Glass Transfer "Varnished" Prints

I purchased this primarily for the frame, and when I got it home realized that it was a fairly good example of glass transfer of a print (I always called these "varnished prints" - I don't know if I saw the term somewhere or if that just came out of my head).

Basically, these were done by varnishing a print to the glass, removing most of the paper, and coloring/painting to add the color. The effect is of a reverse glass painting, or in this case, a faux painting on porcelain. I have seen many of these from the late 18th century, and this one I would date to approximately 1845 based on the lady's clothing and the frame.

Many of the earlier ones appear quite dark, as the varnish browned with age (and of course, many simply got broken, or replaced with something else if the varnished degraded to the point that the image was no longer attractive.

Here is a link to the blog on the website of The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd., in Philadelphia, where one of the owners discusses this art form:

http://antiqueprintsblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/glass-transfer-painting.html

Wayside Inn Antiques Show

On Sunday I went to the antiques show held at the historic Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA. Perfect weather, the antique cars parked outside the entrance lent additional elegance, and the exhibitors provided what looked like a New York City antiques show magically transported to a tent (but what a tent!) in a country field.

In spite of the many extraordinary and fine items available, "Best in Show" went to Royal, who was tending the booth for Elle Shushan (http://www.portraitminiatures.com/). So calm and dignified, I first thought she was a statue placed on the hearth.

Spring Comes to Wiscasset

We spent a few days in Wiscasset, Maine, opening up the house for the season. It always seems to be a miracle, that just as spring always returns, the house survives another Maine winter.

So now water is turned on, plumbing and heating work, and we began cleanup outside (for such a tiny in-town lot, it does take a while to do the yard work).

More about our house in Wiscasset at www.forthillstudios.com/Wiscasset/Wiscasset.htm.

Skaneatles, New York

While at the HSEAD meeting in Auburn, NY, we had the chance to tour around the area. This was the first time we had visited the village of Skaneatles. The weather was perfect that day, and all over central New York state tulips and other spring bulbs were out in full force.

Skaneatles is a charming 19th century town, with its business district right on the lakefront. Lots of wonderful Victorian and Greek revival houses to look at.

HSEAD Gold Leaf Work

I just got back from the annual meeting of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration. They have just released their new instructional DVD on "Gold Leaf". They had a display of this work, including items done by the organization's newest master craftsman (craftsperson?), Carol Heinz. Carol was the first member to reach this status in over 20 years - quite an accomplishment, as it requires winning "A" awards in almost all HSEAD disciplines. Her tray with the bright blue morning glory was easily the most photographed item in the exhibition this year.

You can find out more about the DVD from http://www.hsead.org/. I bought mine, and as soon as school is over, plan to sit down and work on this technique (but I don't think the gold peacock tray shown will be my first project).

More posts to come on this meeting and our visit to historic central New York.

Homage to Dale Chihuly

We have long been fans of Dale Chihuly (www.chihuly.com), and have seen many of his works in museums. Years ago you could actually find an example in the museum shops at a relatively reasonable price. Alas, his work is no longer in the casual purchase category.

So in a delightful piece of serendipity, I was preheating the oven before putting in a pan of chicken for roasting, and noticed a strange smell. I had been temporarily storing a plastic container of Trader Joe's Dunkers cookies in the oven, and it had been pushed far back out of sight. When I retrieved it, I saw that the heat had made the edges opalescent, and formed the container and lid into what resemble one of Chihuly's shell form pieces. Art is where you find it.

Antique Grain Painted Frame for Exhibition

This is an antique "Theorem" painting on paper, contained in a grained and stenciled frame. Popular in the nineteenth century, theorem painting used stencils to allow people to create works of art, even if they had no art training. The frame is grain-painted to resemble mahogany or rosewood, and has bronze powder stenciling.

I have sent this to be exhibited among other antique decorative items a the annual meeting and exhibition of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration (HSEAD), being held April 23-25, 2010 in Auburn, New York (www.hsead.org).