Cantagalli Majolica Brackets, ca. 1905

Appraised on: June 7, 2008

Appraised in: Palm Springs, California

Appraised by: Jody Wilkie

Category: Pottery & Porcelain

Episode Info: Palm Springs, Hour 1 (#1301)

Originally Aired: January 5, 2009

IMAGE: 1 of 2  

Appraisal Video: (3:00)

GUEST: My grandfather came from Italy after World War II and his business was bringing art in and antiques and he bought and sold all kinds of things over the years. But he kept very little. For some reason, this is what he kept. He got them in the '50s at an outdoor market. I think it was in Venice. I know one of them is a real piece and one of them is an imitation. He knew that when he bought them and that's all the information I have.

APPRAISER: They're brackets made out of terra cotta and decorated with tin glaze. The tin in the glaze is what gives you the white. That is referred to in Italy as majolica. Stylistically, they're very much 16th-century objects. What you have is a very typical subject of a winged putto. That patch is not really a chip so much as a glaze loss. There is also on the corner a small chip to the edge of the bracket that shows you the orangish terra cotta inside. But other than that, they're in really great shape. They could do with a lot of the dark brown on them is just dirt. At auction I think that they would sell between $4,000 and $6,000, maybe more.

GUEST: Wow, I'm shocked. Really? Amazing.

APPRAISER: Really lovely examples.

GUEST: I'm so happy to get this information because we've wondered for years.

APPRAISER: They're fabulous. Thank you very much.