Cristina Campion, Associate Director of 20th Century Design and Furniture & Decorative Arts at Clars, spoke to Rob Stewart, PBS TV Host & Executive Producer, on the importance of analyzing and authenticating furniture for 2023’s Antique Valuation Day.
American Studio Furniture is commanding strong prices realized at auction, particularly for the masters, including Arthur Espenet Carpenter, George Nakashima, and Wharton Esherick, among others.
It’s always important to analyze the underside of a chair to see if there are any signatures or stamps. However, one cannot rely on a signature or stamp alone. It is equally significant to look at the form itself and the construction of the piece holistically to ensure that the form is consistent with other examples by the designer. Also crucial to the value of a piece is the provenance or history, if it’s been exhibited in any museum collections, or is referenced in literature.
