18th-Century Gilt Ivory Saint Joseph Figure
Appraised Value:
$30,000 - $80,000
IMAGE: 1 of 1
Appraisal Video:
Appraised By:
Lark Mason
Asian Arts
President
iGavel Inc.
Appraisal Transcript:
GUEST: It's been in my husband's family for years. His grandmother acquired it in the 1920s,
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: we think in Mexico City somewhere.
APPRAISER: Okay.
GUEST: It just got passed down to him eventually, and it's been sitting on our fireplace ever since.
APPRAISER: Okay, and what do you think it is? How would you describe it?
GUEST: I call it a king. It's my ivory king that looks over my living room.
APPRAISER: You probably are wondering, "Why did I go to the Asian arts line?" Because it certainly doesn't look very Asian, does it?
GUEST: No, not really.
APPRAISER: You said it looks like a king, right? Well, actually, you're sort of right. I mean, it's not very Asian in terms of the iconography. The figure, it is a Western figure. And as you look at this, you see the wide folds here in the cloth? This would fall into what is called the Baroque Period, which is late 16th century throughout the 17th century. And in some places, it extends beyond that into the 18th century. So it's a baroque-style figure. Now, it's also got all these little brown marks all over the surface, which is what we call mastic. It's an adhesive, on which originally gold leaf was applied. So this was a very resplendent figure and it's made of ivory. The Spanish, during the 16th and 17th century, truly were one of the most powerful countries in the world, and they were a major seafaring power. And they had colonies in the New World and Mexico, but they also were in Asia. The Spanish and also the Portuguese were at Goa and in the Philippines. Now at both those locations, they had ivory figures made for export back to some of the other colonies. Now, the question then is, is it Spanish or is it Portuguese? And there are several clues. One is, Portuguese figures made in Goa tend to have a rounder, more full appearance. Those in Spain have a crisper, sharper appearance, and I think this is actually Spanish made in the Philippines. It's not a king.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: It's actually Saint Joseph. And he would appear with the Virgin Mary and the Christ child.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: Now, there are some condition issues because this is not the original gilding. It's what we would call radiator paint. It's just almost a spray paint out of a bottle. So it's been changed a little bit, but essentially this is in terrific shape. The one thing it's missing is the gilding from the surface, which has been worn off over a period of time. So you've got a very rare figure. I think that it would easily sell in the range of $30,000 to $50,000
GUEST: Oh, my God.
APPRAISER: at an auction sale.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: It's a very special item.
GUEST: My husband will be very pleased.
APPRAISER: And if you were going to keep it, because it's a family heirloom...
GUEST: Yeah, it will probably stay in the family.
APPRAISER: Well, you know what? I'd insure it for closer to $75,000 or $80,000.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: You okay?
GUEST: Yeah, I'm fine. I've got to drive home with this thing now. Oh, well, thank you.
