Victoria Homes & Antiques 2018

I first became aware of antique furnishings when I found a book in the college library that featured chairs, sofas, and wooden case goods that were surprisingly similar to the furniture in my grandparents’ home. I had never given a second thought to the bed, dresser, and chest of drawers in the room where I slept at Grandmother Norton’s home. But there they were, pictured in a respected volume, so they must have worth. Of course, I now know that the real value of these antiques was in their meaning to my relatives. When I began to furnish my first home, I acquired the typical things that were affordable to young people. However, I did splurge on an old, long, narrow table referred to by the salesman as a library table,…

The legendary markets and fairs of France are veritable meccas for antiques hunters, who patiently sift through the seemingly endless mélange of wares in search of hidden treasure. Some of the most coveted items are salvaged architectural fragments—tangible emblems of the country’s long and fascinating narrative. There are many ways to incorporate these ageless gems into home décor. Hand-carved wooden panels can be found in a range of sizes, making them perfect accents to hang over a mantel, fill a blank wall, serve as a headboard, or to create a decorative apron for the front of a desk. Smaller remnants add aesthetic elements to frames and mingle with other curios in bookcases. “IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND TODAY, YOU HAVE TO SEARCH YESTERDAY.”—Pearl S. Buck Pedestals are also favored relics utilized in interior…

In the 1920s, there were few things so fashionable and glamorous as a sterling cigarette case. Next to elbow-length gloves or an incredibly long strand of pearls, a beautiful silver case was a sure sign of an alluring woman. Cases differed slightly from one piece to the next—some were flat and square, while others were oblong and rounded to fit the gentle curve of a lady’s hand. Several were made of papier-mâché or wood, but the most treasured were those crafted of sterling silver. “The ornate sterling cases were expertly decorated,” says Karyn Shaudis, proprietor of Nightingale Antiques in Bakersfield, California. They were as highly regarded as fine jewelry, and surfaces were often embellished with engraved monograms, hand-chased patterns, inset semiprecious stones, and mother-of-pearl accents. “They were often quite elaborate,” says Karyn. Some…

English white ironstone has been tickling the fancy of Americans with its decidedly plain appeal since it was first imported and fervently acquired in the nineteenth century. Now a chic antique, the gleaming all-white earthenware has a goes-with-anything simplicity and a fits-in-anywhere charm that elicits as much pleasure among modern-day collectors as when it graced the tables of colonists, pioneers, and Victorians centuries ago. Introduced by Staffordshire potters as a durable, affordable substitute for porcelain, the earliest incarnations of the dense, heavy stoneware were colorfully decorated. But when unadorned white ironstone garnered instant favor in America for everyday use, its popularity inspired a heyday of mass production from 1840 to 1870. Ever since the era in which English white ironstone made its way across the ocean, the sturdy stuff has remained an…

In a world of mass-produced jewelry, a lovingly hand crafted cameo is a true luxury. The shelves of Amedeo Scognamiglio’s intimate Manhattan boutique are lined with elegant cameos, from timeless pearl-embellished pieces carved with flowers to fashionably appointed belts. These lovely creations reflect the remarkable tradition inherited by Amedeo, an energetic, bright-eyed young Italian man. He is a member of the sixth generation working in the family business, founded in 1857 in Torre del Greco, a small town on the Bay of Naples that is still the heart of the industry. A close-knit group of artisans painstakingly craft the Scognamiglio family cameos from seashells imported from Africa and the Caribbean. A client seeking a deeply personal memento submits photographs of a family member or pet, which Amedeo uses as a model to…

Like a lovingly wrapped gift, antique boxes beckon with entrancing exteriors featuring brass scrollwork, hand-painted floral motifs, and elaborate marquetry. Occasionally filled with timeworn accessories that hint of their past, the interiors can be every bit as delightful. “Today, boxes are collected as decorative pieces, but when they first became commonly used in the eighteenth century, they had a more practical purpose,” says Barbara Ashford, co-proprietor of the Birmingham, Alabama-based shop, Henhouse Antiques—a treasure trove of fine antique European boxes and other furnishings. “They were used to store various objects like important papers, tea, sewing supplies, and toiletries. Each was handcrafted and unique.” So prized were their contents that many of these vessels were fitted with locks. When tea was introduced in England in the late seventeenth century, it was an expensive…