ART DECO FIREPLACE SCREEN A RARE FLEA-MARKET FIND
Q I purchased this fireplace screen and fender at a local flea market for just over $100. The screen measures 58 cm wide, including side embellishments. The label on the inside of the bumper reads ‘Hearth Furniture, Made in England, Trade Mark L&M. ’The blue highlights are a matte finish. Even though I don’t have a fireplace, I was compelled to buy it because of the art deco design. How did I do? Cathy, Perth A Your rare and stunning art deco set was made circa 1930, likely commissioned by the esteemed decorating firm of Lenygon & Morant. Francis Henry Lenygon (1877-1943) became a cabinetmaker for English aristocracy and merged his business with Morant & Co. in 1912. The London concern’s strength became decorating interiors, and by 1935 was incorporated, based at 48 South Audley St..
Lenygon attracted wealthy Americans, opening a branch in New York. He consulted for Nelson Rockefeller in reconstructing Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. His wife, Jeanette Becker Lenygon, also excelled in interior design and redecorated rooms in the White House during the early 1960s. Blue and contrasting ‘silvery’ metal is always favoured, making your fireplace accent worth $900. Well done!
Q I inherited this hurricane lamp from my mother, who was born in Ireland in 1914 and lived in Montreal most of her life. It is 47 cm high (18.5 inches), has a brass base and two milk-glass globes painted with scenes of pastoral Netherlands. There is nothing printed anywhere on it, except the number 122 on the base bottom. It is in excellent condition. It graced my home’s entrance table for years. Anything you can tell me about it, including value, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Teresa, Ottawa A You have a wonderful oil lamp, originally sold as a parlour-vase lamp due to the brass oil pot being recessed in the vase-like bottom half of the lamp. Made around 1895-1900, these became popularly known as ‘Gone With The Wind’ lamps, due to their erroneous presence in the 1939 movie staging the 1860s — a time well before the appearance of these lamps. The Consolidated Lamp & Glass Co., of Pittsburgh, Pa., is the most likely manufacturer. This type was offered wholesale through department stores for about $1.50. Scenic versions are rarer than florals, and your blue Dutch themes will light up interest at $350.
Q I inherited the bulk of my aunt’s estate. Among the treasures was this shadowbox frame containing a letter dated August 21, 1858, penned by Cyrus W. Field, certifying the sale of ‘the balance of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable now on board of the U.S.S.F. Niagara to Tiffany & Co. Jewellers 550 Broadway (New York)… this piece is a genuine section thereof.” Sadly, the enclosed piece of banded cable has become unglued but is otherwise intact. The shadow box measures 28 by 19 cm (11 x 7.5 inches). Any information you can share with me would be appreciated. Lynn, Ottawa A The Atlantic Telegraph Submarine Cable (the first of its kind) was placed on the Atlantic Ocean floor between Valentia Island, Ireland, and Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. The first messages were sent in August, 1858–an event celebrated on both sides of the ocean on Sept. 1, 1858. Miles of the excess cable were brought back to New York on the Niagara frigate and bought by Tiffany & Co., reportedly for $360 per mile.
They sectioned the cable into 10.5 cm lengths (4.25 inches), banded them with the brass label guarantee and sold them with a copy (which you also have) of the original letter. Your cable can be easily refastened, and your package will send a message worth $1,000.