In the Eye of the Connoisseur

Scott Chalfant
Photographs courtesy of
H. L. Chalfant Antiques

Rarity: a William and Mary chest on chest, one of only three known.

Collecting antiques requires passion and a thirst for knowledge. Museums have wonderful collections where we can admire the art of past craftsmen. But finally, we all yearn to go from admirers to owners. That leap to ownership can be both exciting and intimidating. It helps to have a dealer who will take the time to explain what makes one piece of furniture more valuable than the other. Although there are variables that generally impact price, we must remember that antique furniture is an art form and thus, value can be subjective. You can never fully fix an object to a price because every object truly is different.
But in 1950, Albert Sack published a book that helped. The Fine Points of Furniture: Early American: Good, Better, Best, Superior, Masterpiece was ground-breaking in that it was the first to show us how to rank pieces of furniture according to their inherent quality. This article is the first in a series that will use that publication as a foundation to examine what variables affect the pricing of period furniture.

Evaluating Furniture
Value is both aesthetic and monetary; they are two sides of the same coin. There are a few general principles of evaluation that we need to understand before assessing the qualities of a particular object.

Origin
Where an object was made is significant to both the historical context and price. In period furniture, country and region make a big difference. In the United States, the furniture from cities like Philadelphia and regions such as Rhode Island are considered very desirable, while most European furniture of the same period is as much as one-tenth the value.

Condition
It can take a lifetime to learn how to identify the subtleties of antique furniture restoration. For the last 200 years there have been many exceptional cabinetmakers who specialized in restoring a piece to look as it did when it was made. They were particularly skilled at matching finishes and using materials which can make their restoration almost impossible to detect. Good dealers will share the details of any restoration they have identified or had done.
Knowing what restoration was done is the first step. The next is to understand how each incremental restoration impacts the value of a piece. There are major and minor restorations. If an important architectural element on a piece of furniture has been restored or replaced, the restoration is major, and its impact upon value is correspondingly large. If the damage and restoration is less visible or is a very common form of damage, the restoration can be considered minor. For example, new feet on a slant-front desk or chest of drawers are considered a major restoration, because, first, the feet are an important architectural element and second, because it is not common – there are plenty of chests and desks still with their original feet. However, new feet on a clock are much more common, and here the feet are a less important architectural element. Restored feet on a clock will impact the value, but not as much as on a chest or desk.

A side chair by William Savery. The form is uniquely his and serves as his signature.

The Garvan Carver’s work on a clock bonnet.

A Chippendale chest of drawers in a desirable old surface.

Form
Form is the heart of an antique. Form is what distinguishes the masterpiece from the mediocre. Some cabinetmakers were noted both for their skill and for their “eye.” The size, architectural elements (moldings, feet, etc.), inlay, carving and possible unique interpretations of common types of furniture can all greatly impact the price. It’s the form that often gets us most excited when collecting furniture. Owning the work of a great artisan is truly a privilege.

Provenance
A good provenance can be as exciting as good form. When you can actually tie an object to a certain place in history it makes its story – and you – richer. Not many pieces of furniture come with a good provenance, but when they do, they tell a richer story, and their value goes up. The more famous the owners, and the more important the events they were associated with, the higher the value of the provenance.

Rarity
Rare in the antique world can be defined in so many ways. It is rare to have matching antique furniture these days. There may have been matching card tables, or sets of chairs, but over generations, these objects get separated. There are also objects which are considered rare because there are just so few of them known. An example is the chest-on-chest illustrated on page 20. From New York, this William and Mary chest-on-chest is one of only three known, and the only one available on the market. That obviously helps to protect the value of this impressive piece.

Finish and Paint
As compelling as the form of an object may be, finding an object “in-the-black” is considered a true prize. When eighteenth-century furniture was new, the finish was typically lighter than it is today, and highlighted the grain of the wood. These days, having a piece of furniture with an original or “old” finish is considered most desirable. Time has added color and depth, and the piece looks truly antique and not new. When you look at a piece of furniture in its original finish, it is compelling. It’s like the object has taken on a character of its own. The chest of drawers illustrated on page 21 shows this old finish. You can see the peeling of the finish and the dark patina of the finish. This is a great look for a chest like this one.
Where an old finish is nice to have in antique furniture, original paint or surface is critical in folk art. For example, a good blanket chest with original paint can bring five times or more than a similar chest with restored paint. Surface is the most important way an expert can distinguish a real weathervane from a fake.

Attribution or Known Maker
Rarely do we know the maker of a piece of antique furniture, but there are exceptions. One example of a period cabinetmaker that we can attribute furniture to is William Savery of Philadelphia. Working during the Queen Anne period, Savery’s workshop put out furniture that was not only a unique form, but was also labeled. Although it is rare to find a label on the remaining Savery pieces out there, you cannot mistake the form. Clockmakers also signed their works. Although this makes it easy to identify the maker of the works, collectors should always be careful to ensure that the works are still in their original case. If they are not, the value of the clock is a fraction of what it would be.
The exceptional carvers of the eighteenth century have a recognizable style: they didn’t need to literally sign their work, their style was their signature. One example is the Garvan Carver of Philadelphia. Named the Garvan Carver based on a highboy and card table in the Garvan Collection at the Yale University Art Gallery, this individual produced the carving on some of the most sought after pieces of early American furniture. He was responsible for the tea table that sold at Christies for $6.8 million in October, 2007. The Garvan Carver carved the clock whose bonnet is partially illustrated here; it exemplifies the pinnacle of American Chippendale carving. The combination of the carving, a fine Philadelphia clockmaker and attribution to the Garvan Carver make this clock highly desirable.

The Philadelphia Chippendale Side Chair

GOOD A walnut Chippendale side chair with a Cupid’s bow crest rail with shell, pierced splat, cabriole legs, terminating in claw-and-ball feet. Made in Philadelphia, this side chair offers many of the elements you would seek in a good side chair. In terms of restoration, there is one replaced knee block. This does not substantially affect value in a side chair. If there was more carving on the chair, it would rise to the category of “Better.” The value of this chair is $7,000-$8,000.

BETTER A walnut Chippendale side chair with a shell carved crest, pierced splat with a tassel, a large shell on the apron, cabriole legs with acanthus knees, terminating in claw-and-ball feet. This chair demonstrates the distinction of form in a chair. It has just about all the architectural elements in a side chair to make it valuable, but the carving is not as accomplished as it might be. This leads us to believe that the chair was likely made in the Pennsylvania, Delaware, or Maryland area. This primitive carving keeps it from rising to the “Best” level. The value of this chair is $16,000-$19,000.

BEST This walnut Chippendale side chair has a Cupid’s bow crest rail with centered cabochon flanked by carved volutes, a pierced “jack-o-lantern” splat, fluted stiles, shells on the apron and knees with cabriole legs terminating in claw-and-ball feet. The carving is sophisticated. A chair very similar to this is illustrated in the famous “Blue Book” of Philadelphia furniture. It always helps when a piece of furniture is documented. The splat is also closely identified with chairs owned by General Anthony Wayne, a Revolutionary War hero. This chair has excellent architectural elements, a nice finish and has no restoration. The value of this chair is $40,000-$50,000.

SUPERIOR - MASTERPIECE This mahogany Chippendale side chair is an example of exceptional Philadelphia Chippendale carving. It has a carved crest with cabochon shell and tassels, fluted stiles, carved pierced splats, acanthus carved knees and shell on the apron with cabriole legs terminating in claw and ball feet. The carving has a stipple background. This chair was illustrated as one of a pair in I. Sack vol. 1 Boucher 10, no. 576. Nov 1962. For any sophisticated collector this chair has it all. In terms of form, this chair is a 10 or masterpiece. The carving is fine and of greater detail than that of the “Better” side chair. The only way to make this chair more valuable would be to attribute the provenance of an important historical figure. The value of this chair is $150,000 - $200,000. The pair would exceed $400,000. Adding an important provenance could raise the value to well over $500,000. At this point it goes without saying that antique furniture at this level is difficult to price. What might be incremental leaps in value between “Good” and “Best,” are thrown out when considering the Superior and Masterpiece. At this level, value increases exponentially. Something typically worth $20,000 can be worth $1,000,000 if it is the best and only known. Dealers and collectors alike will pay high premiums for something this great. If you can buy objects at this level, there will always be a strong market for them.

Building a collection of period furniture takes patience. You start with what appeals to you and what you can afford. Talking to as many experts as you can find is the first step. Spend time with dealers, read the right books and go to the museums that best represent the type of furniture that appeals most to you. If you are like most collectors, you’ll find your tastes will change with exposure to those pieces of furniture that are characterized as “Best” through “Masterpiece.” Becoming an active collector is an enriching experience and I hope you’ll enjoy your path to your own good, better, and best furniture

step. Spend time with dealers, read the right books and go to the museums that best represent the type of furniture that appeals most to you. If you are like most collectors, you’ll find your tastes will change with exposure to those pieces of furniture that are characterized as “Best” through “Masterpiece.” Becoming an active collector is an enriching experience and I hope you’ll enjoy your path to your own good, better, and best furniture