Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

Ceramics Chinese ceramics Many are of the opinion that China takes first place in the history of ceramics. The tradition of Chinese pottery starts long before our present Christian system of dates and was responsible for many important developments, innovation, and improvements. Formerly the more recent Chinese porcelain was much admired but in the twentieth century excavations uncovered exquisite earlier ceramics. The high point must certainly be the Sung Dynasty (960-1280). The history of Chinese ceramics began much earlier though in about 200013C, still in the time of the Stone Age, when people in Honan and Kansu in northern China made fine earthenware that was painted with geometric patterns. Expressive glazed tomb figures have been found from the Chou Dynasty (circa 60013C). THE FIRST MAJOR PERIOD During the ...

Oriental objects The term oriental means 'eastern' and this has been equated for a long time with Asia, which starts at the Bosporus. The orient or Asia is the largest part of our world. The continent is inhabited by diverse peoples with their own cultures and languages. The world's major religions and philosophies have their roots in Asia and their influence in the cultures of this part of the world: Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Judaism, Christian, and Islam. In addition to these major religions there is also widespread reverence for ethnic deities throughout Asia. This means that while the region can be defined geographically it cannot be so easily defined creatively. The great cultures Great cultural centres existed in Asia thousands of years ...

Antique American Silver Styles POST RENAISSANCE (1650-1690) When the first silversmiths crossed the ocean around 1650 they took the style of the late Renaissance with them from Europe. People such as John Hull and Robert Sanderson were immigrants from England and started making in the English style until the Puritans stuck a spoke in the wheel. Silver destined for Protestant homes and churches needed to be simple and practical. A puritanical hybrid style arose that blended simplicity with post Renaissance that retained as much of the Renaissance as possible. EARLY BAROQUE (1690-1720) Early Baroque is a heavy style with large proportions, solid arched forms, with florid three dimensional details. The Dutchman Jurian Blanck of New York was one of the first to experiment with Baroque. Jeremiah Dummer of ...

Antique American Glass The Native Americans had not made glass before the Spanish conquered Mexico and established a glassworks there. The ingredients of sand, lime, and soda were present in abundance. The native Americans did make arrow heads and amulets of quartz and obsidian. The first colonists discovered that the native people liked to use coloured glass beads for their wampum or necklaces. Wampum were made of beads, stones, and shells which were also used as a form of currency. The first efforts to make glass in the colonies was therefore directed at making coloured glass beads. The first group of professional glassblowers consisted of eight Dutch and Polish settlers who were invited by the businessman John Smith to carry on their trade in Jamestown, Virginia ...

Antique American Quilts Patchwork is very old and has been done by women since they first discovered that textiles wear out. Although the quilt does not originate in America it has become an essential part of the American antiques scene. A few quilts will be found in almost every US antique shop. The earliest illustration of a quilt dates to 3,400 BC. This is a sculpted figure of an Egyptian Pharaoh who is wearing clothing that is quilted but it is believed that quilting was carried out earlier than this in ancient China and India. The first oriental quilts found their way to Europe during the Crusades. The earliest known quilted bedspread was made in Sicily in the fourteenth century. When India formed part of ...

American Antique Chairs Chairs Chairs are often the most characteristic example of a given style era and therefore further space is devoted to them here than other pieces of furniture. Furthermore so many chairs have been made that more have survived than other antiques. Few seats were made with backs before the middle of the seventeenth century. Most people sat on stools, benches, or chests. The few chairs with backs and armrests were much like a throne. Often these chairs had a raised knob on the end of the armrest which helped give the person seated in it additional authority and power. Only the head of the household and very important guests were allowed to sit in such a chair. Of the three principal ...

American Antiques: American Antiques Styles and Periods American antiques Those who decide to collect American antiques need to consider a number of points. Will they only collect pieces from the United States or does the interest include the rest of North America, including native American, Mexican, and Spanish objects. This chapter deals with antiques that originated in the United States and have a western cultural background. These are objects from what is now the USA belonging to immigrants and their descendants of between 1620 and 1900. The objects must have been made after Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. Canadian and imported antiques are not included and the same is true of pieces of native American origin. The majority of America styles bear a ...