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Appraisal Update | Cut Glass Centerpiece Base, ca. 1885

Appraisal Update | Cut Glass Centerpiece Base, ca. 1885

Extraordinary Finds | Hear More from Lowry About the Auction!

Extraordinary Finds | Hear More from Lowry About the Auction!

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1920s Pierre Laurel Sculpture

Value (2003) | $10,000 Auction – $15,000 Auction

GUEST:
It's from my great-grandmother, and her brother-in-law and sister-in-law found it in Paris, I believe. That's all I know about it is it came from Paris. They saw it in a window at an art store and they couldn't afford it, they didn't have enough money to afford it at the time and they went to a cafe and they had food and a bottle of wine, and then left and decided they could afford it. So they went back...

APPRAISER:
After the bottle of wine.

GUEST:
Absolutely.

APPRAISER:
What a surprise.

GUEST:
They went back and purchased it and they my grandmother and grandfather had gone to Denmark to visit his mother and it was given to them at that time to take back to California, so they did.

APPRAISER:
This was made in the art deco period in the 1920s and this was actually a waterfall, but I think it was strictly decorative. When I first saw it, I just was amazed. Look at the faces of the young women sitting up top here. And it's almost, what I would say, a story of adolescent love. There's three, young, beautiful women, almost the three graces up top here, and then there's the somewhat, I would say, mischievous, young boy here. I think the horns make me feel he's a little mischievous. He's a satyr-- half man, half goat-- and he's got this wonderful look on his face and it seems to be charming the young ladies at the top of the waterfall. Do you know anything about the artist?

GUEST:
No, I don't. We did find a signature, but we don't know who it is or anything else about it.

APPRAISER:
Took us a little bit to figure out who signed it, but it was by Pierre Laurel.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
And he is a French artist well-known for art deco sculptures. Very famous for doing young, beautiful, long-legged young women. He was a very romantic artist of the art deco period. This might be one of his top pieces. It combines bronze work, carved marble... Which has very wonderful polished marble here, but yet a very rough cut to kind of visualize the waterfall, water flowing down. And it's just a phenomenal piece. Any clue whatsoever as to what you think it might be worth?

GUEST:
I don't have a clue.

APPRAISER:
Well, I'm hoping you have the expression of one of these young ladies in a smile when I tell you that I believe it's worth $10,000 to $15,000 at auction.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER:
It's a wonderful piece.

GUEST:
That's wonderful.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Robert DuMouchelle
Metalwork & Sculpture
DuMouchelles Gallery
Detroit, MI
Appraised value (2003)
$10,000 Auction – $15,000 Auction
Featured In
San Francisco, Hour 2 (#0805)
Event
San Francisco, CA (August 16, 2003)
Category
Metalwork & Sculpture
Period
20th Century , Art Deco
Form
Sculpture
Material
Brass , Marble

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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