The Magazine Antiques

The Magazine Antiques The official page of The Magazine ANTIQUES. www.themagazineantiques.com America’s premier fine and decorative arts publication since 1922

The iridescent glass known as Phänomen was produced only in Bohemia, and for a very short period of time at the end of t...
01/28/2025

The iridescent glass known as Phänomen was produced only in Bohemia, and for a very short period of time at the end of the 19th century. The process is attributed to manufacturer Johann Loetz Witwe. This example, with imaginative swizzling handles, was produced in Austria around 1901.

Phänomen glass vase, c. 1901,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

This unique oak armchair is by the French firm of Guillerme and Chambron (with modern upholstery by Maison Lelièvre). Ro...
01/27/2025

This unique oak armchair is by the French firm of Guillerme and Chambron (with modern upholstery by Maison Lelièvre). Robert Guillerme was an architect-turned-furniture designer who partnered with Chambron, a painter and decorator, and Émile Dariosecq, a cabinetmaker, to produce forward-thinking yet simple modern furnishings. Their signature material is a waxed oak, which was cheap and easy to build with, thus allowing the pair to produce affordable yet stylish furnishings.

Guillerme and Chambron (chair), Maison Lelièvre (modern cushions), Armchair, Oak, c. 1950s,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

This incredible glove survives from around the 7th century AD. It has been identified as being made by a Wari craftspers...
01/26/2025

This incredible glove survives from around the 7th century AD. It has been identified as being made by a Wari craftsperson in Peru, as the decorative motifs (like the two felines) are common to Wari wares. It was woven from dyed fibers taken from domesticated llamas or alpacas.

Wari glove, Cotton and camelid fibers, c. 650 - 800 AD,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

This ring is inscribed with an unbroken code: a written language known as Linear A, used from about 1850 to 1400 BC by t...
01/25/2025

This ring is inscribed with an unbroken code: a written language known as Linear A, used from about 1850 to 1400 BC by the Minoans of Crete. The text appears in a spiral-shaped design around the ring, which was located at a burial site near Knossos.

Ring with spiral Linear A inscription, Gold, c. 1700-1600 BC, Heraklion Museum

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

Have you ever seen a display of colorful paper fans for sale at a kiosk or market stand in a tourist town? This is nothi...
01/24/2025

Have you ever seen a display of colorful paper fans for sale at a kiosk or market stand in a tourist town? This is nothing new. Souvenir fans have been popular for centuries. This Italian example, from the 1800s, is particularly elegant. It features a delicate floral pattern, intricate lace edge, and even a mirror.

Italian souvenir fan, Wood, lace, c. 1800s,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

A memento mori is an object, often something worn on the body, that serves the wearer as a reminder of mortality. Such a...
01/23/2025

A memento mori is an object, often something worn on the body, that serves the wearer as a reminder of mortality. Such accessories have existed for centuries. This example, featuring a skull surrounded by rubies, comes from late 16th-century Europe.

Memento mori ring, Enamelled gold, rubies, c. 1550-1575,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

Le Bon Marché in Paris is widely considered the first department store in the world. Women perused the store’s selection...
01/22/2025

Le Bon Marché in Paris is widely considered the first department store in the world. Women perused the store’s selection of clothing and accessories, enjoying for the first time a new world of mass market fashion. This velvet mantle was purchased at Le Bon Marché around the turn of the 20th century and features elegant black jet beading and diamante trim.

Woman’s mantle (cape), Silk velvet, silk plain weave (chiffon), silk lace with jet and rhinestones, c. 1900,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

Elsa Schiaparelli was one of the few women artists to thrive within the Surrealist movement. Collaborating with many Fre...
01/21/2025

Elsa Schiaparelli was one of the few women artists to thrive within the Surrealist movement. Collaborating with many French surrealists, she created an enduring and impact-making array of wearable art, from hats to jewelry and evening gowns. This iconic coat is a culmination of the imaginative illustrations of Jean Cocteau and Schiaparelli’s incredible eye for adornment.

Elsa Schiaparelli and Jean Cocteau, Evening coat, Silk, 1937,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

Craving the feeling of a tropical vacation? Look no further than these Italian painted metal palm tree wall sconces. Fau...
01/20/2025

Craving the feeling of a tropical vacation? Look no further than these Italian painted metal palm tree wall sconces. Faux tropical decor came into high demand in the Hollywood regency era, from the Tiki trend to Miami modernism. These slightly later lamps, circa 1970, offer an equally eclectic interpretation of tropical design in the melding of faux bamboo arms with tin palm leaf tops.

Italian palm tree sconces, Painted tin, c. 1970s,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

It’s a little-known fact that babies love precious metals. This Victorian-era rattle features a whistle and bells in ste...
01/19/2025

It’s a little-known fact that babies love precious metals. This Victorian-era rattle features a whistle and bells in sterling silver, attached to a coral teether. A rattle like this can be seen in the portrait Mrs. Jacob Hurd and Child by William Johnston, c. 1762. Scroll to see detail.

Child’s rattle and teether, Sterling silver, coral, c. 1835-1836,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

Let’s take some 1970s technology and make it 1770s! This rotary dial telephone was made by Astral, known for their styli...
01/18/2025

Let’s take some 1970s technology and make it 1770s! This rotary dial telephone was made by Astral, known for their stylized telephones, in specialty materials like faux hardwood, onyx, and marble. This model produced in cooperation with Wedgwood features blue Jasper ware decoration.

Astral (Manufactuer) and Wedgwood (Design), Telephone, c. 1970s-1980s,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

This 400-year-old cabinet was made in Japan for the European export trade, a category of goods known as “Nanban” (which ...
01/17/2025

This 400-year-old cabinet was made in Japan for the European export trade, a category of goods known as “Nanban” (which translates to “Southern Barbarians” – an epithet for European foreigners). Such intricate lacquer wares were common among goods made in Asia for export to Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.

Nanban cabinet, Lacquered wood with pearl-shell inlay, c. late 1500s,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

Tiffany Studios had a way of making even the most mundane objects into precious treasures. Case in point: this abalone-i...
01/16/2025

Tiffany Studios had a way of making even the most mundane objects into precious treasures. Case in point: this abalone-inlaid bronze letter holder. This was among Tiffany’s most popular turn-of-the-century household goods.

Tiffany Studios, Abalone and bronze paper tack, c. 1906,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

"Emerging during the late Middle Ages, the domestic space known as the estrado kept pace with the ever-increasing reach ...
01/15/2025

"Emerging during the late Middle Ages, the domestic space known as the estrado kept pace with the ever-increasing reach and buying power of well-to-do households in Spain and the Spanish Americas, becoming a showcase for fineries from the world over. But as a female-coded area, it provided women a degree of autonomy and self-expression not generally possible in Continental or colonial society of the time."

Alexandra Frantischek Rodriguez-Jack explores this space of feminine agency at https://www.themagazineantiques.com/article/article-mistress-of-her-domain/

Image: Lady in A Fancy Interior by Rogelio de Egusquiza Barrena (1845–1915), 1873. Signed and dated “R Egusquiza 1873” at lower right. Oil on panel, 8 3/8 by 6 3/8 inches.

At the turn of the 20th century, everybody who was somebody was getting involved in the fad for motoring. Even respectab...
01/15/2025

At the turn of the 20th century, everybody who was somebody was getting involved in the fad for motoring. Even respectable society ladies were trading in their riding boots for motoring goggles. This fabulous motoring ensemble would have protected a woman driver (likely in an open car) from the dust and dirt of the road.

Motoring duster, googles, and hat, c. 1910-1915,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

You can probably guess why the style of these vases is known as “beehive.” As director of the Sèvres porcelain manufacto...
01/14/2025

You can probably guess why the style of these vases is known as “beehive.” As director of the Sèvres porcelain manufactory, Jean-Jacques Bachelier oversaw the making of these fascinating openwork vessels.

Jean Jacques Bachelier (director of Sèvres porcelain manufactory), pair of Vases Ruche (Beehive Vases),Glazed and gilded soft-paste porcelain, c. 1769–75,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

This Spanish iron vase brims with Arab design influences. Note the elegant arabesque patterns inlaid in gold damascene. ...
01/13/2025

This Spanish iron vase brims with Arab design influences. Note the elegant arabesque patterns inlaid in gold damascene. Echoes of the Moorish occupation of Spain can be seen in architectural motifs all over the country, and some of those motifs are translated (though in much smaller scale) here.

Gold-damascened forged iron vase, c. 19th century,

Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary

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In this episode of our podcast Curious Objects, host @objectiveinterest welcomes Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman of @doublegfilms, makers of the film @lostandfoundincleveland. Featuring beloved actors like Martin Sheen and Jon Lovitz, along with *checks notes* the “Constipated Appraiser” (Denise Dal Vera) and other stars, the film follows a cast of characters intertwined with and connected to the world of antiques. Miller, Gerchak, and Guterman dig into the nitty-gritty behind the picture, the post-industrial American Dream in the Midwest, and the inspiration aplenty that came from Antiques Roadshow. Link in bio. Happy listening! 🎧🎶

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Since its inception in 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has been America’s premier publication on the fine and decorative arts, architecture, preservation, and interior design. Each bimonthly issue includes regular columns on current exhibitions, personalities in the field, notes on collecting, book reviews, and more.