John J. Audubon’s ivory-billed woodpeckers in action. Audubon’s “The Birds of America” sold for $7.9 million at auction at Christie’s in London on Jan. 20, 2012.

John J. Audubon’s American flamingo was posed so that it was still life-sized but could fit on a 39-inch page. Audubon’s “The Birds of America” sold for $7.9 million at auction at Christie’s in London on Jan. 20, 2012.

As an accredited book appraiser, book dealer, book collector and book lover, I am always thrilled to see a rare and valuable set of illustrated books come up for auction. And John James Audubon’s “The Birds of America” is one of the most exquisite sets ever produced. Bound in multiple giant volumes, it contains 435 classic, hand-colored engravings in breathtaking detail. It went up for auction in London at Christie’s on Jan. 20, 2012.

At most, 200 first editions were produced, and of those, only 120 are known to still exist in their entirety. Another first edition sold in 2010 for a record $11.5 million so I expected the January auction at Christie’s to be exciting.

Born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), Audubon (1785-1851) was raised in France but moved to the United States at age 18 to avoid serving in Napoleon’s army. He had painted birds since childhood and wanted to record the image of every bird in North America. He killed the birds he painted so that he could stuff and pose them in lifelike scenarios, using wires to extend wings, arch necks and bend legs. It was a revolutionary concept in ornithological art and, as a result, Audubon’s birds swoop, flock, fish, swim, hunt and nest with every feather and nuance of color accurately portrayed. Because he also wanted the images to be life-sized, the books are massive – measuring more than three feet in height. (The term “double elephant folio,” used to describe the size in book verbiage, has become almost synonymous with Audubon’s greatest work.)

The 200 sets were created over a period of 11 years and at great expense. To fund the effort, subscribers in France, Scotland, England and America (including American politicians Daniel Webster and Henry Clay) paid in advance and received five prints at a time as they were finished. At the completion of the work in 1838, the subscribers’ prints could be retroactively bound (in usually three to five volumes).

The four-volume set that sold at Christie’s in London on Jan. 20 was originally owned by William Henry Cavendish, the fourth Duke of Portland, who purchased it sometime after 1838. Some observers were disappointed that the sale came in at less than $10 million, but I thought $7,922,500 (including buyer’s premium) was a very respectable showing.

If you can’t afford to shell out millions of dollars to own one of these masterpieces, don’t despair. In 2007, the University of Pittsburgh digitized every image of their own set and placed it on the web for everyone to enjoy. You can see all 435 magnificent color plates here.

Liz Holderman is a Worthologist who specializes in collectible books.

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The Emperor Maximilian Diamond, weighing 39.55 carats, is among the many spectacular gems going up for bid at Christie’s first major jewelry sale of the year on April 22, 2010. It is estimated to bring $1-1.5 million.

NEW YORK – Two exceptional jewels with fascinating histories—the Emperor Maximilian Diamond and the Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond Brooch—will highlight Christie’s first major jewelry sale of the year on April 22, 2010 and set the tone for what promises to be another exceptionally strong year for rare jewels in the global auction market.

“Aside from their exceptional rarity, these large stones bear a fascinating history and provenance that renders them truly priceless in the world of fine jewels,” said Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry at Christie’s New York. “We look forward to unveiling them both in New York for our auction on April 22.”

The Emperor Maximilian Diamond weighs in at 39.55 carats and is estimated to bring between $1-1.5 million. It is one of two large diamonds the Archduke Maximilian acquired in Brazil in 1860, in the years just before he was named Emperor of Mexico at Napoleon’s urging. In 1866, under pressure from the United States, Napoleon backed away from financial and military support for Maximilian, effectively abandoning him. Soon thereafter, republican forces captured and court-martialed the young emperor and sent him before the firing squad. Legend holds that Maximilian was wearing the Emperor Maximilian Diamond in a small satchel tied around his neck when he was executed. The diamond was returned to his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, who later sold the jewel. Its whereabouts remained unknown until 1919 when it was purchased by a Chicago gem dealer who kept the diamond until 1946.

The cushion-shaped diamond appeared at auction at Christie’s in July 1982, where it was purchased by London jeweler Laurence Graff after an intense round of bidding. The winning bid was $726,000—more than twice the estimated price of $330,000. The following year, Graff sold the Emperor Maximilian Diamond, together with two other important diamonds, to Madame Imelda Marcos, wife of the of the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos. Subsequent private transactions followed until it was acquired by the present owner. The upcoming auction marks the first public viewing of this historically significant diamond since 1982.

The Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond Brooch—long considered one of the outstanding jewels of the world—centers on a hexagonal-cut Colombian emerald of exceptional quality, weighing between 60 and 70 carats. It is estimated to sell for $1-1.5 million.

Also highlighting the April 22 sale is the stunning Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond Brooch (estimate: $1-$1.5 million), long considered one of the outstanding jewels of the world. The brooch centers on a hexagonal-cut Colombian emerald of exceptional quality, weighing between 60 and 70 carats. Uniquely precious and suited for imperial elegance, the emerald is set within rows of rose and old mine-cut diamonds and mounted in silver-topped gold. This Imperial gem originally belonged to Catherine II of Russia, who ascended to the Russian throne in 1762. She was known as one of the greatest jewelry collectors of all time, and took great pleasure in her most treasured gems, including the emerald and diamond brooch, which is renowned not only for its quality, but also for its sheer size.

In 1776, Catherine gave the brooch to Sophie Dorothea, princess of Württemberg, as a wedding gift on the occasion of her marriage to Catherine’s son and successor, Tsar Paul I. It was subsequently handed down to the princess’s descendents, and remained the property of the noble house of Hohenzollern for the next three generations. In 1972, the brooch was sold to a private American buyer whose estate now offers the historic jewel for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Despite the downturn in the US economy during late 2008 and 2009, auction prices for fine jewelry and diamonds have remained surprisingly resilient, led by strong demand among investors for top-quality diamonds and signed jewels by the top houses. In 2009, Christie’s global sales in this category totaled more than $270 million. Multiple new auction records were achieved for exceptional jewels, including The Vivid Pink, which set a new per-carat record price for any gemstone at $2.1 million per carat ($10.8 million total), and The Annenberg Diamond, a 32-carat D Flawless diamond, which set a new per-carat record price for a colorless diamond at $240,000 per carat ($7.7 million total).

The 2010 outlook for top-quality jewels at auction remains buoyant and Christie’s anticipates continued demand for high-quality historic jewels with exceptional provenance, as well as increased buying activity from clients in emerging and newer markets.

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Let’s start with one of North America’s oldest furniture styles, the so-called Pilgrim or Puritan style, beginning in the early 1600s. Most of the folks of this period were VERY recent arrivals and the furniture they crafted for themselves had a very familiar look to it. After taking into account what might be called “regional influences”—meaning the Colonies—the style itself is essentially “Jacobean,” that catch-all Latin term referring to England in the time of King James I, Charles I, the Commonwealth, the Restoration, Charles II and James II. In other words, most of the 17th century until William and Mary came along, circa. 1688. The furniture was blocky, big, solid, dark and ungainly, mostly made of oak—just like at home. The Colonists were true to their heritage.

Early in the 18th century the effects of the William and Mary reign became felt in American furniture thought. It took a few years to get here, but the Colonies always lagged behind, transportation being what it was. The Dutch craftsmen employed by William introduced a new, lighter, more comfortable form with bun—or Spanish—feet, elegant turnings and decorations and teardrop pulls, and they influenced Colonial furniture in turn. Some of America’s most prized antiques are Colonial interpretations of William and Mary.

This William & Mary highboy shows the verticality of the new form in the late 17th century.

After William’s death in 1702, Mary’s little sister Anne became Queen of England and the Colonies dutifully imported (belatedly of course) the newest style named after the new queen. The QA style was slim and elegant with graceful curves, subtle decoration, slipper or pad feet and valanced skirts, all in all a very feminine form. This English style also created some of America’s most cherished works.

Just as Thomas Chippendale borrowed the QA style in 1750, adding dog ears, pierced splats and heavy acanthus carving and calling it his own, the Colonies borrowed the new style from Thomas and used it right into the Revolution, being careful not to call it “Georgian,” as the later version of the style was known in England.

A Philadelphia chair circa 1776 shows the rococo changes Chippendale made to the basic Queen Anne chair.

At long last, the Revolution! Surely, this called for a new American styling and so it was called “Federal,” in honor of the new country based on federal, rather than royal principles. So who were the great designers and builders of America’s new furniture? Among the strong stylistic influences were George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton, respected English designers of the period. Also prominent were the Adam brothers, Robert and James, Scottish architects greatly influenced by first century Roman architecture.

The end of a D-end Federal period banquet table shows the influence of Thomas Sheraton in the tapered legs.

On this side of the Atlantic, the best known practitioner of Federal was the Scotsman residing in New York named Duncan Phyfe, whose work was influenced by the early traditional English designers, but also by the Directoire and Empire of France and the Regency of England. Phyfe’s contemporary, Charles-Honore’ Lannuier, recently arrived from France and worked in the Directoire and later Empire field as his contribution to Federal furniture.

By the end of the first quarter of the 19th century, the facade of Federal had fallen to the unabashed Europhile Empire style; Napoleon’s only lasting positive contribution to the world. He had directed his architects to develop a new style for his “Empire,” which they enthusiastically did, combining classical motifs from Egypt and Greece with animistic additions such as carved animal feet and wings. Napoleon of course didn’t make it, but his style survived in England, modified only slightly, as Regency, and in America first as Empire and then in later versions as “Late Classicism” or “Restauration” as late as mid-century.

This classic Empire chair was made by Duncan Phyfe, circa 1820. (Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences photo).

Victoria became queen of England in 1837, and that started a 60-year binge of digging up and recycling styles of the past, politely called “revivals” under the umbrella label of “Victorian,” and America joined the bandwagon. Major revivals of style included Rococo-Louis XV, the revival of a phase of European art of the 18th century featuring rocks (rocailles) and shells (coquilles), Renaissance, a revival of 15th and 16th century Italian styles, Gothic, a revival of 15th century styles which was itself a revival of the 9th century as well as other lesser known revivals.

This chair by Belter illustrates the decorative flavor of the Rococo Revival of the mid 19th century.

A Renaissance Revival bed, circa 1875, reflects the architectural element of the style.

It also included a newer form based on the architectural concepts of an Englishman named Charles Locke Eastlake, whose idea of linear simplicity was driven to absurdity by American factory designers.

A reaction to all this elaborate revival erupted in Europe in the late 19th century, led mainly by William Morris in England and produced the Arts and Crafts movement, quickly embraced in America by Elbert Hubbard who started the Roycroft colony in Aurora, New York, by the Stickley family and by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Thus, it appears that for most of America’s existence, we have mooched our styles from abroad. Then, at last, came the great American contribution to American furniture: In the latter part of the 19th century we started to reproduce our own borrowed history and in the process accidentally produced the one true American style—Colonial Revival.

This 1930s table shows the creative redesign of Colonial styles in this Colonial Revival Depression era interpretation of the Jacobean style. This was our new style.

Fred Taylor is a Worthologist who specializes in American furniture from the Late Classicism period (1830-1850).

Visit Fred’s website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book “How To Be A Furniture Detective” is now available for $18.95 plus $3 shipping. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD, “Identification of Older & Antique Furniture,” ($17 + $3 S&H) and a bound compilation of the first 60 columns of “Common Sense Antiques,” by Fred Taylor ($25 + $3 S&H) are also available at the same address.

For more information call 800-387-6377, fax 352-563-2916, or e-mail info [at] furnituredetective [dot] com.

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