Reproduction Hood Ornaments, ca. 2005
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GUEST:
Several months ago, I was in New York on business and I was coming back from breakfast and I passed a gallery. And this piece was in the window. They were getting ready for a big dealer auction, and I asked if I could see this piece and have it taken out of the window. The owner was there and he told me that this piece, along with this piece, belonged to his uncle. And they had been in the family for many, many years. I know that these are hood ornaments. They were prototypes for hood ornaments. I know that this is a British sculptor, but that's all I know about the pieces.
APPRAISER:
And do you mind if I ask what you paid for them in the New York gallery?
GUEST:
I actually paid $6,500 for both of these pieces.
APPRAISER:
For the two of them?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
You're correct, that they were both designed as hood ornaments. This obviously is a bit big to go on the front of a car, and this is a very famous model that was made in many different sizes. I'm going to turn her around a little and you can see the signature of the sculptor, Charles Sykes. And Charles Sykes was really best known for this creation. We know her as the Spirit of Ecstasy, she's often called the Flying Lady, and of course she's known worldwide as the emblem, the mascot, the ornament for Rolls Royce motor cars. She first appeared on one about 1911 when Charles Sykes sculpted her. The smaller one was designed as a car mascot or a hood ornament by RenÈ Lalique in the late 1920s. And Lalique termed it "Victoire." That was the title, "Victory." And she also has been perennially popular. We do see her made in different materials, including silvered metal like this. The fact is that neither one of these are particularly old.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
They were probably made within the last ten or 15 years.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Yeah. And the indications for that are, first of all, the bases that they're mounted on. Older pieces can be put on new bases, but these black marble bases are fairly standard in terms of modern reproductions of sculpture for presentation. And generally, the finish and the standards of the modeling and the standards of the casting are relatively recent. The Lalique model really only appears in this metal in what we call Art Deco revival years, which is the last 20 or 30 years or so. So what I'm going to tell you in terms of value is going to be disappointing.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Because they're reproductions, I'm going to say for this object, a fair retail price would be perhaps $1,500.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And I think for the smaller one, a fair retail price would be about $500.
GUEST:
All right, very good.
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