Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Ransom Mirror

Paul Tucker, an expert on Moorish Fretwork furniture, was kind enough to send some concrete evidence that the mirror posted previously is not a Hunzinger piece at all, but one constructed by a furniture maker named: Moses Younglove Ransom. He made some magnificent pieces with those turned wood spindles... many in the exact same pattern as the mirror.

Here is the "smoking gun"





Thanks Paul for the correction!
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4 comments:

  1. retrohappy11:56 PM

    Hi there. I just bought a sofa at auction that I believe may be a Hunzinger. The link to the auction gallery photo is below...any chance you could either help me identify it, or tell me how to check closer once I get it home?

    Thanks for any help you can offer!

    Here's the link--the sofa is featured as the first photo & link into the full slideshow (which has several more detail shots of the sofa):
    http://www.atticgold.com/page6.html

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  2. John W9:45 AM

    Tara, I don't believe it to be Hunzinger, but I can point you to pictures of very similar furniture.

    See pages 33, 39, 42, and 43 of "Styles of American Furniture" by Eileen and Richard Dubrow.

    Unfortunately, the book provides conflicting attributions on these: Alexander Roux, unattributed, and John Jelliff.

    You can find information on the book on my site at http://rarevictorian.com/VictorianFurnitureBooks.html

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  3. John W4:48 PM

    Here is a sofa attributed to Hunzinger that is identical to yours.

    http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=28211&item=130169224730

    You could ask Antiquarian Traders what their basis for attribution is.

    There was a Hunzinger sofa made that may be influencing these people to attribute it to Hunzinger. The Hunzinger sofa I'm thinking about had cloven feet and the legs are dramatically different.

    You can see another one by Hunzinger at the Met Museum:
    http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/revi/hob_1992.269.htm

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  4. retrohappy4:57 PM

    I saw that auction--that's what led me to think my sofa is a Hunzinger--they look almost identical with the exception of the way the upholstery was done--which may have come after.

    I will be bringing the sofa home on wednesday, so I'll check it out more closely to see if there is a stamp or a brass patent tag like the one shown on this blog.

    I would love to know for sure who the maker is on this one!

    Thanks for you help!

    xoxo
    tara

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