WHY BUY FURNITURE AT OUR APRIL AUCTION?

In last week's "Current in Carmel" weekly newspaper, one of the weekly columnists discussed the lack of value in furniture marketed by national chains. In the article, she referenced a study completed by Smart Money Magazine in 2006 which revealed the lack of quality construction techniques and materials used in home furnishings sold by trendy "lifestyle" retailers. The article was titled "Pottery Barn Unstuffed".

Also referenced in the article are items sold by Restoration Hardware and Crate and Barrel. To summarize the article, buying furniture at the aforementioned stores is not neccessarily "smart" use of your money.

Poor quality veneers, low-grade adhesives, cardboard (yes, cardboard!) frames on upholstered furniture...this stuff is made to be thrown away after it's life expectancy, which gets shortened considerably if you use the furniture for any purpose other than to just look at. In addition, the slickly-created advertising for these items is a total misrepresentation of the contents and materials.

Our April auction is replete with the polar opposite of these items, as home furnishings are concerned. Much of it was produced in either North Carolina or Grand Rapids, MI, using American hardwoods and hardware, hand-assembled by American craftsmen. After an international exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, Grand Rapids became recognized worldwide as a leader in the production of fine furniture. National home furnishing markets were held in Grand Rapids for about 75 years, concluding in the 1960s, then moved to North Carolina, probably for better weather.

This auction includes high-quality furniture by companies such as Baker (pre-Kohler), Henredon, Kittinger, Statton, Davis Cabinet Company, Drexel/Heritage/Morganton and a few others. An auctioneer friend of mine uses the term "antiques of the future" as a cheesy sales line, but these quality items in our April sale do, in fact, represent generational furniture. Produced with quality and sold via select decorators and high-end retailers, these are the type of items that, with proper care, can actually be passed from generation to generation.

For less than the cost of a made-in-China, Crate and Barrel leather sofa, a buyer at our April 18 auction will likely obtain a Henredon dining room table with eight chairs that was made in America in the 1980's, using the finest quality solid-brass hardware, kiln-dried, solid grade-one hardwoods, thick veneers and quality control that didn't allow sub-par objects out of the factory to benefit the bottom line for shareholders.

Anyone, from younger couples on a budget furnishing a first home, to a second-home buyer looking to furnish the large family home, to a downsizer needing just a few quality items to accentuate the space of a condo or townhome, will appreciate the quality, craftsmanship and timeless style of furnishings made in the mid to late 20th century in the United States.

Why spend money on items that are made overseas by companies using shoddy materials assembled with unskillled labor, when fewer dollars can be spent to acquire pre-owned, finest quality furniture that will outlast the owner's desire to use it? And, those dollars stay in the United States, at a time when our government is giving 'bailout' money to companies that are servicing overseas debt with our tax dollars. In addition, buying pre-owned items at auction is 'greener', as another motivation for you.

Come see the selection we have in this April 18 auction, and be open to the idea of avoiding trendy, national retail stores when a new end table, area rug or dining room suite is needed. Quality is all around us this month, and some wise bidders are going to take home some treasures for less than will be spent on a stainless steel spoon rest at Crate and Barrel.

Make a point to visit our showroom this Friday for our gallery preview from 2-7 pm, or preview our catalogue here.

JANUARY ART AUCTION RESULTS

Standing-room only in our gallery, phone and internet bidders from the UK, Scotland, Spain, the Netherlands and all over the United States, combined with the most per-item page views on our web catalogue since we began tracking, indicated the global marketplace that is present for fine art at auction.

This auction was a testament to sellers who believed in the auction method, had assembled a desirable collection of domestic and European art (including many paintings by historic, Indiana artists), and trusted our company to effectively market this collection to a worldwide audience.

Active bidding by numerous bidders on nearly every piece resulted in most of the paintings selling within estimate, and while no auction records were set, the market responded positively, even considering the state of the national economy.

Sale results from the January sale can be found here- Wickliff January Sale Results

We are equally as excited to present the furniture, porcelain, antique Oriental rugs, wicker, patio furniture, lighting and decorative accessories from the Verble Collection at our February 21 auction. Bidders may preview that catalogue here.

Additionally, we are pleased with the exposure gained by our partnership with Artfact/Invaluable. The site has long been an excellent resource for determining values on fine art and antiques, and the company, which formerly was service provider for ebay Live Auctions, now has it's own proprietary live bidding platform. We have committed to Artfact to broadcast all our auctions for 2009 using this service, and hope that our bidders will find value in the convenience of online bidding. Their service fee is only 3%, making the total Buyer's Premium only 15%, a tremendous value when compared to other auctioneers' 20%-25% online buyer premiums. Check out http://www.artfact.com for more details. Currently, they are offering an Artfact Basic membership, an excellent price/value resource, free for new users.

VERBLE ART COLLECTION IS QUALITY AND VARIETY

At this point in our marketing of our January sale, many of our patrons are surprised to learn that nearly every painting in our January 24 Art Auction comes from one home. It is true, and the collection represents decades of collecting Indiana, American and European art.

One of the sale highlights, at least from our perspective, is the group of paintings by Brown County artist Varaldo Guiseppe (VJ) Cariani. Many times throughout the year, we will offer one or two large Cariani oils in our art auctions, but this collection has three large still life paintings, two large landscapes and two smaller landscapes, each well-presented and ready to hang.

Another favorite of our staff are the pair of William Aiken Walker (South Carolina 1838-1921) oils depicting cotton harvesting in the old South. While these paintings are unsigned, a letter of provenance from the Indianapolis Museum of Art, referencing Ellwood Parry as consultant who authenticated the paintings, is attached. Rarely are Walker’s paintings sold outside of the southeast United States, and these paintings represent a real opportunity to own a piece of Americana.

Also featured are three great paintings by George Ames Aldrich. Aldrich is claimed by Indiana as affiliated in this state, as he exhibited regularly in the Hoosier Salon in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and was involved heavily in the South Bend art scene in the 1920’s, but he was classically trained in Europe as early as the 1890’s, and then in the early 1900’s, attended Academies Julian and Colarossi, and later joined the Societe des Artistes Francais. We are pleased to offer three outstanding examples of Aldrich’s work in this auction.

The Verbles also appreciated and decorated their home with historic European paintings. Many 19th century oils graced the walls of their large, waterfront home. Some are historic paintings by artists with little or no biographical information, but several are by listed artists, featuring a Petrus Kremer (Antwerp, Belgium, 1801-1888) oil on canvas, 39 x 31, entitled "In Her Studio", depicting acclaimed artist Maria Van Oosterwyck in 1660, painting in a studio setting, and presented in an ornate gold leaf frame .

In all, over 80 paintings from the Verble collection comprise this rare offering of such a pure, fresh-to-the-market group of art. Visitors to our gallery will also have the opportunity to preview our February auction, also comprised of the Verble collection, featuring period and period-style French furnishings, antique and semi-antique oriental rugs of high quality, a large collection of Dresden porcelain and a fantastic selection of period decorative accessories and decorative arts.

See our catalogues for upcoming auctions here!