Alex Cooper Live!
The finest auctions since 1924
By Larry Cooper
Title: Alex Cooper Auctioneers upcoming Antique Auction
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Description: American and Continental Furniture; Quality Reproduction Furniture; American and European Paintings, Prints and Sculpture; Porcelain; Glass; American and English Silver; Jewelry; Oriental Rugs; Coins; Books; Sports Memorabilia; and Collectibles
Web Site: Refer to http://antiques.alexcooper.com/auctions/antique for catalog, descriptions, exhibition dates, absentee bidding form & terms of sale.
Session 1
Start Time: 10:00 AM EST
Date: Sunday, September 14, 2008
Session 2
Start Time: 10:00 AM EST
Date: Monday, September 15, 2008
Session 3
Start Time: 5:00 PM EST
Date: Monday, September 15, 2008
By James Plumer
Upon first glance, what draws you to her? Is it her shimmering gold color or near perfect symmetry? Who is she? This woman in flowing garments who appears to be rising up as the new Venus, and ushering in a new dawn in aesthetics. We here at Alex Cooper Auctioneers are proud to be selling in our September 14 auction “Loie Fuller” the gilt bronze masterpiece by Francois Raoul-Larche commissioned in 1901.
This figural lamp of the famed dancer “Loie Fuller (born Mary Louise Fuller 1862-1928) bought in an entirely new aesthetic-“artificial lighting”. The design was based on the light source illuminating the form and this being one of the first lamps designed and built using electric power. With the bulbs placed up in the folds of the drapery, the illumination would highlight the gilt drapery giving a “dreamlike” quality of soft light.
The lamps designer and sculptor Francois Raoul-Larche (1860-1912) was one of France’s leading art nouveau exponents and he wished to capture Ms. Fuller as a “dancing flame”, illuminated in motion. No other sculptor of the period was more successful in capturing the moment-when form became art. Now is the rare moment for some fortunate individual to own one of Art Nouveaus’ iconic images.
Auction estimate $30,000 - $40,000 US
Auction Date: September 2008 Sale
Sunday 14th & Monday15th
James Plumer is associated with Alex Cooper Antique Department.
By Crystal Williams
Mention Potthast to the average person and you might not get any response, but mention it to antique collectors and the name becomes synonymous with quality and true workmanship reproduction furniture. Nowhere is the name more appreciated than in the Baltimore region. During the late nineteenth century the Potthast family began their cabinetmaking shop in the Baltimore area and their dedication to produce quality workmanship on all of their products. Highly influenced by the popularity of the colonial revival style the Potthasts and other immigrants of the time saw this as a way as identifying with their new home in America. The style was also important to native-born Americans as they too realized the connection to their country’s past. Baltimore seemed the perfect fit for the Potthasts as it held a perfect mixture of old and newly established families. First located on N Howard St. (present day Antique Row), the Potthasts later moved their business to Tyson St. and eventually a factory on Wicomico St., but continued to use the Howard street building as their showroom.
Hundreds of pieces from the Potthast collection can be found throughout the Baltimore-Washington area along with a tremendous amount of documentary information from the company. Their pieces can be found in such notable collection such as The Maryland Historical Society, The Baltimore Museum of art and the Smithsonian Institute. Major antique furniture collectors from the area and from the nation have come to realize the distinction and craftsmanship of Potthast works and thus paying small fortunes for their pieces. During the mid 20th century their popularity was so enormous that they commissioned pieces for the likes of Cecil B DeMille and President Wilson, locally they produced furniture for the governor’s mansion and the Catholic archbishop’s residence in Baltimore. Their ability to reproduce furniture in styles known as “Queen Anne”, “Chippendale”, Sheraton”, “Hepplewhite”, and Duncan Phyfe”, kept their popularity abound and their works in high demand. Their contribution to the colonial revival and the history of cabinet making in Baltimore validate their slogan “The True Antiques of Tomorrow”.
Featured in Alex Cooper’s September auction are pieces from the famous collection; included are a set of chairs in the John Shaw manor, a sideboard, a pair of pedestal cabinets and a formal dining table. So stop by and see a piece of American and Baltimore history.
Auction Date: September 2008 Sale
Sunday 14th & Monday15th
Crystal Williams is associated with Alex Cooper Antique Department.
By Larry Cooper
The last several years of growth in Alex Cooper residential and commercial auction and brokerage divisions, have caused us to expand our work force. Our current offices are located on the second floor above the Antique auction gallery. The new offices will be located on the first floor, to the left of our Oriental & Area Rug Gallery. The second floor offices will still be used by our Foreclosure department.
After 6 months of planning, construction has finally started this morning. Dust is flying around as workers started removing wallboard, studs, ceiling tiles & grids. Irv Schwartz V.P. of Highview Construction was hired to handle the job and has been waiting patiently for us to make our final design decisions. Believe it or not, the most costly decision was the Dirtt movable walls. F.Y.I. from www.dirtt.net – “DIRTT walls are pre-engineered, pre-manufactured walls like no other. They are the most architectural in design in North America and the most adaptable in the industry.”
Our new Real Estate Auction and Brokerage offices are going to be quite contemporary compared to our current traditional style. The new offices will offer us plenty of space for now and for expected growth in the near future. The project is expected to be completed by this November.
By Larry Cooper
The Green Label & Green Label Plus program for carpets was established by The Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI). They have set the higher standard for indoor air quality. Alex Cooper offers Oriental & Area Rugs from Tamarian & Nourison that meet or exceed the Green Label standards; Nourison has over 20 collections and all Rugs offered by Tamarian. For example, small changes in production can move a rug within the Green Label standards; Last year Tamarian stopped using Swiss Chrome dyes that produce small amounts of gases and switched to organic dyes that emit no gases. In our Baltimore gallery we have 100’s of rugs from Tamarian and Nourison that meet or exceed the Green Label standards.
“CRI offers Green Label and Green Label Plus testing and certification to indicate carpet, carpet backings, cushions and adhesives that emit low volatile organic compound (VOC). In fact, Green Label carpet program has such a positive impact on the indoor environment that the American Lung Association approves its use in its Healthy Homes programs. Simply put, what falls to the carpet (common dust, pollutants and many things that we breathe) tends to stay on the carpet until it is vacuumed. Unlike smooth surfaces that allow dust and other allergens to re-circulate. Properly maintained carpet leads to improved air quality and a healthier indoor environment. The Green Label Plus program tough standards exceeds the green building requirements dictated by California schools.” Visit the CRI website http://www.carpet-rug.org/ for further information. The information in parentheses was reprinted from the CRI website.
By Larry Cooper
Both an Oriental rug and Area rug can fill your floor space and be decorative, fashionable & beautiful. My definition of an area rug is rugs that are machine made, tufted or hooked; oriental rugs are hand knotted & hand woven. Hand knotted rugs have a pile, while hand woven are a flat pile. Similar quality wool and silk material can be used in both oriental & area rugs.
As an expert in the rug industry, I can walk into any house and easily tell the difference between an area rug and an Oriental rug. One possible way to identify the difference, is most area rugs do not have fringes; almost all Oriental rugs have fringes other then Tibetan. Oriental rugs tend to be more expensive and most in my opinion tend to have that look of a handmade Oriental rug.
Why I believe an area rug is not the same as an Oriental rug is because the norm in the old rug industry is to refer to them as an Antique or Semi-Antique rug or Oriental rug or just old rug. We have been selling older Antique rugs in our Baltimore Gallery for many years, and older rugs have never been referred to in any manner as area rugs.
Over the last 5-8 years there has been major improvement in area rug quality. For instance, the Nourison 2000 collection by Nourison, which is tufted in a high density weave with silk accents. I consider this collection to be one of the finest quality tufted area rugs available. From the start, Nourison is the industry leader in machine made area rugs. They have been able to manufacture machine made wool area rug collections in many shapes, sizes and styles.
The design trends tend to dictate the color & style direction of the rug industry. New area rug designs can be introduced to the market in a much quicker time than an Oriental rug. This is probably why there are considerably more contemporary and transitional styles in area rugs, then Oriental rugs. Both Oriental & area rugs offer a large selection of traditional designs.
The time it takes to be made, shipped and then available for sale varies considerably between an Area rug & Oriental rug. Tamarian Tibetan Oriental rugs which are hand knotted and tend to offer more contemporary designs can be custom sized and received in our gallery within 3-5 months. A fine Pakistani or India Oriental Rug can take 6-12 months to receive depending on the size and quality; while most area rugs can probably be received within 2 - 3 months.
About Larry Cooper: I am a partner with Alex Cooper Oriental Rugs, since 1979. Our firm is known online as www.orientalrugsonline.com
By Larry Cooper
Title: Auction in Baltimore
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Description: 3 Day Auction Event Saturday through Monday, June 7, 8 & 9. Visit www.alexcooper.com for complete catalog and detail.
Start Date: 2008-06-07
Start Time: 10:00 AM EST
End Date: 2008-06-09
By Julie Levinson
Alex Cooper Auctioneers will be selling a remarkable collection of canes on June 7, starting at 10 AM eastern time. The interesting collection epitomizes the remarkable craftsmanship of cane artisans world-wide. A prominent Baltimore collector searched far and wide for the eclectic assortment of canes. The collection contains fine examples of antique European and American folk art canes, gentleman’s canes, rare sword and gun canes, tippler and smoker’s canes and many other exquisite examples of canes.
From the same Baltimore collector, Alex Cooper will be offering at auction an enormous selection of black forest, carved, and cast metal nutcrackers, magic lanterns and a large assortment of slides. To view the catalogue, visit our website http://antiques.alexcooper.com/auctions/antique
By Larry Cooper
Dave Sapp has been repairing rugs since 1962 and has worked at Alex Cooper’s since 1983. Many of the repairs he does involve repairing fringes.
There are several options when repairing fringe, depending on the extent of damage. The least expensive repair is to sew a strand of commercial fringe over the existing fringe. You want to make sure the repair person does not glue the fringe to the rug and does not cut away the rugs existing fringe. I would not recommend this type of repair for older rugs, as it detracts from the rugs natural beauty.
Dave & I highly suggest repairing your rugs fringe by re-weaving or re-fringing. The repair method would depend on the damage to your rug. The extent of damage depends on how much loss and reduction has occurred. We would suggest re-weaving if the fringe has worn and the rug has no reduction. The repair person actually sews cotton into the rug to make a fringe.
We suggest re-fringing the rug when reduction has occurred. The repairman needs to even the side by removing uneven weft threads and use the warp threads as the new fringe. A blind stitch is needed to secure and stop further damage to the rug. The new fringe is usually short; however is the excepted repair by Oriental rug dealers and collectors.
By Larry Cooper
The Maryland Legislature and Governor in early April significantly changed our states foreclosure laws. Homeowners have gained significant time and advantages that can help delay or halt their homes from being foreclosed. Starting in mid May because of the emergency legislation, expect foreclosure sales to start slowing down considerably.
The new law requires mortgage holders to give a 45 day notice to homeowners late on their payments. The letter must include a contact name from the mortgage holder. The foreclosure process can proceed 90 days from delinquency, at the earliest. The mortgagor will first have to be served by a processor that their home is going to be foreclosed. After two attempts, if they are not served, notice will then be posted on their property. Once this process is done, the auction will then take place in 45 days. According to the above calculations, home owners will now have approximately 150 days until their home goes to auction.
The emergency legislation will cause very few homes to be foreclosed in Maryland, this May through July. You can expect to see new foreclosure advertisements in newspapers starting in July.
