King Ludwig's Meissen Swan

Last fall we were in Germany, and went to Neuschwanstein Castle.   It was a fabulous trip and we had a wonderful time.  Best vacation ever!

 Any way you look at it, the castle was a feat--even if you'd prefer to live in one of the houses in the valley.

Inside, you can't help but notice the fascination that King Ludwig had with swans.  In addition to being known as Mad King Ludwig, he is also known as the Swan King.

On the tour we spotted a fabulous Meissen swan in the dining room.  

The swan is life-size.   - As in the size of a swan.

Isn't it awesome!  It is Meissen.  Of course, when I got home, I had to look for swans.

I found some antique ones at Westerhof Antiques.com

They are 15" x 15" and were made circa 1820. Oh yes, they are $22,000 for the pair.   The work is fabulous.

You can see the details of the feathers in porcelain.

I went hunting for more swans.   Sothebys sold this tureen for $37,500 GBP

But I'm baffled that all the Meissen swans do not look anything like King Ludwig's swan.

And then I found a swan.   It is huge.

Mine is earthenware, and is from the turn of the century France.

And pennies compared to what this one would go for!

Now.  Where to put it!

I am happy to report that it fits on my giant demilune sideboard.   

My husband reminded me that King Ludwig died under suspicious circumstances--his family was upset that he was spending too much money on all his crazy ideas.    Hmmm.   

My swan seems at home on the sideboard, the mahogany reflecting just like water on a lake!

Antique Find! White Ironstone Scottish Hen-On-Nest

The antique show last weekend yielded several treasures.   Today I am sharing my favorite white ironstone find.   It is a Scottish Hen-On-Nest.

I know she will wind up in my new kitchen.   There is no connection in any of the pieces I purchased at the show, other than I do like things to be at least 100 years old, and I lean towards pottery.  Usually you see the Staffordshire pieces.   Sometimes you see some German pieces (tip:  those tend to be bisque)


This piece is marked John Thomson & Sons, Annfield, Glasgow, circa 1860-1880.

They also painted the hen-on-nest.   The Scottish Pottery society calls this one majolica.

I think I like my white better, at least today!  I need to find more white ironstone to keep mine company.

There's more.  I shared the platter already.

Stay tuned for more!

Antique Find! - Delft Platter

Last weekend I got to go to an antique show in  Portland, Oregon.  I will share some of my finds as that is what you enjoy the most.

Who can resist blue and white porcelain or pottery?  Not many!   So many designers use it, and it's a great way to introduce some fascinating antique pieces into your room.  I saw this shape on this platter and knew I had to have it.

I hunted for a similar shape in the internet and found this piece that was in a Doyle Auction:

Of course I love the scenes on mine:

 I never pass up anything with sheep on it....

For some reason the photos look more navy, but the color is more true delft blue.

One of my favorite photos of a room using blue and white is below:

This is done by Nancy Morton, a house called Boca Grande

Notice how she mixes the blue and white up with other items.   I like that.  I can't wait to figure out where to put my new platter.

Antique Finds: A Silhouette & Show Towel

I have been swamped with personal stuff, but I still keep antiquing every moment I get.   One unexpected item I found recently is  a black and white silhouette.

Normally they are just  heads and really don't appeal to me.  I thought it looked very Victorian with the parrot, don't you think?  The very period looking lemon yellow gilt frame adds to the charm.  I think it was $8 or $12, (they get cheaper the longer I tell the story, according to my husband!)

I have it parked on my mantel until I figure out what to do with it.

I love my gray jasperware pitcher parked next to it.

Another item I just finished untangling is a show towel.  They are known for their luxurious fringes--and you can often find them unused.  They were so special they were often just displayed--thank goodness.

Unfortunately the one below was tangled up, so I spent the past couple of evenings untangling it while I watched movies on TV.

I tried to find out if there were tricks to untangling the fringe on the internet--but no luck.  They do say to launder, tie the bottom together to keep them from tangling, but I think I have a better idea.  I will just baste the fringe to another piece of fabric to keep them all in place.   I can do that now that they are untangled.  The threads look all smooth here now that they are ironed, but the linen is really nubby and the fringe really sticks to each other, so I literally untangled them with a needle.

OK, back to my housecleaning.... company is coming!  I hope you enjoyed my antique fix this week!

Pair of French Glazed Urns

In my last post I showed a picture of this stove that had two pots on the hood over the stove.  I liked it, and thought in my next remodel, I'll make sure I have room for display like that.

Well, today I found some killer urns.  They are actually an oval shape, very cool.  I love the neoclassic lines.   Now all I need is a good remodel.

I found a pair:

They are wonderful glazed terra cotta.  I just brought them home today, so I haven't found anything to put in them yet.  However, I'm going to whine about my brown counter-- so I decided to fix it.  They don't call me the antique linen queen without reason:

There!  Much Better!  I like the colors with the majolica cheese dome.  Of course I like anything with animals on it, especially cows.

I'll get around to fall-scape the island in a bit.   It is so difficult to do--I have to crawl on the counter to get to the center of it.

I love my fabulous urns.  they are definitely hand thrown, has a few firing imperfections, a little chipped glaze, but not bad.  I must have something wrong with me, it made my day to find the urns!

Barge Ware Teapot

My friend Beverly had a Barge Ware teapot sitting in the center of her kitchen table.   It had an Alice In Wonderland look to it.  I love the lid finial--another teapot.  I have other pieces of brown pottery called Rockingham ware.   There are U.S. versions, made in Bennington factories.

The teapot was produced at Measham in England.  They were produced from 1870 to 1914.   It is called barge ware because people would bring their boats past Measham to the factory and order these.  These teapots were produced by William Mason, a South Derbyshire potter near Church Gresley.  They are referred to as Measham Ware, barge ware, and motto ware.  The lid is quite secure, I can see why they were popular to use on a barge.

Barge ware teapot

Living on a barge must have been tough.  I can see where a teapot that says "HOME SWEET HOME" would be popular.  I love the brown  teapot on my ugly granite counters.  It also feels like fall to me.   It was time to change my lavender wreaths for acorns.  I think the teapot is the perfect addition to my fall "island-scape".

The teapot is 12" tall to the top of the final.  It may not look too giant, but it really is.  I'll have to find my brown Rockingham dogs.  It would be a great match!  

It is always amazing to me to find something 100 + years old, and find it in good condition.  I'm not sure that I'll collect a lot of barge ware, but this is definitely my favorite form.  Do you have any barge ware?

Hanging Drapery...And An 18th Century German Clock!

I've been away from the computer, enjoying sun in Hawaii....so getting back into action has been tough.  

In previous blogs, I've talked about the casita we built for my 84-year-old parents.   The project is almost done.   We don't get down to California too often to work on it, so the project has taken over a year.   I am at the window-covering stage.  In fact, last week I worked to make the drapes.   I am a drapery-making fool according to my family.   I use interlining, blackout lining, and assemble them by hand.

This project was a dream to work on.  What's not to love about limestone floors, lots of windows, and beams making up the bones of the room.

The empty room.  

  I thought about several fabric options.


Some of my thoughts were - a check with woven shades underneath. (thank you photoshop!)

However, the family thought that was too strong.  The check fabric will be used on the kitchen chairs instead.     There was one fabric that looked really nice, and I actually ordered 60 yards of it.

Drapes tried out for color.  Defective fabric was returned.

Unfortunately, this fabric had serious flaws.  The design didn't line up across the fabric.  It was actually 2" difference between the left and right.  The flaw was obvious and had to be ditched.   Unfortunately I was 2 panels into it before I realized the problem.

Note the dark color on the edge.  That's the printed fabric running off the edge--no selvage, major matching problem!

I am including the above photo as a lesson.   I have sewn literally thousands of yards of drapery fabric and have RARELY had a defect problem.  This time I was in a hurry and didn't unroll it first.   Note the brown on the edge.  Then it goes back to white.    That should have been my first clue that I had a problem.

I re-ordered the run, and it was shipped short.   It was still off across the 54".   I really couldn't order any more fabric, it was obvious it was coming from the same machine and would have the same quality problem.  So I wound up going with Richloom "Darcy" in the Birch colorway.   It has a bit of a sage or olive green in it, which really looks good in the bright California sun.  The windows are argon filled, but the room still has alot of solar gain.  It was the most energy efficient that I could order.

The drapes look great with the floor and wood painted trim in the room.  The fireplace doesn't look too exciting in the photo (much better in person), but I think when I get the huge hewn mantle on there, it will look great.   I'd like to order some shades like I have in the sample photo, but haven't found a good cheap source.  The gorgeous Hunter Douglas blinds priced out at $6900, discounted!  (really? $6900 on a room and it's not even an antique?)

I went with some cheap rods from Lowes.  Cheap rods area always a pain because they "telescope" to the correct size.  However I didn't have time for mail-order rods.  If you actually want to open/close the drapes, they get stuck on the telescoping joint.  Wood rods tend to be able to get cut in the correct length which Lowes carries, but I wanted to skinny profile that these had given the beams in the room.  I had to drop the rods down below the beams instead of running it up to the ceiling.   I contemplated making valences but thought that would be too fussy and like the idea of the roman shades.  This of course, is totally stolen from Joni at Cote de Texas.   I had to giggle, I spent the last 2 days hanging these up, and she was writing on the subject of windows  here this week,  trying to keep us all from looking too tacky.   Thanks Joni!

I have a few other things to share.  My dad loves antiques.  I remember our first big antique purchase--see the fan backed chair below?  Well, my dad and I came home with it and my mom had a fit, didn't want that junk in the house.  It was about 1966-1970 and didn't fit her modern decor.   So we squirreled 2 chairs, a writing desk, a game table and a work table into my bedroom.  Wish I had photos of that room!

18th century German  tall case clock

The fan at the top of the chair has some green paint left on it.  Odd, but still charming.  The clock was a great find.  When my favorite french antique dealer said she had a German clock, I said I had to have it.  The face is charming, an old wood painted face with roses on it.

The clock works perfectly.   My dad will love this and my mom will be happy because she's come around to loving all these beautiful antiques.    Be kind about the rest of the room.  I had to put the tv above the fireplace because I didn't make room for it anywhere else.  I didn't do french doors, I was many, many thousands over budget on stuff like getting utilities to the house. Don't make fun of my fan, in 100 degree weather, it's a necessity!  When you're 84, you can request a recliner and your daughter will oblige.  (don't make it a rocking one, that is really bad for elderly who are unsteady on their feet.  It can cause a fall and a trip to the hospital.   I spent a week with mom at the hospital in March, this is important!)

I'm not done making drapes--you can see a panel is missing, but wanted to share what I am up to.   I said think faience would look good in here.  On my last day in Calif.,   I stopped by an antique shop Wednesday and found this 19" Italian platter.

It has as wonderful feel to it.  I love the rustic hand thrown qualities.   I would love to find a wall hanger for it.  It weighs alot, and didn't work with the hangers that I normally use for my papier mache trays.  It was the perfect reward for a busy couple of days making drapes!

Baltimore Antique Show - Ending Summer With Fun

There has been much going on this summer, but I've always wanted to attend the Baltimore Antique Show.  This show was hampered by the hurricane.  People were worried that the show, held in the basement next to the harbor, would flood.    It didn't, but they did have an earthquake during setup.   My California friends paused a moment, and then continued working.  About 20 minutes later, the building was evacuated.   You can tell the east coast doesn't know how to handle earthquakes.  ( #1 Rule:  DO NOT stand on the sidewalk outside brick skyscrapers.  Those bricks can come down and kill you....)

This is the first time I've been to the Baltimore show.   I've been to Miami, Philadelphia and my husband has been to Brimfield, but I tend to stay on the West Coast.    The Left Coast is the best coast--for hiking, weather, etc (or life, as my daughter says)--but go to the Right Coast for antiques!

I intended to take alot of photos, but wound up not thinking about my camera or blogging.    The show opened at 11 AM, and I didn't complete the first "walkaround" until 3 PM.     That's unusual for me, and I can usually blow through a show in 2 hours.

On to what you want to see--pictures.  I don't collect French faience, Quimper, but thought that it has a nice look.  Given that I collect early transferware, it seems like a nice collecting category to pursue.  So I'll think about what it is that would work for me in a collection.  I like to look for unusual items in a collecting category, but ALL of these pieces seem unusual.

A wall of Faience

The next thing I thought was something I could use was the wooden plaque below.   There were a pair of them. They were either European or Mexico.

Part of the Baltimore Show is a book show.  I've never sought out an antique book show, but I was delighted to have stumbled into such a wonderful show.  When we were first married, all I bought at estate sales were books.  Who could afford expensive (ha) antiques every weekend, but a $20 bill would buy me a stack of wonderful old bindings "decorator books by the yard".   I still can't pass up a nice book, however, instead of $2, it's more like $20-$60.

I took the business card of this dealer, I'll add his name when I find it...

Don't you just love all the wonderful bindings?  They are works of art.   Books add interest to a room.  I've got them stacked everywhere.  I am always amazed at how many estate sales didn't have a single book in it.  How sad not to have that dimension in your life.

Wow!  Check out these really old books.  Homer Iliad from 1664 in Greek for $1250?  Really, I can own something that old?

Check out all these wonderful books, many for $200.  Wouldn't you rather own one of these than an I-phone?
(I would, and I don't have an I-phone)

 I'm thinking about all the books that I see in the upscale shops like restoration hardware.  You see books wrapped in plain vellum.  Now I get what they were trying to copy.  I'd rather save my pennies, and buy one of these!

Owning books that are hundreds of years old is like owning art--literally.  This was quite an education

Of course the French Prayer Books with the embroidered tops were something I'd like to prop on the edge of my bookcase!

This was a German table from the 1700's.  Being German, I  think I should consider owning something like this.
Oh wait, I have one like this!

This English Penwork table has my name all over it.  Never go to an antique show without a mini-van....
That's my new motto.  Shipping this to the west coast would probably cost as much as the table.

This was like visiting a museum.  Many fabulous pieces, so over the top to own.  Can you imagine the size of room you'd need to hold this massive desk?  I think this was MS Rau from New Orleans.

My husband really liked this lamp.  It was very cool, you can't really see the molded glass that is a cameo like effect of a head.  I think he liked it because it was for holding the dealer's business cards, not for sale. hee hee.

One fabulous booth loaded with beautiful English antiques.  Close your eyes and point, you'll take something fabulous home!

I wish I'd thought about the blog and taken more photos.  This booth was soo wonderful.  They had many intriguing flags and I didn't even photograph the wonderful ones!

OMG!  You know how much I love needlepoint!   This was WONDERFUL!   I want this!   My husband said I couldn't have it because you can't sit on a piece like this, it would probably tear the needlepoint.  Sigh.  Someday....

The mosaic box was something that even caught my husband's eye.  The dealer wasn't in the booth.  I circled back later--his favorite box was from the 1700's, and was $24,000!   Oops, not going home with it  unless we win the lottery!  See what I mean about feeling like you are in a museum?

Isn't this painting charming?  It was $475.   I thought I would come back for that, but we ran out of time, had a flight to catch, and I forgot where this dealer was.  So a big hint for "possibilities"--write down the row of the dealer.  There must have been 50 rows of dealers.  500-700 booths?

The two pictures above are Antique Legacy, my friends from California.  They are the nicest people and OMG you wouldn't believe the fantastic clock that they sold.  I'll see if I can get a photo for you.

The two silk needlework pictures were a purchase.  However they never made it out west with me.  My daughter in St. Louis has them.   They'll stay there til next spring when I pick them up.

There were a couple of other purchases, but I wanted to share with you some of the fun of seeing the show.  Next year's advice:   Plan on two days to do the show.  Take an empty suitcase of bubble wrap so you can take a suitcase home on the plane with your treasures.

Since I've been home, I've been wandering through listings on Ebay.  I found another wonderful platter in mulberry transferware.  I'm working on a wall of platters in my bedroom.


It's great to get an antique fix without spending all day on an airplane too!