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Flax Flax, also known as linseed, (binomial name: Linum usitatissimum, a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae), is an ancient and versatile plant of many uses. Dyed flax fibers have been found dating to 30,000 B.C., suggesting that it may have been the first plant domesticated for human use. In addition to its fibers, flax seeds have nutritional value for both human and animal consumption. From the earliest times these seeds [...] Click here to continue reading. Jess Blackstone (1909-1988) A selection of Jess Blackstone bird carvings from the Cheryl & Paul Scott Collection The Private Collection of Cheryl and Paul Scott, featuring miniature bird carvings by Jess Blackstone, will be offered at auction by Skinner, Inc. on August 12, 2012. Our collection of Jess Blackstone miniature birds started when we bought a chickadee for $10 about 30 years ago. We had no idea who the carver was, [...] Click here to continue reading. Chinese Furniture Woods Chinese furniture uses many types of wood that are not only known by their Chinese names, but also share their Chinese names with several other types of wood, so confusion may easily result. The three most valued types of wood are huali, zitan, and jichimu. Huanghuali A member of the rosewood family, huali is a tropical hardwood that grows in China with a wide range of hues, and whose Chinese [...] Click here to continue reading. Note: Chinese names of cities and individuals appear first in Pinyin. Traditional or Wade-Giles versions, where available, follow in parenthesis. The Golden Years of the Qing Dynasty: The Ming Dynasty Crumbles By the middle of the 16th century, the once brilliant Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was in decline. Beset by external threats in the form of piracy on the coast and the aggressive Mongol nomads to the north, conditions were made worse by inept [...] Click here to continue reading. Chinese Dynastic Chronology Note: In general, the p4A reference database uses the Pinyin naming convention system for Chinese Terminology. Where the name varies under the Wade-Giles system p4A will present that alternative in brackets. For example: Qing [or Ch'ing] Dynasty. Neolithic Period, circa 6500 to 1700 BC Xia Dynasty, circa 2100 to 1600 BC Shang Dynasty, circa 1600 to 1100 BC Zhou [or Chou] Dynasty, circa 1100 to 256 BC Western Zhou, circa 1100 [...] Click here to continue reading. Carl Peterson (American, 1869 to 1969) From St. James, Minnesota, Carl Peterson was an expert blacksmith, cabinetmaker and accomplished mason who lived to be 100 years old. Sometime during the 20th century, he set out to create an “Environmental Sculpture Garden of Nature,” whimsical and powerful depictions of concrete and steel showing animals and primitive people. It is thought that his work is the most significant folk art ever created in concrete. Information [...] Click here to continue reading. P. Skeolan An itinerant silhouettist working in the north of England, P. Skeolan is listed in British Silhouette Artists and their Work 1760-1860 Examples of his work inscribed Manchester or Liverpool are known. In addition to cutting silhouettes, Skeolan was a talented watercolor portraitist who advertised later in his career as “Skeolan Miniature Painter Harrogate”. In this latter role Skeolan is known to have colored photographs. At some point, likely circa 1860 or before, [...] Click here to continue reading. The Japanese Meiji Period (1868-1911) In 1867/68 the Tokugawa shogunate era came to an end with the restoration of imperial power to the emperor Meiji (died, 1912) and the transfer of the government from Kyoto to Tokyo. The actual political power was transferred from the Tokugawa Bakufu into the hands of a small group of nobles and former samurai. Like other subjugated Asian nations, the Japanese were forced to sign unequal treaties with Western [...] Click here to continue reading. Roy Conklin at his workbench – courtesy of http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~twigs2000/roystoys.html Roy Conklin, Master Duck Carver A native of New York’s Alexandria Bay on the St. Lawrence River, Roy Conklin, born in 1909, was a self-described “jack-of-trades”, as a young man coming to maturity during the Great Depression in a small town and rural environment. Conklin worked as a boat captain on the St. Lawrence, a hunting guide and a carpenter. Having an artistic [...] Click here to continue reading. The Lifetime Collection of Dr. James & Susan Widder, Cincinnati, Ohio For some, antiques are not just objects to buy, sell, and collect, but instead they are truly a way of life. For nearly ï¬ve decades, such as been the case with Jim and Susan Widder. They met at The Ohio State University when Jim was a graduate student (and Susan’s lab instructor), and when Jim completed his doctoral work, the couple settled in [...] Click here to continue reading. |
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