Sunday 24 June 2012

More Australian Pokerwork

My collection of Australian pokerwork items grew last weekend with the addition of two more vases.


The two vases in the centre of the photo above were found at last Sunday's Aladdin's Fair.

My two latest pieces of pokerwork
It was the large vase that caught my eye first rather than the small one. I ended up taking them both as it really made very little difference to the overall price whether I only bought one or both of them. I figured that I could always try to resell the small vase if I wanted to or I could use it as an experimental restoration candidate sometime. Always better to try things out first on the minor pieces in your collection just incase things end in disaster. The small vase does however still have some naive charm about it. It is simply decorated with some gum nuts and gum leaves.

Detail of the gum blossom decoration on the large vase (flash was used to help bring out the rich colours)
The large vase is decorated with gum blossoms and gum leaves. It's the depth and richness of the decoration on this vase that I love. This type of decoration utilises tinting and shading rather than the deep burnt lines used on the small vase.


There is however some deterioration to the varnish finish on this vase, especially around the top. Not sure if this can be successfully corrected without damaging the original decoration. I will have to pick the brain of a friend of mine who collects and restores pokerwork to see what can be done. Until then I will refer to this deterioration as being the vases "patina" or "acceptable age related character".

And so my Australiana collection continues to grow. Seems to be my main focus at the moment. What will be next?




6 comments:

  1. HI
    I have an early australian pokerwork ashtray stand and am looking to sell it. I was wondering are you interested or do you know anyone who is?

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  2. Hi,
    Not really into smoking related items unless it is something quite special. Can you give me some details about the stand. What is the decoration i.e. native flowers, animals etc? Dimensions? Condition? and Price? I may be interested in it depending on how good it is. If not, I have a friend who may like it. Email me with a photo of it if you can.
    Thanks,
    John

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi John
      Just found this after a very long time, sorry about the delay. Could send pics if I had your email address - how is that possible?
      Has gumnut decoration on base and top, is 75cm high, needs love and not sure about price - $100. Thank you Tan

      Delete
    2. Hi Tan,
      If you go to "View my complete profile" on the right hand side of the page under my photo you will be taken to a page that has an "Email" button (again under my photo). Press this and a message box will appear which shows my email address.
      Hope this helps,
      Thanks,
      John

      Delete
  3. Hi John
    I have just bought a great pokerwork vase which has a lot of scratches on it. I was wondering whether it could be cleaned up a bit. Would you be able to put me in contact with your friend who restores pokerwork? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nancy,
      Sorry I haven't replied sooner but I wanted to try something out first.

      I have an old pokerwork vase that I have just had a go at cleaning up. I used the products that my friend recommended, ie. Howards Restore-A-Finish first followed by Howards Feed-N-Wax. The Restore-A Finish is supposed to blend scratches and other marks.
      I was a bit hesitant to use it at first as I thought it might take some of the colour out of the vase but I needn't have worried as it really seemed to brighten up the colours instead. Although saying this, I can't guarantee that it will react the same on every piece of pokerwork. It's just something you'll have to experiment with yourself. My vase didn't really have many scratches so I only used a soft cloth to apply the restorer. It says on the can that you can use a very fine steel wool, ie. 0000 or finer, to blend in deeper blemishes such as scratches (if you're game to try it). The wax then gave it a nice soft glow.

      Hope this helps you with the restoration of your vase.
      John

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