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Art Nouveau Swan Lamp, ca. 1890

Value (2012) | $1,200 – $1,800
Watch  

APPRAISER:
This lamp was made in the late 19th century, and it's an example of the Art Nouveau style. Where did you come across this lamp?

GUEST:
After my father died, my mom was kind of asking us which pieces we preferred. And I really have to be honest. I never thought much of this, but my husband just loved it. And so I told my mom that Bill really, really loved the lamp and she knew he'd appreciate it so she gave it to us.

APPRAISER:
Well, I believe that this lamp was made in France in the 19th century. The shade on this lamp has wonderful pink swans on it, which also are reproduced in the base. The base is made of bronze. It's a bronze dorè base, and the dorè refers to the gold color that it has. The shade is probably made by a very fine French manufacturer, the Daum Factory or Pantin. It's not signed, however, and the reason that it's not is that both of these factories produced shades for lamp companies. It wasn't the important part of the lamp at that day, but today, art glass collectors are very interested. This shade was made by blowing glass into a mold and then acid-etching back the decoration as well as applying some enamel decoration on the top of that. So it's a three-part process and very beautiful.

GUEST:
We have the original fringe and I forgot to bring it with us. It's fallen apart. It's individual little glass beads strung. And I think it must have hung on the inside of the lamp. And I just forgot it.

APPRAISER:
I do think that it would look more beautiful without this fringe on it, and so I'd like to take it off, if we can do that. Notice this curvilinear line around the outside of the shade. So I encourage you to replace the proper fringe on this lamp and bring it back to its true glory.

GUEST:
We promise.

APPRAISER:
Well, I think that the lamp, were it to be sold today, would probably fetch in the $2,000 to $3,000 range.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Karen Keane
Decorative Arts, Furniture
Skinner, Inc.
Boston, MA
Update (2012)
$1,200 – $1,800
Appraised value (1998)
$2,000 – $3,000
Featured In
Milwaukee, Hour 2 (#0306)
Vintage Milwaukee (#1723)
Event
Milwaukee, WI (June 20, 1998)
Category
Glass
Period
19th Century , Art Nouveau
Form
Lamp
Material
Bronze , Enamel , Glass

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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