Insider - Antique identification, discussion and care

Articles on Decorative Arts

identifying fake sevres

As Sevres has produced some of the most beautiful porcelain ever created, it is only normal that there are many copies and fakes on the market. This discussion is limited to two Sevres patterns - the "Services A Chiffre Dore" and the "Service des Officiers."
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cleaning gilt bronze

The internet is a dangerous place to research methods to clean gilt bronze (called ormolu in France). Every crackpot has a nostrum guaranteed to produced marvelous results, while typically doing more harm than good. There is one method of cleaning gilt bronze that is usually effective, and will not damage the gilding in any way.
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a royal french dressing table

A toilet table made for Empress Marie Louise in 1809. It is now on display at Versailles (see The Furniture of Versaille, Editions Faton, 2009).
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19th century lighting

There is no better way to bring beauty to a room than installing a high quality chandelier. The Empire and Restauration periods produced bronze work of unparalleled quality, and many copies created later in the 19th century were made to high technical standards. Unfortunately, finding a good example at a reasonable price is quite challenging.
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Noble Bellange' Settee

This settee was made by Bellangé between 1810-1811. It is part of a suite ordered in 1810 by Jean-Antoine Baston, the comte de Lariboisiere, for the Chateau Monthorin at Louvigné-du-Désert, in Brittany.
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Attribution of a chair

This article provides a discussion of the attribution process and why attribution by simple physial characteristics is not sufficient.
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The Refinishing Debate

This debate does not exist in France. Here, while not all antiques need to be made “remise in etat”, they should at least be aesthetically pleasing with most major flaws corrected. There are two main reasons for this.
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