The Antique Auction Forum Podcast & Blog

by Martin Willis

After my delightful podcast recording this week with the blog authors of Vintage with Vengeance, I decided to look into the world & the word of VINTAGE.

Looking vintage up in Webster’s was not too much help as it mostly pertains to wine and grapes. However, here is the closest definition on Webster’s I could find: a period of origin or manufacture <a piano of 1845 vintage> b : length of existence. [sic]

I found this posting on eBay, which I thought was interesting:

Antique vs. Vintage. Definition and differences?

Jan 14, 2004 7:17 AM

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Anyone know the correct definition of Vintage? vs. ‘Antique’? If one says ‘vintage’ in a description can it mean antique? Or is ‘vintage just from the mid-20th century? I received a ‘negative’ feedback (my first) because the buyer thought the item was Antique when I described it as ‘Vintage’. I want to make sure I know the difference before I respond. I am very upset about this. Thanks for you help.
Rosemary [sic]  It is good to know that I am not the only one confused by this.

I collected a few old cars many years ago and was looking at categories of cars, what was considered antique etc. I saw the word vintage used then for old cars, yet not antique. It was the same thing with old boats.

I am speculating that vintage is a blanket term such as retro seems to be. These terms can be used indefinitely for pieces from our not so distant past. I think it is human nature to somehow look back a few years and want to recapture the good memories we associate with pieces. You see that across the board with collecting habits. eBay is a good venue to watch the trends. A few examples I have noticed in the past are:  lunchboxes, (I don’t know about you, but I liked hot lunch better) GI Joe collecting, Barbie Dolls, Cracker Jack toys, Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even Happy Meal toys, etc.  I am not saying this stuff should be called vintage and I know I am really reaching here, but people really collect this stuff. Next it will be more contemporary items that will trend and I cannot even speculate the list.

In collecting antiques, I always heard people say they liked something because their grandmother had something similar to the particular piece and it reminded them of her. To keep antique collecting alive, we can only hope that someone wants to collect something that their grandmother had because that grandmother collected it because it reminded her of her grandmother. Did I loose you yet?

On our podcast Sally Schwartz said that Vintage means something from 20 or so years ago that is good quality or something along those lines. For over 30 years in the business I have associated things from the past as good quality and better then today’s pieces. Does that mean things are consistently going down hill? If so, the future is in trouble.

It seems like when anything becomes popular from our past the first thing that happens is knock-offs. I think that is sad as they pollute the market and they are never made as well as the originals. It is not a “green” way of living either, as there is plenty of vintage stuff around to be recycled. I understand some people just plain cannot stand to own pieces that someone else owned and want only new. For those people there is no alternative I can think of. However, if you like vintage for whatever you perceive vintage to be, you can chase it at vintage shops, flea markets, thrift shops, garage sales, eBay and Craigslist.

I still do not really know what vintage means to be quite honest, I think it might mean old, but not really antique. I think retro means the same, but correct me if I am wrong.

Check out our Vintage with Vengeance blog podcast here.

Feel free to post comments on what vintage (or retro) means to you below.

 

 

By Martin Willis

I enjoy the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and after Reyne Haines and I did Podcast #72. about his  glass, I decided to write a little about him. There is so much to write when it comes to Tiffany, I am only able only touch on a few facets with this blog in the area of windows and art glass.

When you look back in time, you can see that there have been only a hand full of  individuals who have truly shaped our world. Louis Comfort Tiffany did just that with American design & decorative arts the last part of the 19th through the early 20th century. His influence still affects pieces made to this very day.

Louis was born with a very nice silver spoon on February 18, 1848 to Charles Lewis and Harriet Olivia Young Tiffany. Charles started out with John B. Young in stationary goods and gifts in New York City. He eventually became the founder of Tiffany & Co. (Tiffany & Young Co.). He imported goods and fine treasures from all over the world. He eventually employed some of the finest silver makers & jewelers in the country. Growing up in an environment like this heavily influenced Louis and soon he decided that he wanted to become an artist.

In my opinion the works that I have seen by Louis have been very strong. He painted oils and watercolors and often in the orientalist manner. He studied art under George Inness and Samuel Coleman in New York and under Leon Bailly in Paris.

While he was an extremely talented artist, he knew in his heart that he could only seek a certain level as a painter and this was not good enough for him.

Around 1875 he turned to working in another medium, glass. He actually spent time working in several glass houses in Brooklyn between 1875-1878.

Tiffany’s father’s money and influence gave him a perfect launching pad for his creativity. In 1879, he joined with Candace Wheeler, Samuel Colman and Lockwood de Forest to form Louis Comfort Tiffany and Associated American Artists. With over 100 artists and associates, he began decorating homes of the influential including the Mark Twain House in Hartford, CT and later to the Whitehouse under Chester A. Arthur. This company lasted until 1885 and the breakup was mostly because Tiffany wanted to get back to glassmaking. Tiffany Glass Company was formed later that year in December, (the name changed to Tiffany Studios in 1902).

He began designing and making windows, yet both he and John La Farge were frustrated working with the stained glass that they could purchase, and ultimately began creating their own glass.  If you have ever looked at one of Tiffany’s windows  with the sunlight coming through or a lamp well lit, you know the sheer beauty of the glass he created. There have been many copycats, but no one has ever come close to recreating the richness of color that his glass possessed. Tiffany eventually had the largest stained glass studio in the country. He employed hundreds of people and made thousands of windows. I hope the reader is able to enjoy the beauty of his work. There are great examples even in California, such as St Peter’s Chapel, Mare Island.

As electricity started to flow throughout the homes of our country, Tiffany took full advantage with the mosaic shades he created. I knew the granddaughter of one of Tiffany’s lamp makers and she had a wonderful collection. It sadly owned her, as she did not dare to leave her house. More about lamps and other creations at another time.

Louis was heavily influenced by the iridescence of Roman glass (caused by decay) that he had seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1865. This extensive collection of Roman and Syrian glass made a deep impression on him. He began working with chemicals to produce a similar effect. Favrile Glass is a type of iridescent art glass designed by Tiffany.  It was patented in 1894 and first produced in 1896. It differs from most iridescent glass because the color is ingrained in the glass itself, as well as having distinctive coloring.

Tiffany’s art glass remained in demand until he died in 1933, it fell out of favor for many years and started a comeback in the 1960s. It is still going strong today.

I always like to talk about fakes on my podcasts, so I will touch on that a little here. A genuine Tiffany piece should shout out quality when you first look at it. If you look at a piece that is supposed to be Tiffany, yet in your gut, something is missing or it looks too “something”, then you are most likely right. As Reyne Haines says, the signature is the last thing you should look at. However, this may take a trained eye. If you are a novice collector, I would suggest to turn to a reputable dealer or auction house that will stand by their descriptions.

Another topic Reyne and I talk about in the accompanying podcast is, that it is important to buy what you like. Don’t buy something that you think is rare, but do not like. You are the one who has to live with it. Also, you are much better off using the same amount of money that it would take to buy ten mediocre pieces and buy one very nice piece instead. It never hurts to collect variations as well.

As I said in the beginning, there is much to write and talk about on Louis Comfort Tiffany. It is hard to even scratch the surface of one or two areas of his work in a blog. I hope some of you enjoy viewing the fine works of the Louis Comfort Tiffany as much as I do.

Happy hunting everyone!