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I heard an item on the news recently
about the strength of the "household
durables" market. It seems that this term
means anything from flat-screen
televisions to leather three-piece suites.
But I think that antiques should be
included, too. Most pieces of good antique
furniture have already survived for more
than 200 years, and are probably good for
at least another 200.
In some ways it is the very fact that
they have endured so long that makes them
attractive. Often the polished surface is
deep, and the colour of the once rich red
timber has faded to a mellow gold. Gilded,
painted and even inlaid surfaces have lost
the brashness of their early life and now
exhibit a soft elegance. It is this ageing
process that appreciative collectors call
"patination".
Overcleaning of brass grips
Top:Beautiful, dark, bronze-coloured
patina.
Bottom: The result of Brasso?
Unfortunately, poor restoration and
polishing over the years can strip away
the majority of these wonderfully
patinated surfaces, and in doing so slash
the value of the object. Buy a piece of
furniture with a great surface, however,
and you will be backing a winner.
This was illustrated superbly earlier
this year when a George III mahogany and
gilt-brass-mounted wine cooler, which had
never been touched by restorer or
polisher, sold at auction for
£341,250. A few months earlier, the
same model of wine cooler - almost
certainly from the same workshop but now
stripped of its original surface - sold
for £50,000. That's more than a
quarter of a million pounds' worth of
patination.
341.250 worth of grime
The same rule applies to paintings.
Over the years, dirt will build up on the
surface of the picture, in some cases
disguising areas of detail once visible to
the eye. Any collector or dealer worth
their salt is more likely to be interested
in a picture in its original and uncleaned
state than in the examples that appear
oh-so-often on the market looking as if
they have been cleaned using scrubbing
brushes and pots of ludicrously powerful
chemicals.
There seems to be a common
misapprehension that when selling or
buying antiques they should be in
immaculate condition. Sure, in certain
areas of the market, such as porcelain,
condition is paramount.
Before & after restoration
But do not shy away from other antiques
that may look a little tired - it is often
these pieces that command the highest
prices. Yes, a picture with a major tear
to the canvas or a chair with replaced
legs will not hold great value. But an
untouched surface and no evidence of
previous restoration can be priceless.
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