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Antique American Frames: Indentification and Price Guide (Antique American Frames)
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You Are Here: Books About Antiques > Antique Price Guides > Item 37 of 709
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$49.99
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Available from Amazon
Price Last Updated : 7-31-2008
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Features
Paperback: 217 pages
Publisher: Quill; 2nd edition December 1999
Language: English
ISBN-10: 038080221X
ISBN-13: 978-0380802210
Product Dimensions:
8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
Book Description
As recently as the 1980s, frames from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were routinely thrown away, even by experienced gallery owners. The value of these antique frames is now widely recognized, and some frames command prices of $30,000 and higher--often more than the artwork they hold. Whether you've already discovered the beauty and value of old frames, or have yet to find the hidden treasure in your own attic, the second edition of Antique American Frames will bring you a wealth of up-to-the-minute information, including:
- The latest prices
- Tips for spotting a valuable frame
- Detailed descriptions of frames with identifying photos
- Historic information on period frames
- Trade secrets on cleaning and retoration
- A new chapter on collectors and collections
- More than 100 photographs, including an eight-page full color insert
From the Author
ANNOTATION A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR
Proud as I was of the first edition, I'm thrilled with the second. The book compiles information that took me more than two decades to gather and presents it beautifully. The initial publication was evidence of the awareness and industry that my endeavors have created throughout the country, but now, with its added chapter on collectors and collections, the Guide is proof that period frames have finally come into their own - as both a transforming element for two-dimensional art, and as works of art in themselves. I urge one and all to purchase the Guide and become "expert" in identification. Also, I recommend The Art of the Frame, published in conjunction with an exhibition held in my gallery in 1988. For more information about the gallery, please contact our website at www.eliwilner.com.
-- Eli Wilner, December 20, 1999
Reader Reviews
I bought this book hoping to get some real specific information on buying and selling antique american frames. I enjoyed reading this book because it gave me a bigger picture of how the frame styles developed in America (even though I also felt like Mr. Wilner's chatty tone seemed to talk down to his audience). I agree with some of the other reviewers in that this certainly is an enthusiastic book and creates awareness for people to look at what surrounds the picture instead of just looking at the painting. Antique frames should certainly be studied and written about and noticed and matched with the right paintings. I do have some complaints however. I am an antiques dealer and I have some other books in the Confident Collector series. I really don't think this book fits in the same spirit as the rest of the series. I think Mr. Wilner's prices are all off base with the real world of antiques and collecting. They seem to be a self-serving guide to prices in his shop alone. I go to lots of auctions and antique markets in many states and have been in the business for many years of selling both paintings and frames and I rarely have seen frames alone sell for the kind of values he is giving them. I know that prices are going up since more awareness has made people appreciate the so-called art of the frame more. I have seen that there are many exhibits and articles on antique frames in the last few years, and I have seen that frames are starting to cost more as people become more aware that frames can be as important as a painting.I know that people like Mr. Wilner are benefiting the public by educating them on what a good frame is. I agree that some frames are very valuable, like an original Stanford White or a signed artists frame (as described in the book), but it seems that Mr. Wilner's book attempts to make all American frames seem valuable and that just can't be true. It's not true of American furniture or other antiques, they all have highs and lows, so frames must too. Like for example simple black Eastlake print frames in his book are starting at $2500, but those kinds of frames can be found at nearly every antiques mall for well under $500. There is no indication in the text about why Mr. Wilner finds Eastlake frames are suddenly so valuable other than that he says so. Also Mr. Wilner's book seems to be the only one in the series that he is the only dealer listed. Other books list other experts and sources to buy or find out more about the specific antique. Overall, I think that for people who know nothing about frames and want some idea of what they are about and to learn some general history, the chapter text is quite informative but the dates of the frames shown are not in chronological order which is somewhat confusing. Unfortunately the black and white pictures are so small and fuzzy and such bad quality that it is very difficult to see the detail in the frames, so how can you tell if you have one of the valuable ones or not? The photo captions themselves don't really give much extra information I wish they talked more about the decorative motifs or described the frames better since the photos are so bad. As generalist antique guides go it's a decent overview. I would just tell anyone to take the Price Guide part of this with a very large grain of salt, since the frame prices seem to be on the moon instead of in the real world of american antiques.
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Antique American Frames: Indentification and Price Guide (Antique American Frames)
by Eli Wilner and Mervyn Kaufman
Available from Amazon
Price: $49.99
on 7-31-2008
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