26 pages of antique treasures

[GunnyGene]

Been a while since I posted anything about antique auctions. As before I have no connection with the auction house, but only post this for your viewing enjoyment. This one is a rare collection of art work, furniture, silver, crystal, Confederate memorabilia, books, etc. from an 1847 Antebellum home a few miles from me. The house and land are also for sale. Enjoy. :)

I'm planning on going to this one, and will post pics of the interior if I can. I'm sure the architecture will be of interest to some.

http://www.stevensauction.com/Calender.html

 

[Wyandot Jim]

WOW,
The Antebellum homes have always been on our list to go see when available.
Since I worked in South Louisiana Wifie and I have been to most all of the ones on "The River Road" they are just magnificent. Just goes to show you even back then those the had money lived better than the ones that didn't.
We spent the night in a slave cabin at Oak Ally. Probably a weeeeeeeeeeee bit better now that when the slaves lived in it. :D

 

[GunnyGene]

WOW,
The Antebellum homes have always been on our list to go see when available.
Since I worked in South Louisiana Wifie and I have been to most all of the ones on "The River Road" they are just magnificent. Just goes to show you even back then those the had money lived better than the ones that didn't.
We spent the night in a slave cabin at Oak Ally. Probably a weeeeeeeeeeee bit better now that when the slaves lived in it. :D

My wife's family owns an large antebellum and a few acres they have been trying to sell. Been vacant for several years, and needs some work, but is a nice place. Slave cabin is the same as it was in 1850. Also has a separate large 2 story brick kitchen & larder with quarters on the second story. Quite a place. Would make a good renovation project for a couple.

Quite a lot of them in the county around here that were not damaged during the war. Aberdeen (where this auction is) has a annual tour of the best ones in town every spring, if you get down this way. http://www.aberdeenpilgrimage.com/

 

[737tdi]

Gunny Gene: How much would something like the item 055 sell for? That would make a great bathroom vanity. Just curious.

Karl

 

[gramps]

Thanks Gunny. Wow, such elegance from a bygone era.
gramps

 

[GunnyGene]

Gunny Gene: How much would something like the item 055 sell for? That would make a great bathroom vanity. Just curious.

Karl

That is a beautiful piece. I'd expect it to fetch at least $1000, but it's really hard to judge what the crowd will do, and there will be professional antique dealers and museum buyers at this auction from all over the country. It's interesting to do some people watching at these big auctions. Never can tell who has a couple million to spend. :mrgreen:

Mallard was a renowned furniture maker. One of his beds, also made in 1850, went for over $40k at a previous auction here in 2010.

http://www.prlog.org/10678000-gorgeous-mallard-bed-made-around-1850-brings-40320-at-stevens-auction-may-1.html

Stevens does take phone bids the day of auction, if you want to bid on something.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Thanks Gunny,
The Plantations South of I-10 along the River Road and The Big Muddy were Sugar Cane Plantations not cotton. Probably more work to produce sugar than cotton.
We have been to all of the Antebellum Plantations on this map. They are just outstanding and of different types. Laura Plantation is a Creole and is pretty much the way it was in 1800s.
By the way most of the family's spent the winter in New Orleans where all the festivities took place.
Although the Greek Revival dominates, visitors to the River Road can see plantation houses in other styles as well. For example, a limited number of Creole houses survive. Also featuring columned galleries, these pre-antebellum homes, if one may use that term, are a relic of French colonial Louisiana. The entire River Road was once Creole, but one by one these early buildings were either modified or replaced. And, while it never even began to challenge the Greek Revival in popularity, the Italianate style is also represented among the region's majestic plantation homes.

Laura after several years of restoration.

Oak Ally. The trees were planted way before the plantation was built.
This Plantation has been in several movies and TV Shows

A Creole Plantation, notice the colors.

The reason for the two stairs is so the women could go up one side and the men the other. That way the men couldn't see their ankles

 

[GunnyGene]

Jim, the wife and I spent a week vacation in the NOLA area about 10 years ago and also visited a couple magnificent old homes and other popular sites. Don't recall which ones tho. Thanks for the pics. :D

What I find the most interesting about the old places is that most were built without benefit of power tools. All that intricate trim, stairs, columns, etc. were nearly all made with hand tools, or animal/people powered tools such as spring lathes and so on. I've seen hundreds of feet of moldings, door frames, etc. that were hand carved with gouges and hand planes that simply cannot be made any other way. The craftsmanship (often by so called "slaves", but who were often master craftsmen working off a debt ) is mind boggling. :)

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Yea When you look at the details of construction of the house and the furniture in the house is unbelievable. Also most all the construction wood in these houses is cypress.
Will I was living in Thibodaux they were restoring an antebellum house. I would stop to check on it as it was being restored. All the framing and decking wood was cypress.
The quality of the trim wood is also outstanding.
When we stayed at Oak Ally they had a list of what a slave was worth. They were put down as collateral so the worth had to be determined. A Slave Carpenter was the highest priced at $1500 1850 $$$$ Probably 50-75K in 2015 $$ I don't think he received the beatings as depicted. By the way the slaves were given some money so the could go to town on Sat afternoons. Most were also off on Sundays too along with the Overseers.

 

[gramps]

No wonder those homes still exist! I don't think cypress rots. :). Slavery as depicted by people of color today only looks at the negative. Even horses, and cows aren't beaten mercilessly all the time. Neither were slaves. Happy slaves turned out a better quality of work, and I am sure their owners were aware of that truth. Yes, there are cruel people in the world, still are. There will always be bullies. Those old homes are gorgeous, and reflect different architecture from a diversity of cultures. Thanks WJ for pointing that out.
gramps

 

[GunnyGene]

Yea When you look at the details of construction of the house and the furniture in the house is unbelievable. Also most all the construction wood in these houses is cypress.
Will I was living in Thibodaux they were restoring an antebellum house. I would stop to check on it as it was being restored. All the framing and decking wood was cypress.
The quality of the trim wood is also outstanding.
When we stayed at Oak Ally they had a list of what a slave was worth. They were put down as collateral so the worth had to be determined. A Slave Carpenter was the highest priced at $1500 1850 $$$$ Probably 50-75K in 2015 $$ I don't think he received the beatings as depicted. By the way the slaves were given some money so the could go to town on Sat afternoons. Most were also off on Sundays too along with the Overseers.

There were no beatings of skilled craftsmen. Many were hired out to other landowners and got to keep a significant percentage of the money. Some started their own business while still living on land belonging to their "owners". There is a great deal of prejudice and misinformation propagated by race baiters these days that has nothing to do with the reality of life in the 1800's.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Thanks, I forgot to point out that in the Creole world the red doors and gates indicate the house is paid for..

OK now I have to go paint our Blue door Red :D :D

 

[Colonialgirl]

I liked Item #21 in the auction, BUT since the trim is in 24K Gold its probably outside my price range ($2.00-$3.00)