Antiques: The Modern Day Safari

In Short
When researching an antique, do not limit yourself to sites or searches dedicated to the antique itself. Also, be sure to try variations of your search.

If you go into the Woods Today
As a gift, my husband received a small, .5 (½) liter German stein. The stein has a domed lid; I assume is pewter. The stoneware is gray in color with a raised scene that is highlighted in a cobalt glaze. The bottom looks as if the stein was formed on a potter’s wheel. As per an article posted on beerstein.net, when the body of the stein has been completed on the potter’s wheel, it is removed by pulling a wire under it while the wheel is still turning. This leaves a whorl of a pattern on the bottom. In the case of my husband’s stein, the pattern was not smoothed away. The bottom of the stein is simply marked, “GERMANY.”

The Animals Bury the Hunter

Stein is marked GERMANY

All of this sounds quite standard when it comes to german steins, but what I find fascinating is the stein’s decoration. The relief depicts a procession of animals, many walking on only two of their four legs, carrying a coffin. In the air above the parade is a thin banner but I am unable to make out the words due to their small scale and the glazing.

Of course I started off my search focusing primarily on sites dedicated to collecting steins but have yet to find anything.

Search – Query – Question
I decided to try searches that did not include the word “stein.” Variations of my search included “animal march,” “animal procession,” “animal funeral procession.” I then switched to an image search and tried “animal funeral march.” Imagine my surprise when I came across the image of a woodcut by Moritz von Schwind entitled Des Jägers Leichenbegängnis (“The Hunter’s Funeral Procession”). The scene depicted was almost identical to the scene found on my husband’s stein.

Wie die Thiere den Jager begraben

My direction shifted away from the stein itself and more toward the history of the image.

Left side of animal procession on stein

Middle of animal funeral procession on stein

Right side of animal funeral procession

The Fairy Tale
I learned this image was the inspiration behind a piece of music created by the Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler entitled Todtenmarsch in ‘Callots Manier (Funeral March in the manner of Callot). The inspiration, the image of animals accompanying a hunter’s coffin to the grave, was repeatedly described as an image known to all children in Austria from an old book of children’s fairy tales. So I shifted my focus to fairy tales and came across a blog associated with a fairy tale museum in Germany. And so, I emailed the museum using the address found on their website to see if I could find the specifics of the tale.  (I wrote in German with the assistance of Google’s translation tool.)

Within two days I received an email. The original recipient of my email was forwarding it to a German Professor who specialized in folklore. Within another two days the Professor responded. In his email he wrote, “This motif is very popular in Europe, it belongs to the cycle of Topsy-Turvy-Land (Verkehrte Welt, Il mondo reverso, etc.) and is esp. preferred in the mass media (illustrated broadsheets, imagerie populaire) of
the 19th century.” The note went on and although I did not get the specific details I had hoped, the additional information he provided that I have checked to date has lead me to find that similar themes are found in other cultures. For example, this same tale is part of a Slovene ballad.

Hoping for a Happy Ending to my Tale
I hope this knowledge will assist in establishing a value for my husband’s stein. I did manage to find an image of a similar stein via liveauctioneers.com. It sold as part of a lot that included two steins for $200.00.

In Short
Do not forget that search engines, such as Google, provide a way for you to limit your search to images. This can shorten the road to learning more about a specific antique or collectible in your collection.

The Treasure Chest
One morning as I dressed for work, I decided to wear a scarf. Then I decided I needed a pin to secure my scarf so I began to pick through my jewelry box. I needed something fairly large and far from delicate. I came across a sterling silver brooch, a present from my husband’s grandmother. I must admit I was never overly found of it but it certainly was just right for the occasion but badly tarnished from its neglect. I took the silver brooch downstairs and then continued with my morning routine of having breakfast with my husband, waking and feeding the children, packing their lunches and getting all of us out the door in time for my oldest to catch the bus and for my youngest and I to continue our journey to daycare. Needless to say, I decided to forgo the scarf and pin because morning was not the time to be polishing silver.

That evening as I returned my attention to the silver brooch, I realized it had several marks: Georg Jensen, GI, Sterling Denmark, 236A. Always inquisitive, I flipped on my laptop and began my search.

Pinned Down
My search revealed Georg Jensen was a famous Danish silversmith. He started his own silver business in 1904 and today the company continues to create products of unique style.

I decided to search for my specific brooch and limited my search to images on the Internet related to Georg Jensen.  I immediately found a single web site returning multiple images.  I visited the site and within minutes found a a photograph of a brooch virtually identical to mine.  I little while later I found yet another web site, specializing in Georg Jensen sales and found my exact pin.  The additional details provided by both these sites allowed me to conclude that my piece was “post 1945” and worth somewhere between $400 and $800.

Georg Jenson Brooch

In Short

Companies with a history may have their own archives. Browse corporate web sites and do not hesitate to use request information via email or through the use of an online feedback form made public on the organization’s web site.

Please Pass the Ketchup

In March of 2008 I sat back at a business luncheon and listened while one of our clients shared bits of trivia he had acquired while traveling and somehow Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Heinz Company came up. He mentioned that the first product the company sold was horseradish in clear glass bottles so consumers could see the Heinz difference – the use of wholesome real ingredients, no fillers.

Immediately I thought of my small, clear Heinz condiment jar.

Anticipation

H.J. Heinz Company Condiment Jar

 At some point my great aunt, who lives in Ohio, passed along to me a Heinz condiment jar. The lid of the jar includes the familiar “57.” The name of the company, H.J. Heinz Co., is found embossed on the bottom of the bar along with “PatP” and “J 1.” It is complete with a glass spoon or paddle. I absolutely love it. The jar itself reminds me of Heisey glass with its fluted sides.

After my luncheon I searched the Internet but was not able to find anything like my jar. Finally I turned my attention to the Heinz Company web site.

I managed to locate a fairly generic Contact Us form and decided to inquire about my condiment jar and ask for some direction. I promptly received a personal response from a Customer/Consumer Resource Representative. The representative requested images and noted me that if she was unable to identify the jar, she would forward the images to their archivist. The request did end up with the archivist and within three weeks I had a response. The records in their archives did not include any bottles marked J 1 as shown in my photos. There was a glass mustard jar that had a glass lid with a ‘57’ embossed on the top. It came with a wooden paddle that was attached to the side of the jar and was made from 1938 through 1941.

Although not the answer I had hoped for, I still treasure my Heinz condiment jar.

Heinz Condiment Jar, Lid and Spoon

Embossed H.J. Heinz Company, J 1, PatP

In Short

If your searches do not initially provide you with answers, be sure to search again. The content housed on the Internet is ever changing.

Also, don’t be quick to cough up cash. Information that may be privy to members via some sights may be accessible for free from other sites. Try searching on the results of your search. For example, when it comes to auctioned items, visit the web sites of the auction houses and review their online catalogues, lot details and sales information which is often freely available to the public.

Paying a Second Visit

In the summer of 2001 I purchased a small portrait of the Bavarian Eagle King, Leo Dorn. At that time I was unable to find anything about the painter, Hans Jemüller. Since the Internet is ever changing, I knew it would be worth a second search, especially some seven years later.

So, I started by simply searching on the name of the painter. This time I had success. A majority of the returned results came from online gallery and auction house networks.

On the Surface

The results generated by sites such as artfact.com and invaluable.com were brief. I would need to subscribe to their online service for a nominal fee in order to obtain more details. At least now I knew that Jemüller’s art was up for auction on more than one occasion in recent years.

The results generated from findartinfo.com and artnet.com did offer auction dates, titles, size, medium (and findartinfo.com even made prices available) but I could not drill down into additional details or see images of the paintings without again subscribing for a fee.

The results generated from prices4antiques were also limited but did offer wonderful images without requiring a login. This is where I first came across a photograph of the the painting, “Sommertag bei Garmisch,” another oil on board likely in its original silver tone wood frame. My portrait of the Eagle King is framed in virtually an identical fashion.

liveauctioneers.com was the only site whose subscription was free. They had record of the above. “Sommertag bei Garmisch” (oil on board; 9 ¼” X 11 ½”) was sold through Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales in December of 2006. The pre-sale estimate was $200 – $300 and the price realized at auction was $225.00. That is a bit more than $41.50 I paid for my painting.

Seeing Dollar Signs

I decided to search on the names of the other paintings I had uncovered in my initial search and then realized I might be able to find a wealth of information by visiting the web sites of the individual auction houses. Using the search utilities of these independent sites often generated results when I entered the painter’s name or the lot number within a specific auction; I acquired these details as a result of my initial search). This is what I found:

“Preparing the Skiis” (oil on canvas 12 5/8” X 16 ¾”) was sold through Christie’s South Kensington in November of 2004. The estimated value was $1,106 – $1,475 and the painting sold for $1,653 (the price included the buyer’s premium).

“Venedig – Boote vor dem Markusplatz” (oil on cavas; 20 ½” X 26”) was sold through Neumeister Kunstauktionen on January 28, 2009. $532 was the estimated value published within the auction house’s online catalogue. I was unable to determine the price realized at auction.

“Muinuddin”. Portrait eines sitzenden Arabers. (watercolor and pencil; 29.5” X 17”) Estimated value $440.

What of my Painter?

Eventually I made it through all of the results returned from various art and auction sites and came across a German site that had a brief biography of Hans Jemuller. The man, both a painter and a book illustrator, was born in Munich on June 14, 1892 and died in Garmisch-Patenkirchen on May 13, 1971. I am hoping that as time goes on more of his work will surface. Perhaps I will find a friend for my lone Eagle Hunter.

In Short

When researching online, you do not have to speak the language.  The free translation tools available can open many doors.

An Introduction

Recently I decided to establish an electronic home inventory.  With family members in the business of antiques and estate sales, my husband and I have accumulated a small collection of antiques and vintage pieces.  Times being what they are these days, I immediately turned my attention to these items hoping that their worthw ould make me feel a bit more ahead of the game.  Perhaps I would also find it was time to extend our home insurance policy to cover their value.

But, before I tell you of my recent quests, I must tell you of my first online antique safari.

My First Online Antique Safari

In the summer of 2001, I purchased a small paiting for $41.50 from the Rose Hill Antique Consignment Shop in Geneva, off the shores of New York’s Seneca Lake.  The framed oil-on-board depicts an old man in Bavarian attire.  The painting is signed Hans Jemüller  and on the back, in pencil, it reads, “Adlerjäger Dorn.”   Shortly after I made the purchase, I turned to Google to see if I could find out more about my painting.

Eagle King Leo Dorn

Google

My search found nothing with regards to the painter.  However, I did find little tidbits regarding its subject matter.  The first article I came across was a composition written in German by a Ludwig Ganghofer entitled, “Adlerjagd.”  Since I do not speak German, I turned to Google’s language tools.  I had the utility translate the site and read with great interest about Eagle Hunter Leo Dorn.    I knew it was the man in my painting based on Ganghofer’s description: snow-white beard, sharply bent hooked nose, weathered felt hat complete with eagle feather. 

I learned that that Dorn was of Hindelang and so it was on to my next search.  Eventually, I learned that Leo Dorn was born in Oberstdorf and so, again, with the help of Google’s language tools, I wrote to the town’s local archivist.

One month later, to my surprise, I received a response via postal mail.  Once translated, I learned that Leo Dorn was born on January 16, 1836 in Oberstdorf.  He was the son of the hunter Ignaz Dorn and his wife Genofeva, born Schmelz.   Leo Dorn became a hunter and a mountain guide like his father.  Eventually he became a high hunter for Prince Luitpold orf Bavaria.  He shot 78 golden eagles in his life and that is why he has the title, “Adler Konig,” Eagle King.  (In the 19^th century the eagle was pursued in Germany just like the bear, lynx and wolf as a sheep and goat robber.)

But the greatest part about the letter was an enclosed copy of a photo that showed the eagle hunter at approximately 60 years of age.  The photo was almost identical to the image of my painting.

Although I was unable to determine anything regarding the value of my little treasure, at least I now knew it must be of some significance.