FROM THIS TO THAT.....and more

As you can see, Roberto had a few free hours (he never has free hours) on Friday (Miracle No. 1). But before he arrived, I went into a minor panic because Dennis (super mover) had not delivered my items from the Auction house....what would Roberto do without the shipment?? After a quick call to Dennis, who promised to bring the items before 3pm (Roberto had to leave by 4); Roberto and I set about destroying and rearranging the shop...I usually give Roberto the basic structure of what needs to be done and he figures out the rest without my having to micro-manage. The above photos show the first stages of getting ready for the new items--hard to believe that anything else could possibly fit into this space!! (No, I'm not sharing Roberto or giving out his number.)

Here's Roberto measuring and leveling the gilt console for installation. (Isn't he cute--and a life saver.)

Here is the console just installed and with a couple of decorative items. Those are the figural lamps that I bought at auction. They are huge and I should have suspected that they were "Marbro" at the Auction... When they are arrived in the shop yesterday, look at what I found on the sockets.........

   

Yep, there is that "Marbro" sticker. (Miracle No. 2/Serendipitous Gift) One way of dating objects is by whether the state abbreviation used on the label is a two-letter or the older multi-letter abbreviation. The two-letter form came into use in 1963. Although the sticker uses the older multi-letter "Calif." abbreviation which would indicate that the lamps were created prior to 1963, I suspect that this use of the multi-letter "Calif." was a hold-over. I'm guessing that these lamps date to the late 1960's, but I can't be certain.

Roberto (I helped a little-mainly directlng traffic) really shifted gears and after Dennis left and the console was up (about 3:25) he started on the the chaos shown above and just look at what we/Roberto accomplished by 3:55 (that is only 1/2 an hour of hustle (Miracle No.3).

   

         

This is what the final arrangement of the console looks like (Sergei took the chinese guys) --not bad--I like the alabaster duck detail.

Miracle No. 4--Sergei arrived with the "Marbro" Alabaster lamps (boy, had I been worried!) which are now perfectly patinated. And he took the new Chinese figural lamps for minor restoration--after more or less 50 years, there were a couple of tiny chips to the flowers. Sergei PROMISED that he would bring these lamps back next week....we'll see.

Now I have to choose the right lamp shades for the alabaster lamps.

   

Neither of these shades is quite right. The white shade needs to be taller. I like the black shade, but it is a bit too tall and the yellow reflexion of the gold foil gives it an "old world"/English library air; whereas the white shade puts it squarely in the mid-20th c. I think that I'm going to go for the taller white shades which will allow the lamps to be appropriate for various settings and will be much less formal.

Now, a quick update for the leather chaise longue that (like the Chinese figural lamps) was a sleeper at the auction (a term that here means no one paid attention to the lot). The chaise had been beautifully upholstered and  maintained by its original owner and it shows the care which it was given. Pretty Chic.

   

  

I still have a way to go before everything finds its right place in the puzzle of putting the shop back together--but it is almost done.

Hope that ya'll (yes, I did live in the South for a few years) are having a wonderful Spring Sunday--it is gorgeous here: about 80 and clear. Jones looks gorgeous after his bath and haircut (I even got my hair cut) and we'll be off to work in a few minutes.

Thanks for joining us on this adventure.

Mary and Jones (and Cole)

Marbro Alabaster Lamps-- Serendipity II

I love serendipitous gifts and occurrences as that is when I am awe struck by the interconnectedness (that's a long word) of life and the presence of God. These lamps are a perfect example.....In December I bought the lamp on the left from a dealer friend who had had a very serious accident and had hospital bills to cover; so I paid him more than he had asked for the lamp. (I know, we're are supposed to haggle--but I hate that. Why can't we simply set a fair price and our clients simply pay the price and the tax without a fuss????)


In January I started kicking myself for buying the lamp (it's not a pair, how will I ever make any money with just one lamp, I paid toooo much, etc.), but I decided to go ahead and rewire the lamp (I rewire all of my lighting or have a professional check the wiring to make sure that everything is up to standard safety norms) and price it to sell quickly. So I called Lupe--great electrician--who just happened to be coming by that afternoon; when Lupe arrived and I showed him the lamp, he became very quiet. And when he spoke, he said: "I have a lamp just like that at my shop". Of course, I immediately (after I stopped jumping up and down) wanted to know if it was for sale and who owned it. SERENDIPITY was definitely at work (even through my negativity). The lamp was for sale!!! Unfortunately, the owner had asked Lupe to strip off the original painted surface which Lupe had already done (unhappy face).......


But I bought the lamp and Lupe was able to match the tarnished gold paint (he also replaced the sockets and rewired both lamps). Now the quest began to get Sergei (professional artist who does super restoration work--WHEN HE FEELS LIKE IT) to match the patina on both lamps.........Sergei came and picked up the lamp; brought it back without the patina; he picked up both lamps  two weeks later to redo the work............and it is now three weeks since I last saw Sergei and I am still waiting for the return of the lamps. THIS IS WHAT I MEAN BY A JOURNEY!!! I bought shades for the lamps last week (large black parchment shades are very pricey) and Sergei should be bringing back the lamps in a couple of days. We will see...


Here are detail photos of the alabaster lamps and they are gorgeous. The carving, impressive size and the antique Roman form make these very desirable and although they were bought separately, they are a matched pair with both lamps retaining their original Marbro stickers. These lamps would be great in a traditional antiques-filled interior or even integrated into a mid-century modern design. The alabaster urns were carved in Italy in the 1960's and the lamps were fabricated in the Los Angeles studio of the Markoff Brothers  (Marbro).

First Marbro Alabaster Lamp

  

The devil is in the details and only Sergei knows how to do the patina!! The lamps will be gorgeous when I finally get them back home and this will have been a journey that has lasted for more than 4 months. So please, when when you spy that perfect decorative object that you have been searching for months (maybe years) to locate, don't work the dealer too hard. Making sure that all of the details are perfect is definitely worth the price that the dealer is asking. Besides, if a lay person were to do the restoration, rewiring, lamp shades buying, etc. it would cost many times more in time spent researching restorers, getting a restorer to do it right, and the extra charges for retail as opposed to wholesale pricing.


I'll post photos of the completed pair of lamps (hopefully by Friday--please, Lord). Even though it has been a struggle to get these lamps ready, I smile every time I think of them and am reminded of their gift to me. And I am so grateful to live in a world where we are connected to each other in an amazingly invisible, but tangible way.


Thanks for joining me on this crazy journey. Jones says "hi"--he loves both Lupe and Sergei.


Mary and Jones (and Cole)