I stopped by my favorite auction house to take some pictures of this Saturday’s auction. This is the collection of a couple that loved Americana and had impeccable taste. I was just amazed and honored to be in the gallery. I was there about an hour when the owner came up to me and said I had to stop taking pictures and leave. This is the first time I have been asked to leave an auction house. Reluctantly, I complied.
To be fair, it was Wednesday and the preview isn’t technically until Friday. And in the hour I was there, the promised snow started falling and had accumulated about an inch and a half. They just wanted to go home while it was reasonably safe. I offered to lock up…
Trying to maintain some dignity, I left. I made a planned stop at the Home Depot. I then went to the nearby Subway to buy four days worth of foot long sandwiches. A mere two and a half hours later, I arrived home and finally had a chance to look at some of the pictures I had taken.
It’s not unusual for me not to look at the furniture closely while I am there. I try to make sure I get all the pictures I want in a timely fashion. Then there is the issue of shooting around other people at the auction or antique shop. They can be quite indifferent to my needs.
This is another example of my inattentiveness. I saw this American painted hanging box, dovetailed with a convex lid and two drawers. I thought I had all aspects of this box covered until I started looking at the pictures and realized there are joinery details I don’t get. It looks straight forward until you start breaking it down.
American Painted Hanging Box with dovetails, a convex lid and two drawers.
Dovetailed drawer with cock beading. One of two.
Side view showing front and small top board dovetailed into the sides. Looking for a seam in the side or back. Mitered?
Closeup of the narrow top dovetailed into the side. Could be mitered.
Back view showing back is nailed to the sides but still no seams. Thinking sides to back must be mitered. Note asymmetrical shoulders.
Bottom view (drawers up) with no signs of a mitered joint.
If I have a chance, I will go back there on Friday (with a disguise) and take another look. I’m also going to enter an absentee bid but probably not enough to win.
I have lots of pictures to upload. All I need to do is get to a hotel or Panera Bread where I can get some real connectivity.
The Furniture Record 