So, heres an interesting situation. By all rights and conventional standards, I should have never bought this little stand or let it into my house. As you can see its constructed from thin packing case lumber and dates to about 1930. However, it came from a most interesting Germanic farm in a place called Schwartz, Quebec about 60 miles West and North of Ottawa. I was at the auction that day about ten years ago. All of the original contents of the log home, the barns and outbuildings was in situ. It looked as if the old timers had simply walked away that morning of the sale. As it turned out, the lane was gated and locked and had been for years so the pickers (including yours truly) never got in. Although its late, the stand is in original varnish and has a simple charm - from its neatly scrolled backboard to the spool used for the pull on the front of the lapped drawer, to the shaped legs. Clearly, the maker was a capable person and even though he or she may have been using substandard material, they incorporated enough features to elevate this stand from something completely ordinary to a piece of furniture that while its humble also exhibits a certain grace and character. Maybe its me and my quirkiness but to my mind there should be room in any collection for the unconventional. Yes, its always great to find and buy the best. But we, as collectors, should not shun the also ran. Part of the process of becoming a knowledgeable and flexible collector is to recognize the unique and unconventional when you come across it. (Ive written a column on that topic and I have another example Ill post soon.)
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 15:27:08 +0000
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