Venetian Gilded Bergère, ca. 1850
Watch
GUEST:
It belonged to my grandfather. It's been in our family for 100 years, I believe. And he may have purchased it in Europe in the 1800s. It was in our home when I was a boy. I grew up with it.
APPRAISER:
Well, it is a chair that was made in Venice, and I believe that it was made in the second quarter of the 19th century. So somewhere between 1825 and 1850.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
The figures on the front are what we describe as caryatid figures.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And they're taken from Greek architecture.
GUEST:
Egyptian... Oh, Greek, yeah.
APPRAISER:
Yes. And Egyptian architecture, where you'd see a female figure holding up part of a building.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Well, she's holding up the front of this chair, and doing a pretty good job with her wings that are coming out, and her hoof feet.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And then when you turn the chair around, I mean, it just gets better and better. And you can see on the front of that griffin face, there's some wear on it, and it's because the chair, I think it's been against a wall for... Do you have it in your house against the wall? No
GUEST:
. No... No, but I'm sure over the years, it got banged... j
APPRAISER:
Right, right.
GUEST:
And pushed up against the wall...
APPRAISER:
Well, it's meant to be viewed in the round. It's an Italian piece, and of course we know the Italians are great violin makers. Here are these scrolls on either side. It is a wood base. Also, we know that it's early 19th century because there are some pins, which is part of the construction that holds it together, and you can see it through the gilding here.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And then on the other section of the leg, as well. It's a pin construction. Now, the whole piece is carved wood, it's probably a lighter pine, which would be easy to carve, and then it is gessoed.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Uh, and then the gilding is laid on top of that. Although there is much original gilding on this piece, I think at some point someone has sort of smeared the finish and, and maybe enhanced it slightly. But for my taste, it is in great, great condition. Over the years, especially, I mean, a 19th-century piece, you'd expect to see several upholstery changes. Well, this has maybe not its original, but very early French mohair upholstery, done probably about 1860, probably Paris. And it has a very Napoleonic decoration to it, all wool. And that's why it's in such great condition. The wool mohair wears like iron. This is a great decorator's piece, and I bet, with the right decorator, he or she would be able to charge in the $10,000 range for a piece like this.
GUEST:
Oh, really.
APPRAISER:
I love this chair.
GUEST:
Yeah. (laughs)
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
