Period furniture with the elaborate carvings of walnut or oak and stories the panels of the case pieces told. When I opened my own gallery I stayed away from acquiring these pieces until I saw an Armoire a deux corps from an area in Provence where French Huguenots lived. I purchased the piece and to my delight it was well received among many. It found a home with dear friends of mine who were both architects and even today, I am happy to say that it lives well sitting in the same position I placed it years ago.
EXPERTISE IN FURNITURE
Several years ago I was yearning for another Armoire a deux corps and saw a beauty in a sale at which resembled one at the . I studied the piece and employed an expert to review my potential purchase outside the Christie’s experts. The normal wear was noted and we all anticipated that it would need restoration. I managed to acquire the Armoire and off it went to my restorer in Paris who had prepared a lengthy document describing what had to be done before the purchase. When the Armoire was completed it was shipped directly to Palm Beach, Florida where it made its debut in my stand at Palm Beach! . This Fair was vetted by experts from the United States and Europe in all categories. The furniture in my stand was vetted by two very well-known experts from Paris, one from Germany and two Museum Directors with expertise in furniture. All went very well and this Armoire was discussed and presented on tours by other experts and Museum groups attending the fair.
NATURALLY I WAS DELIGHTED
Unfortunately I did not sell the piece however that was fine because I wanted to share the piece with my Birmingham clientele. After the Armoire was placed in the gallery I was paid a visit from the curator of Decorative Arts and the curator of European Painting and Sculpture from . They asked if the Armoire could go on display at the museum among the Kress Galleries. Naturally I was delighted and they prepared a special place for it. This was in 2007 and by the beginning of 2008 my husband and I began the transition of moving the gallery to Charleston, South Carolina which included the piece at the museum.
AUTHENTIC?
In October of that year I was to exhibit at the at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. I had a wonderful inventory to present at the show as well as the Armoire and was not the least concerned about vetting since this piece had passed the eyes of so many renowned experts. Imagine my surprise when I found a slip in my stand asking me to remove the Armoire. It was late in the afternoon and the opening party was just a few hours away. I challenged the Vetter’s opinion and was quickly told no, it was a copy made in the 19th century. I chose not to argue further but had the piece removed and immediately delivered to the New York location of . Having obtained the vetting form from the Vetting committee with each of their signatures, I stated my case to the head of European Decorative Arts at Christie’s with whom I have a wonderful relationship with. In my opinion these pieces were dead and finished with a big cloud of uncertainty. I could never in good conscience tell a potential buyer this sort of story.
IT WAS AUTHENTIC AFTER ALL
Christie’s in New York reviewed the piece quickly, agreed with the vetting committee and refunded my money. They presented the Armoire at auction again and it sold for little money. It was described as 19th Century with earlier elements. A year later, I was on the internet looking at the offerings of dealer friends in France and there was the Armoire a deux corps. I emailed my colleague and told him the “story” of the piece. He was shocked and informed me that he purchased it from a dealer in Paris who would know exactly what it was. He then said that both he and his father (also experts) were most certain that it was of the period however they would have others also look into the matter. After much “to do” the conclusion by all involved in France was that the piece was in fact authentic. So, the question remains to some, was it real or was it a fake? For me, I believe that it was of the period. My restorer in Paris would have first suggested there may have been something wrong. Last but not least, I trust my own eyes, the eyes of my experts, the eyes of the Vetting Committee at Palm Beach and heads of both departments The Birmingham Museum of Art. I have no quarrel with the Vetting Committee at the fair whom I know personally and really have no cause to believe there was malice. I do have my doubts as to whether they themselves were qualified to judge the piece since neither of them was truly a specialist in this field. There are scientific ways to determine the true age of a piece of furniture believed to be this old which is a technique The Getty Museum used with a happy result on a piece now attributed to Hugues Sambin. Perhaps someday my former Armoire a deux corps will undergo such an examination but for now I hope it has a happy home.
All my best,
Mary-Helen
Ian Harris
December 15, 2012
If I had confidence in a piece, especially after its previous vettings, I would have appealed against the vetting decision, especially as you say they had no specialised knowledge of such an item. Vetters are not infrequently wrong in judging unfamiliar items, in my experience of vetting and being vetted over 30 years. And sorry to say, malice, or jealousy, is frequently involved.
Lewis Baer
December 17, 2012
Besides looking at interesting and good merchandise as presented in a “fancy” antiques show, it’s really fun (for me) to find the fakes or disastrously put together items. Vetting? Excuse me!
One of my favorite all time “finds” in one of those upscale shows was a magnificent Japanese round bronze jardinière with various animals like a lion, elephant, and monkey in relief. Great patina too, and I had 3 identical copies I was selling as reproductions. The prestigious (French) dealer who displayed the piece is unfortunately no longer in business, but the vetting process is still promoted by the Show organizers as some sort of guarantee.
In the booth of a renown British dealer I was attracted to a pair of magnificent red tole wall sconces. What large size, shape, color, and decoration, with 2 small gilt bronze dolphin arms holding a tole fount. However, upon looking more carefully, it was a different red and differently decorated. And what did the dolphins have to do with this piece anyway too? I think if anyone saw what I saw, you’d have to question the originality of the sconces.
Vetting is strictly an opinion by people who claim to be transparent. I’ve heard of some interesting stories where a dealer will protest about these arbiters of what is and isn’t right. Is the dealer store or the venerable Sotheby’s or Christie’s auction houses more accurate? This is what’s fascinating and daunting about our business. Sometimes the best connoisseurs get it wrong. It is in the eye of the buyer who must understand what they are buying. A stock broker might have tooted Enron stock; look at those earning! Cooking the books can be like selling fakes.
Fortunately, most items that do pass through the market are pretty original and every good antique is meant to be displayed in its best condition. Museums don’t display their items in “as found” condition and dealers certainly want to put the best possible sparkle on their merchandise. At any show, vetting is really a marketing ploy by the promoter, however when an exhibiting dealer doesn’t display a price and or description of each items in their booth, that dealer really is telling buyers beware of asking a question, any question.
Connie Lee
December 17, 2012
Lewis your point of view is interesting and well said. I think dealers need to work very hard on their reputation and sell with integrity. Any buyer needs to feel confident that their purchase is of value. If they have doubt should they walk away?
Mary Helen McCoy
December 28, 2012
Dear Lewis Baer,
I work very hard like Connie Lee says to sell with integrity. In my eyes, the piece was right but as pointed out, the piece will always be in question just because of the “veil of uncertainty” cast by two extremely prominent English dealers (who deal in English and Continental); a prominent Continental dealer in the US; an expert in Continental from the US and a Continental dealer from The Netherlands. As for the auction houses being experts at all times…. we all know that is not the case….and in this situation the New York arm of Christie’s disagreed with the Paris arm…. There is a remarkable example of a Renaisance piece at The Getty which was in question for many years. They thought the piece to be 19th century when the style was in vogue to be reproduced. Instead, they were proven wrong and now they have a jewel. Furniture of this age can be very difficult to detect but I most certain that the piece was a great piece. The armoire was presented at the fair with a price and a description as well as other documentation which I always provide and/or display. Now, it resides in France where it is loved and no one knows of the events around the International Show of 2008 when it was removed from the floor. Another dealer, or in this case dealers, made money from the sale of a wonderful armoire totally and lovingly restored.
Thank you much Lewis for your comments…they are always interesting!!
Mary Helen