem larger.

I hope you look into Peter Nadin's View E. It would add a talented artist's painterly touch to your collection.

Photo credits: Art Nexus, Buy.com