Hewn and Hammered

Horta’s staircase for Hôtel Tassel

In scientist Emile Tassel's Brussels home, this staircase was designed and built in 1893 by the great Nouveau and Deco designer and architect Victor Horta, who also designed other parts of the house - which is generally considered the first true Art Nouveau building.

 

Rago Arts & Auctions: Highlights

 

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Rago Arts & Auctions recently updated and enhanced their website, offering a more complete catalog of available "passed lots" - items not sold at previous auctions - as well as memorable highlights from recent auctions. Some amazing stuff, there; kind of neat to see price records for really excellent examples.

The most recent Early 20th Auction was this past Friday, October 1 2010. Some highlights are pictured above.

James Mattson Switchplates

This guy remains one of my favorite contemporary craftsmen.

Christopher Thomson Ironworks

 

New Mexico master craftsman Christopher Thomson designs and forges furniture, architectural detailing and other bits & trim at his rural studio. As you'd expect from both the medium and his location in the southwest, much of it is very much in the Mission Revival style, but some pieces are an excellent complement to Craftsman homes as well.

the copperwork of Santa Clara del Cobre

Our friend Jean Emery recently returned from visiting her daughter in Michoacan, and visited the town of Santa Clara del Cobre [photos from various Flickr users] while on her trip. Santa Clara is a village of copper artisans near Patzuaro; Jean tells us they've been making copper goods there since pre-colonial times:

They make sinks. bowls, vases, bathtubs - it's all totally gorgeous and of course looks great in an Arts and Crafts setting.  I bought a huge hammered organic-formed vase - sort of pumpkin shaped - for under $100.

Here's a link to an article in a Mexican folk arts blog; the pictures are good but really just barely begin to capture the gorgeous shapes and finishes available.

Art Nouveau wall sconce from James Mattson

Our friend, copper craftsman James Mattson, has a new item for sale: a beautiful Art Nouveau wall sconce that looks great by itself or in combination with his Art Nouveau chandelier. It's the perfect complement for Craftsman and rustic cabin settings, and would even work with a spare, modern interior. Check it out - it's the last item on this page.

Live Auctioneers has plenty of treats

Live Auctioneers are a gateway / aggregator to hundreds of live (and non-live) antique auctions. Among the thousands of items viewable and biddable, there are hundreds of terrific items of interest to Arts & Crafts aficionados. Here are a few of my favorites from upcoming auctions:

• wrought iron umbrella stand - or enormous vase
• a very pretty unsigned mantel clock with green slag glass side panels
• Roycroft "American Beauty" hammered copper vase
• interesting Mexican Campeche chair, based on a William Spratling design
• two 1904 New Haven Clock Co. mantel/shelf clocks
• a lot of three simple pieces of A&C pottery: one unsigned, one Bauer, one Zanesville
• unsigned A&C nightstand
• somewhat ornate English A&C mahogany hallstand
• gorgeous Wahliss nouveau vase
• simple & austere Gus Stickley four-drawer server
• a set including Roycroft brass-washed candlesticks, and a Heintz sterling-on-bronze vase and ashtray

Voysey clocks & more

from our friend Christopher Vickers:

Following on from the CFA Voysey Clocks postings here last August [Voysey clocks; Chris Vickers & Voysey], readers may be interested in Christopher Vickers new page featuring many of the period Voysey clocks still known to exist.

Chris would be very interested to receive further information / images of Voysey clocks, or really anything at all designed by Voysey!

Steven Handelman, iron artist & craftsman

Steven Handelman, a Santa Barbara-based metalworker, has been making beautiful custom early 20th-century chandeliers, lanterns, sconces, firescreens and other decorative iron since 1973. His work is as beautiful as it is well-designed and well-crafted, and can be seen at the homes and businesses of clients all over California (and the rest of the country).

What really makes Steven & Co's work stand out is not just the high quality of the pieces, but the influences: where some craftspeople are content to concentrate on a single historical or geographic area or style, Handelman's influences range from the Mission Revival to early English designs and, in much of his  recent work, plenty of north African / Moroccan detail. Santa Barbara's beautiful Granada Theater, recently reopened after a long restoration project, is a great example of this; Handelman supervised his staff's recreation of more than 250 individual fixtures for this long project, which finished with the reopening of the theater this past February.

Should you be in the area, certainly stop & visit their showroom.

stuff I like: vintage Spanish Revival mailbox, c. 1935

Every once in awhile, a particular item really grabs my attention. I was going through the antique hardware section at Rejuvenation, and found this cool vintage cast-aluminum mailbox. I love the hammered finish! $200 and it's yours.

Check out the "miscellaneous" section, too - all kinds of neat stuff ... like these old enameled signs.