The Antiques Clinic: A Guide to Damage, Care, and RestorationNearly everybody has a small art object in the attic, or a piece of unusual porcelain in a cabinet, or perhaps a very old table or chair -- but has no clear idea of the item's value. It might have no value at all -- or it might be worth thousands! How do you begin to find out? This handsomely illustrated large-format volume is a good place to start the investigation. It offers advice on how to identify the key characteristics, shapes, and forms by style from every historical period. Author and antiques expert Paul Davidson discusses objects of every kind: architecture, room interiors, furniture, cabinets, pottery, glassware, metalware, porcelain figurines and vases, clocks, cutlery, dolls, and much more. He educates his readers in -- The art of dating antiques ... -- The ability to identify styles by name, time, and place of manufacture ... -- An understanding of how styles are born, evolve, and are adapted to many different media, from architecture to silverware, ceramics, and textiles ... -- What to look out for when buying a piece, establishing whether or not it has been repaired, and knowing whether or not repairs matter. He also provides an international time line and shape identifier that covers major style periods: Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and all other important trends and movements. There are more than 600 full-color illustrations, a detailed glossary, and an index. Here is must-reading for amateur collectors, antique hunters, buyers, sellers, auction-goers, and everybody who is fascinated by arts and crafts |
Common terms and phrases
19th-century acid-free tissue acidic animal glue antique areas Bakelite barometer base bisque bracket clocks bronze brush cane canvas carpet carriage clock carved cause century ceramic chair chandelier chips cleaning cloisonné cloth Coade stone color condition conservator corrosion cotton cotton swab cracks damage damp decanter decoration delicate deterioration devalue dial dirt discoloration doll dowels drawers dust earthenware easily electroplating enamel engraved example fabric fiber finish flatware flatweave fragile frame furniture gesso gilding glass glaze glue gold handling humidity Jasperware jewelry joints lacquer layer legs light mantel clocks marble marquetry materials matte surface metal mold mounts Museum object original ormolu paint paperweight patina pendulum piece polished porcelain remove repair replaced resins restoration RESTORER'S BRIEF retouched scratches sheffield plate silver soft solder split stable stains stitching stone stoneware stretchers style surface tarnish temperature textile threads veneer vulnerable warp wear weft wood woodworm worn writing desk