Limoges Enamel & Wood Plaque
Watch
GUEST:
I was at a small country auction barn. It was hanging on the wall, and it just glowed.
APPRAISER:
Was it displayed like this, or were they actually separate?
GUEST:
It actually was separate. The two figures came from someplace else.
APPRAISER:
Okay. Well, Limoges is actually a region of France where they make this type of elaborate, beautifully colored metalwork, and how they make it is they take a copper plaque, and they score it, and then they add what is finely ground glass, and they fire it at a very high temperature, which is what gives it that beautiful sheen and those really wonderful colors. What we have here is a group of plaques. Obviously we have the birth of Jesus, and then below we have Saint Luke and Saint John, all done in Limoges enamel. Originally, this material is made round about the 15th century and earlier, and during the 1800s there was something called the Gothic Revival.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And it's when they wanted to reaffirm Gothic principles and beliefs. And what they would do is they would take old wood and rework it, and actually you see all these little sort of holes in here?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Well, those are worm tunnels, and when they reworked the wood, the worm tunnels appear, so we know that this is probably a very old piece of wood that has been reworked to conform to the shape of these very interesting plaques. Taken from, probably, out of a church. When they would take the churches down, they would rip out this type of work and basically scrap-heap it when they were renovating it. You have a tiny little signature right down here that says "A.P.", and "A.P." probably doesn't stand for the artist, but more than likely stands for the etching beyond which this was actually copied.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So you have a copy of an engraving here, and you probably have copies of engravings down here, but beautifully done, very nice quality for 19th century. Now, how much did you pay for this?
GUEST:
Total $5.50.
APPRAISER:
Well, I'd say you did okay, because it's probably worth around $2,500 to $3,000.
GUEST:
Okay, good.
APPRAISER:
Excellent.
GUEST:
Thank you.
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.
