Google Art Project snapshot

Ever wanted to see the Van Gogh paintings in the Amsterdam Museum? Or maybe a trip to America to tour the Smithsonian Galleries? Well now you can tour museums from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid to the great State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg without ever leaving home! Google has created a new feature called Art Project where you can tour some of the world’s greatest museums through the use of the street view technique developed for Google Earth.

The project was launched on the first of February 2011 and contains a “walk-through” feature that allows the viewer to virtually stroll a museum and its galleries stopping to look at paintings and sculptures. 17 world famous galleries and museums have signed on to launch the program. The site is designed to help the viewer engage with the works and further develop a love of art and so far it has lived up to its name!

To use the site all you have to do is log onto www.googleartproject.com, and click on the museum you would like to visit. From there you can either tour the museum or look closely at a single work. Each institution has chosen one work to be viewed in detail. You can zoom in so close that every crack, every layer of paint, every little mark is seen. It is quite remarkable! So have a look for yourself and let us know what you think. Is this idea great or will it hurt the attendance of museums?

Question 1: What is the name of this type of desk?

During the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), Britain could claim to be the world’s supervisor. Following the industrial revolution, there was a huge move in the decorative arts. Many new technical processes were discovered and therefore the productions changed.

The development of a very sophisticated etiquette led to the design of new objects, e.g. the complicated dining etiquette of the Victorian era encouraged the development of utensils for eating particular foods.

Apart from pieces of the greatest quality, such as the ones displayed during World Fairs, prices for Victorian items have slightly decreased in the last few years. Paintings and furniture from this period are not always the most desirable. Fashions have changed and they don’t correspond to today’s taste. It’s definitely the good time to invest in Victorian antiques!

Question 2: When did fish knives and forks appear?

Interesting Links

Exhibition worth seeing at Buckingham Palace: Victoria & Albert, Art & Love:

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/vanda/index.asp

Video about the construction of the Crystal Palace:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/periods_styles/19thcentury/crystal/index.html

British History in depth – Victorian Britain:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/

What did the Victorians read at Christmas?

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/periods_styles/19thcentury/christmas/index.html

Question 3: Which building housed the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in 1851?

Competition - Photo 1

Competition - Photo 2

Competition - Photo 3

British Silver Marks in the 19th Century

Four different marks were required for English Silver. It’s always useful to know about these as they help date and identify the origin of the piece. As a precious material, silver had to be marked (and still has to be marked), in order to prove that all taxes have been paid and that the quality of the material meets the standards.

1/ Sterling mark: shows that the silver has been tested and matches the standard of purity for sterling. This was the “lion passant” for London, Birmingham and Sheffield; thistle in Edinburgh; harp crowned in Dublin.

2/ Town mark: was a lion’s head full face for London, an anchor for Birmingham, a crown for Sheffield.

3/ Date mark: letter of the alphabet;

4/ Maker’s mark: usually these are the initials of the name of the maker.

Up to 1890, a fifth mark was required: the duty mark which featured the sovereign’s head in profile.

Market for antique silver

Fashions and ways of life have changed and people don’t use silverware as much as they used to. Silver requires frequent cleaning and one doesn’t necessarily see the point of using a 10 pieces tea set. It is however the perfect way to receive guests in an original and sophisticated manner. And it is now a perfect time to buy silver, as prices have dropped over the last decade…!

There are many auctions for silver throughout the UK where you can get a complete set of flatware at a fair price. Considering what it costs to get a new electroplated set of flatware (even not solid silver – electroplated is very expensive when bought new), it’s definitely worth considering buying at auction and getting something finer and less common.

In addition, unlike with antique furniture, silver is unlikely to be a bad investment at any stage, as it will always keep an intrinsic scrap value. One doesn’t necessary needs to purchase a whole set of flatware in one go and can perfectly mix items from different makers, as long as they are all the same pattern.

Deborah Meaden's Bowl - How much do you think it is worth?

Deborah just submitted a ceramic bowl this morning for valuation… She picked it up at a charity shop a few years ago where she paid only 50 pence! Good eye I’d say, as it is indeed worth more nowadays…

How much would you say it is worth?

Please post your guesses and valuations on here. The entry which is closest to our expert valuation, will receive 5 FREE VALUATIONS!

Join in and let’s have fun… Oh, and the one submitting the wittiest comment, also gets 5 free valuations!

Keep posting…. and don’t forget Deborah’s follow up program “What happened After the Den” is being aired this Sunday, 17th October, at 9pm BBC 2… Value My Stuff will be featured too…

What are your findings?

Do you find that prices have dropped at fairs or dealers?

Or is it easier to negotiate prices?

Please do share your thoughts and let us know what your experience has been?