This signed Horner hall bench is unusual for some of the subject matter of the carvings which include Pagliacci, Hamlet, Shakespeare, and another unidentified figure of notoriety. North Wind Antiques, the seller, is speculating it may have been made for a large opera house due to the thematic elements of the carvings. The carved griffins on the arms look like the quality of the carvings that the company did on many of the lower-end hall chairs that you commonly see rather than the usual precision-carved griffins on the big pieces. It is also unusual for it’s use of Merklen-esque pierced-through triple-spiral columns. Bidding ends on Feburary 4th.

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This buffet certainly has the heft of a Horner piece and the carvings are at the level that one would expect of a Horner but it is difficult to be sure as it is unmarked. The griffins are especially detailed with the one in the bottom center displaying an unusual amount of detail in the hairs on the chest and tail as well as the feathers on the wings. There are 4 other griffins integrated into the design as well. Note the “tin-roof” type carvings in the top curved section of the cabinet (see the listing photos to view this detail).

This buffet will be sold on December 1st starting at $3,000 with an expected range of $6,000 to $8,000. More details can be seen at the listing.

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Sorry for the lapse in posts on this blog as I have been spending a lot of time getting some changes implemented over at RareVictorian.com. Running across this great Horner piece offered by Bradfords Antiques spurred me into action.

Up for auction is a Horner partner’s desk with 4 seated winged griffins. A Horner collector once told me that if a griffin piece had the “rat tail” on the griffins (which this one has), then you could be sure it was a Horner – not that you need to look at this one hard to figure out if it was a Horner. I’ll leave the details to Bradfords below, but I’ll let you know that bidding ends on the 30th and will start at $5,000 (reserve not met at that level). There are a lot more photos that I haven’t included that you can review at the listing.

THE BEST
R. J. Horner Winged Griffin
Mahogany Partners Desk

Circa 1890’s

Top of the Line Horner Standing
Winged Griffin Partners Desk

ALL ORIGINAL!

The Previous owner had the Desk
in his Family for over 100 years.

Near Mint Original Condition
Came with a Glass Top to
Protect the Finish Etc.

Four Standing Winged Griffins
Support this Heavily Carved
Partners Desk

All Ribbon Stripe Mahogany

Six Fully Relief Carved
Drawers with Carved
Pulls

Serpentine Top with Detail
Carved Bullnose

Serpentine Bottom Shelf
with Highly Carved Edge

Carved Horner Style Feet

Height: 31 inches
Length: 56 inches
Depth: 37 inches

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Brand new imported Baranzelli/Scalamandre silk damask from Italy on this powerful R.J. Horner (attributed) parlor set with carved griffins and outstretched wings. There is a lion mask on each of the seatbacks as well as paw/claw feet. Currently bid up to $4,100 with 8 days to go, I’m sure it will climb much higher. More detail on this set can be seen here.

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This is one of the nicest examples of Horner (attributed) dining chairs I have seen in a while. Not only do you have carved griffin armrests but caryatid figures on the seat backs as well. Very fine carving detail. There are 7 total chairs, one of which is an armchair. These are being sold out of Chester, NY by William J. Jenack Auctioneers and they unfortunately are not providing in-house shipping on this set. Bidding starts at $250 and expected range is $500-$800 which should easily get blown away or else my dining room will suddenly have 15 total dining chairs. More details here.

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