Messages

1

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Antique Bronze Statue - Cleaning

« on: March 09, 2015, 09:28:19 am »

Hi Mart, I've just sent you the pictures.  Hopefully you received them.  If not, I'll try to resend them. 

Thanks,  Jill

2

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Antique Bronze Statue - Cleaning

« on: March 08, 2015, 07:36:39 pm »

Hi Mart, I've been trying to upload them from my computer, the photos having been saved on there from my camera.  They are jpg's too.  I will try again and if no luck, I'll send them on to you as you suggested. 

Thanks for your help! 

Jill

3

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Antique Bronze Statue - Cleaning

« on: March 08, 2015, 12:38:17 pm »

Thanks Bruce, I've been slowly getting out the dust with a soft brush and giving it a wipe with a soft cloth.  I'm still having problems attaching the photos to show the paint on the statue, but keep getting the same error message.  Does anyone know if the problem has been fixed with the website? 

4

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Antique Bronze Statue - Cleaning

« on: March 04, 2015, 09:50:15 am »

Thanks Mart, I tried again to upload the photos, but still the same error messages, so obviously the problem still isn't fixed.  I'll keep trying. 

Jill

5

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Antique Bronze Statue - Cleaning

« on: March 03, 2015, 09:59:21 am »

Thanks frogpatch and mart for your replies to my post.  I've just tried again to post pictures (after numerous attempts), but it says that it can't access the path to attach them!  I will keep trying as I'd like you to see how she looks.  Any hints as to what I could be doing wrong with attaching the pictures would be appreciated.  I've made them smaller in size, but still no success in attaching them.  They are also in jpg format. 

She has dust build up in the crevices of her eyes, hair, etc.  So I will use the soft brush to try to remove that in the meantime.  I'll try again to see if I can get those pictures attached!!

6

Antique Questions Forum / Antique Bronze Statue - Cleaning

« on: March 02, 2015, 03:51:13 pm »

Hello, I bought this bronze statue, depicting a seated Greek goddess next to an urn on a stand and an arrows carrier from an ebay seller.  At the time, the seller didn't indicate or hadn't noticed that it was signed, but when I received it, I saw that it was signed by French sculptor, Leon Pilet, on the front of the arrows carrier by her side next to the seat. 

It needs a good clean and I was wondering if anyone could advise as to how to carefully clean it.  I'd read somewhere that mild soap and water and a soft toothbrush might do it. 

It has also been painted at a later date perhaps and rather crudely too.  Would there be any safe method of stripping off the paint or should it be left alone as is. 

I have looked on the internet for other works of Leon Pilet and I can't find the same statue to find out the name/title and year it was made.  I'd read that Pilet did most of his bronzes at the end of the 1800's to early 1900's and he died in 1916.  I was wondering if perhaps the statue is meant to be Diana, the huntress because of the arrows.  Does anyone know what the urn represents?

Any help with the above would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jill

PS.  I've tried writing this message several times, attaching photos, but it says something about the path of the photos being wrong.  I try again and it says I've already posted the message, but when I look on the message board the message never appears. 

7

Antique Questions Forum / Re: 1904 Spelter Ansonia Clock Statue - refinish or leave as is?

« on: October 27, 2013, 01:29:55 pm »

Hi bigwull, Thanks for sending the link to patinas.  I will take a look through them.  I was also interested and looked into the bronze paste that you had mentioned in your previous message.  I'd never heard of that, but it looks interesting.  I'll have to see if they sell it up here in Canada. 

I had previously read about Liver of Sulfer and wondered if it could be used on spelter to create a bronze effect also or if it is only for certain other metals. 

I was amazed that you found a statue like mine while digging in your garden!  What a great find!  I hope that you are able to refinish it some day and bring it back to its former glory! 

Thanks for all your help!!    

8

Antique Questions Forum / Re: 1904 Spelter Ansonia Clock Statue - refinish or leave as is?

« on: October 26, 2013, 09:49:14 pm »

Thank you all so much for your replies!  I really appreciate it!  I actually used Aircraft paint stripper on her which you neutralize with water, as scary as that may sound, and then with a bit of 'elbow grease', I used Q-tips and a soft toothbrush to clean between the crevaces and to get all the surplus residue off of her.  I was really sitting on the fence whether to do anything further.  She does look 'bronze' in some light and so I think I will take your suggestions and keep her as she is, also keeping in mind that she's lost the end of her dress in her travels.

Bigwull, thanks for your suggestions for different treatments too, including the bodily function one!  I don't think I'll try that one though!  hee! 

Do I have to do anything to the bare spelter over time to keep it looking nice or do I just leave her untreated. 

Again, thanks for your responses, it really has helped! 


 

9

Antique Questions Forum / 1904 Spelter Ansonia Clock Statue - refinish or leave as is?

« on: October 26, 2013, 03:15:31 pm »

Hello, I recently purchased a 1904 Ansonia spelter clock statue (statue name 'Reflection' number 1000) off ebay.  I knew at the time of the purchase that the statue had been sprayed with black, shiny laquer sometime in its life and also that the end piece of her dress has broken off.  The black paint was applied so thickly that it was distorting the details of her face and other parts and it was also chipping off in parts exposing the bare spelter underneath.  

I decided to strip off the black paint and now it is all bare spelter.  Cleaned up, the details are now clearer and I am happy with that.  I had initially hoped to also have her refinished in her original Japanese bronze finish, but am reluctant to spray her in any bronze paint in case it makes her look 'flat' or spoils the details again.  I would appreciate to know if there is any way to refinish the spelter, through paint, or possibly waxes or chemicals to give her a warmer bronze finish.  If I decide to keep her as bare spelter, is there anything that I can apply to keep the finish looking its optimum?  

Any advice would be appreciated whether I should refinish her somehow or if I should leave her in her present state.  I've enclosed pictures of her (first 2 images) with the black laquer paint now removed and as she looks now in bare spelter in the last 2 images.  The colour of her you see in these images is how she looks in natural light.  

Any help or advice as to whether I should refinish her or leave her as she is would be greatly appreciated!  

Thanks!  

10

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Flemish Art Company wooden box (late 1800's - early 1900's)

« on: March 15, 2012, 09:13:09 am »

I think so too, Mart.  I love it and like the fact that it was also personalized too.  Thank you, Mart and Frogpatch for your thoughts and for looking into the mystery of the 'Special G' mark.   

11

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Flemish Art Company wooden box (late 1800's - early 1900's)

« on: March 14, 2012, 03:32:48 pm »

Hi Frogpatch and Mart,

That is interesting that you found out about the Special G cigars.  The Oliva Cigar Company started up in 1886 so it was around in the era in question, but so far I haven't been able to link them to using the Flemish Art Co. boxes.  The wood for this box is very lightweight and soft and from what I have read on the website could possibly be made of basswood perhaps. 

If the boxes came with the pyrography kit supplied inside for hobbyists, it could explain the person who purchased it personalizing it by placing their name and the date on the end of the box.  Interesting!  The name and date on the box compared to the artwork of the Gibson girl, though, seem worlds apart in skill, so I would imagine that one of the factory's artists etched the original design. 

Jilly

12

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Flemish Art Company wooden box (late 1800's - early 1900's)

« on: March 14, 2012, 12:20:15 pm »

Hi Mart,

What you say makes sense.  I've noticed that the artwork varies in expertise/skill/talent from box to box that I've seen.  It would be interesting to find another box with the mark to see if there are any common denominators with them - maybe a specific artist or, like you say, the department. 

Thanks for taking the time to look into it for me.   

Jilly

13

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Flemish Art Company wooden box (late 1800's - early 1900's)

« on: March 14, 2012, 09:52:24 am »

Hi Mart,

Thanks for your reply.  The box is 9 3/4" x 3 3/4 " and 2 1/4" high.  I know that some of the boxes were made to be glove boxes and I suppose the size would be the perfect size to contain gloves.  However, a lot of the boxes similar to this don't have the Special G mark on them and this seems to be the only one that does that I've come across. 

14

Antique Questions Forum / Flemish Art Company wooden box (late 1800's - early 1900's)

« on: March 14, 2012, 09:27:36 am »

Hello, I recently purchased an old wooden box made by the Flemish Art Company.  It has a pyrographic design on it and the factory, I have found out from a website on the company, was located in New York City.  I had contacted the lady who runs this website to see if she was able to find out what the mark 'Special G' means on the bottom of the box.  She went through her notes, but was unable to verify what it means.  She did note that a lot of the boxes do not have 'Special G' inscribed in them, but just the usual Flemish Company mark of two bears, so this could make the box distinguished in some way.  She was going to ask another knowledgeable and avid collector of these wooden boxes to see if she knew what it means, but sadly the collector has recently passed away.   

I was wondering if anyone can help with what the mysterious, cryptic 'Special G' means.  There is another inscription on the bottom end of the box which  is very faint, but states:  'From:  Viola Liebeiwititz (?unsure of surname spelling as very faint) Sept. 24 '09' which I assume was placed there after the box left the factory, as the writing is not as skilled as the actual artwork on the box.  I think that maybe someone who purchased the box must have inscribed their name, personalizing it, and given it as a gift to someone all those years ago.  It adds to the history of the box though. 

Any help with this would be gratefully received! 

Thank you!!! 

15

Antique Questions Forum / Re: Henry Van Wolf Horse Head Bookends

« on: January 11, 2012, 11:06:36 am »

Thanks Rauville and Mart for helping to ascertain the year they were made and the value.  I'd read about him being the founder of the Valley Artists Guild too which is very interesting.  The glaze certainly makes a lovely feel to the bronze and the colour is very warm and coppery. 

I think I read that the 'SC' inscribed near the name means Southern California and the e-bay seller I bought them from was in Los Angeles.  Now these horses 'live' in chilly Canada! 

I appreciate your help!  Thanks very much! 

Jill