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Sunday Morning Ramble
Apr. 8th, 2018 11:56 amSunday is clock winding day. We have two clocks that don't run on batteries- old Granny Botesdale, the long case clock in the room where we do most of our living and a brass bracket clock in the living room where my mother does most of her sleeping in front of the TV. The bracket clock- I'm informed- is a Victorian copy of a 17th century original. If it were 17th century it would be worth rather a lot, as it is it isn't....
17th century clocks are valuable, 17th century furniture isn't because people don't like dark wood. We eat our meals off a gate-leg table that was made during the reign of Charles II- which I think is rather wonderful- but if we wanted to sell it- which we absolutely don't- we wouldn't get any more for it- possibly rather less- than we'd pay for its modern equivalent in Debenhams (if Debenhams still exists.)
My parents (I'm surprised to find myself saying) had good taste in furniture. They bought 17th century; they bought Regency; they inherited my paternal grandparents stuff- predominantly vainglorious Second Empire baroque, heavy on the ormolu- and got rid of most of it; they inherited my maternal grandparents' stuff- well-made but unshowy George III and Regency- and kept most of it. Historic English furniture is so much better than its French equivalent. Louis XIV- who is the person most responsible for the debasing of French design- had lousy taste. Dictators commonly do.
My grandmother was a woodcarver. She appreciated good carpentry, good design. And she knew about antiques- at least she must have done if she'd read all the books she left behind about furniture and silver marks and porcelain factories...
17th century clocks are valuable, 17th century furniture isn't because people don't like dark wood. We eat our meals off a gate-leg table that was made during the reign of Charles II- which I think is rather wonderful- but if we wanted to sell it- which we absolutely don't- we wouldn't get any more for it- possibly rather less- than we'd pay for its modern equivalent in Debenhams (if Debenhams still exists.)
My parents (I'm surprised to find myself saying) had good taste in furniture. They bought 17th century; they bought Regency; they inherited my paternal grandparents stuff- predominantly vainglorious Second Empire baroque, heavy on the ormolu- and got rid of most of it; they inherited my maternal grandparents' stuff- well-made but unshowy George III and Regency- and kept most of it. Historic English furniture is so much better than its French equivalent. Louis XIV- who is the person most responsible for the debasing of French design- had lousy taste. Dictators commonly do.
My grandmother was a woodcarver. She appreciated good carpentry, good design. And she knew about antiques- at least she must have done if she'd read all the books she left behind about furniture and silver marks and porcelain factories...
