Airplane ashtray lights up the mood
Q. For decades I admired my cool cousin’s airplane ashtray and I was thrilled to find one similar to hers while antiquing in St. Jacobs a few years ago. The base lights up and so does the cockpit of the plane but with a red bulb. I paid $400 for it. My cousin’s model is big enough to hold a glass. I haven’t had any luck finding one exactly like hers. For now, this one will do. Lia Taylor, Kitchener
A. You have one of the most desirable chromed ashtrays with the airplane model resembling a DC-3. There are many slightly different versions that were made in the late 1940s and early 1950s by Canadian companies including Toronto’s Metal craft and Electrolyte. The designer, a man named Shapiro, was also the owner of one of these companies but there is conjecture around this. Chromium had become a popular finish for many Art Deco items before and after the Second World War.
The marbled glass dome, imitating onyx stone along with the red bulb lighted together would set the mood for a room. They were retailed through Eaton’s of Canada for about $20 — a noteworthy sum at the time. You did well and a profit will be in store for you at a selling price of at least $650.
Q. I bought this oil painting on canvas board in a thrift shop for $35. The signature looks like ‘G. Magni.’ It is not framed. The size is 35.5 x 25 cm (14 x 10 inches). I have checked all his web pages and cannot find this particular painting. I’m hoping you can help me. Thanking you Marg, Renfrew, Ont.
A. You have a nicely detailed genre interior scene — a subject with a maid by the window — popularized by Johannes Vermeer in the 1600s. Many artists had successful careers fuelling the public demand for them including Giuseppe Magni (1869-1956) and your unknown ‘S. Magni’ who was borrowing on the reputation of the better known Magni. Your maid is enjoying tea, cooling it in the saucer of the handless Chinese porcelain cup. She is catching some rays by the window being nicely dressed with shawl, apron and lace-edged bonnet and cuffs. The copper tea urn, the large, opened bible bookmarked with a rosary, the chair carved with roses and the framed painting on the wall capture a relaxed moment in time of the 18th or early 19th century. You did well with a potential return of $175.
Q. This cabinet that came from Nicaragua belonged to my grandmother but I’m not sure where she got it from. It measures 134.5 high by 71 wide and 19 cm deep (53 x 28 x 7.5 inches). I have been trying to find something similar so I could see what it was used for and the value.
I will appreciate any input about its origins. Thank you. Silvio, Kitchener
A. Your interesting cupboard shares common features with early European and North American cabinetry. The pegged construction of the doors, the arched window tops and the doors with flat panels featuring faux fielded panels are taken from the same school of design. The cutout foot design — an extension of the full side plank — is very different accented with a matching central support. I believe it is a china cabinet serving as a dining room piece with storage below. The very narrow depth would lend itself to being a space saver in a high traffic area of a home. Its condition is ‘ready to use’ which is a big selling feature. It is worth $375.
John Sewell is an antiques and fine art appraiser. To submit an item to his column, go to the ‘contact John’ page at www.johnsewellantiques.ca. Please measure your piece, say when and how you got it, what you paid and list any identifying marks. A high-resolution jpeg photo must also be included. (Only email submissions accepted.) * Appraisal values are estimates only.*