ANTIQUES & ART4 EVERYONE MAGAZINE

A Rare Find and Truly One of a Kind

Every now and then you stumble across an item that is such an exciting find, that you first calm yourself down, look around to make sure no one is watching you, and do your best to inspect it, without making it obvious as to how excited you really are. Seven years ago, I happened upon just such a piece. This was in a low end auction house, that sold about 5,000 items, every 2 weeks. The small Burl Walnut, Diminutive Secretary, had been very poorly taken care of. There were chips, nicks, scratches, pieces of veneer lifting, and missing veneer. It was in very poor condition. I knew the condition issue would deter most of the buyers from placing a bid. I also knew that as far as empire pieces go, even though short and boxy in appearance, this was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity, to own such a rare and magnificent piece. I took my usual position in the back of the room away from everyone else, so I could clearly see who I was bidding against. The auctioneer started the bidding at $200, and with no interest dropped the bid down to $50. I raised my hand and was recognized, the gentleman with the black hat for $50, now $75, at $100 to you sir, now $125, $150 to the black hat, now $175, $200 to the black hat. I raised four fingers, the black hat bids $400. Is there anyone for $450, $450. Going once, twice, sold to the gentleman in the black hat for $400. I could no longer contain my enthusiasm, and as I walked over to the Secretary with my sister/partner, I told her this may be as rare apiece as we will ever own. Others will be more valuable, but this will be the rarest item. Once I got it home, I slowly inspected it, looking for signs of a signature or stamp from the maker. Nothing! This had to have been a custom made piece, because Burl Walnut on a period empire piece is unheard of. A two part Diminutive Secretary, with a pull out writing slide, and a ink and pen storage draw that slides out to the right of the top drawer, once the top drawer is open, made this the rarest of the rare. At that time, I knew very few dealers and upon the recommendation of one, I sent it to a restoration shop in Yonkers New York. The owner claimed they did work for some of the top collectors in the country. That was almost a total disaster. What had been a beautiful honey brown patina, was turned black and beyond recognition. To make matters worse, they had replaced some of the Burl Walnut veneer with crotch mahogany. Fortunately they were sloppy enough not to have removed the original finish. I am very thankful for these small favors. I am now in the process of restoring it myself, back to its original beauty. This piece is the prized item in my Empire collection, in what is a recreation of a room, from the best Art and Antiques Museum in New York. I have no way to gauge its true value, because there is no point of reference. It is truly a one of a kind masterpiece, in the Empire style. A custom made treasure that I am still hopeful of finding who the original maker was. Diminutive items are highly prized in any form. Diminutive Secretaries are by far the most expensive of Diminutive Antique furniture items. Even with its blocky appearance, it is not squat, but rather has a vertical lift, which only lends to its aesthetic appeal. A true American masterpiece, of the rarest form and exceedingly high quality, both in the choice of wood and design. These are the types of items that make the field of collecting Antique furniture worthwhile.