Evaluating Your Collection: The 14 Points of Connoisseurship (Winterthur Decorative Arts Series) [Paperback]

Dwight Lanmon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Winterthur Decorative Arts Series | Publication Date: July 1, 1999

What do Honus Wagner baseball cards, Queen Anne side chairs, and 19th-century ceramic lions have in common? At first glance, very little. Yet Evaluating Your Collection sets out to discuss this wide range of things that people collect, in order to guide them to a greater level of knowledge.

Is an object really worth the price? How does one know what to look for? Can one recognize fakes and invisible repairs? What about color, finish, and form? In 1961, Charles F. Montgomery, Winterthur's first director, articulated a system for educating the eye and appraising the quality of an object. His fourteen points of connoisseurship, along with additions by Winterthur curators, conservators, and educators, form an unbeatable system. Understanding them, and how they interrelate, equips readers with a basic expertise necessary to operate in the world of antiques.

Compact, reader-friendly, and illustrated in full color with objects largely from Winterthur's outstanding collection, this and future series volumes provide invaluable advice. Armed with tips from the experts, your trips to estate auctions, flea markets, or your grandmother's attic will never be the same.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A calmly reasoned, quietly persuasive document that can make the mysteries of taste comprehensible to almost anyone . . . The 14 criteria are flexible enough to be applied to nearly every object - from a Honus Wagner baseball card to a Queen Anne chair. They touch on such elements as form, color, and finish and help neophytes discern fraudulent pieces as well as concealed repairs." --Preservation Magazine

From the Publisher

6 5/8 x 9 1/2 trim. 54 color illus. LC 98-43759

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Product Details

• Paperback: 123 pages
• Publisher: Winterthur; 1st edition (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0912724501
• ISBN-13: 978-0912724508
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #549,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful resource for collector or academic, October 13, 2011

By 

Penny Swears (Falls Church, VA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Evaluating Your Collection: The 14 Points of Connoisseurship (Winterthur Decorative Arts Series) (Paperback)

I still use this book when writing a formal analysis of a decorative arts piece. It focuses on really looking at a piece and how it works as a whole. The only weakness I found was that he seemed to struggle with discussing folk art. A wonderful resource and and easy, quick read. The author also has access to a wonderful collection which helps in making points and providing examples.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gives it to you straight, January 18, 2011

By 

Stacy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Evaluating Your Collection: The 14 Points of Connoisseurship (Winterthur Decorative Arts Series) (Paperback)

This book is very good at explaining the 14 points of Connoisseurship.
It's basic and gives very good examples. Not sure what the other person is talking about.
They must not understand.
If you are looking for a book that gives it to you straight, this is a good one.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not enough per the title., January 20, 2005

By 

Antoinette Cerillo (San Juan Capistrano, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Evaluating Your Collection: The 14 Points of Connoisseurship (Winterthur Decorative Arts Series) (Paperback)

Readers are led to assume that this book will deliver more information than it does.