In the Antique Shops It’s Always the Year of the Horse

What could Teddy Roosevelt, Barbara Streisand, Oprah Winfrey and Sir Isaac Newton possibly have in common? They were all born in a Year of the Horse, the seventh sign in Chinese zodiac. By tradition, they are supposedly talented, clever, warm hearted and gregarious, but a bit hot-blooded and impatient. That certainly seems to fit.
This is the Year of the Horse; so if you want to know if you are in that distinguished company, keep counting back twelve years. Were you born in 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954, 1942 …? Or, you can just check the placemat the next time you visit a Chinese restaurant.
The animals of the Chinese zodiac seem to turn up most frequently in art and decorative items, and are the most commonly collected. Yes, even the rat turns up as the mouse, and mice from Beatrix Potter figures to Mickey have long been collected.
The horse, however, is the most celebrated animal in human history, and that includes the dog, also a zodiac figure. From the first primitive drawings of the cavemen to the finest of the fine arts, horses are depicted as majestic and powerful, beautiful, stately, heroic, serene and often at our service.
Horses have won shows, hunts, polo matches, races, and even wars. They have also carried us on their backs, carted our baggage, pulled our carriages and our plows, turned our mills, and herded our cattle.
Equestrian paintings and sculptures in all media can be found in museums and in valuable private collections. They depict horses in all their roles, as do all the more available and affordable decorative arts, collectibles and jewelry that you can find in any antique shop.
Horse items are ideal crossover collectibles, appealing to a wide range of collectors, and fitting comfortable in any interior decor. To learn more about the decorating and collecting possibilities of equestrian items, check out “Horse Antiques and Collectible” by Deborah Rashkin (Schiffer), and John Baskett’s beautifully illustrated “The Horse in Art” (Yale).
Appraisals: White horse head planter, ceramic, Lefton, $25-35; Cup and saucer, hunt scene, Copeland Spode, Staffordshire, 50; White Horse Scotch Whiskey advertising figure, plaster standing horse, $75′ Horse head hitching post, cast iron, ca.1910, $500+.
Also: Jockey and racehorse ashtray, brass-colored metal, ca1935, Philadelphia Mfg. Co., $75; Horse head book ends, Syrocowood, ca.1940, $70; Horse portrait coasters, Lynn Bogue Hunt prints, milk glass & brass $35-40 each, sterling rims, $65-70 each.
And jewelry: Cufflinks, Swank, double horse heads with onyx, $75-100; Black enameled, horse head in with rhinestones, Trifari, Ca. 1930, $125; Celluloid hanger pin, girl w/horse, St. Louis World’s Fair, 1904, Whitehead & Hoag, $225, Triple horse head tie clip, mother-of-pearl, $145; Charm bracelet, eight charms of various equestrian items and poses, and, silvered metal, 1940s, $35.
If you have some items at home you would like to have appraised, just come to the Teaberry Marketplace on Route 9 in Clermont Aug. 2 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. I’ll be there to appraise your things (and sell copies of my book). Bring some friends and make an outing of it. They have a neat bistro there for brunch or lunch. Call them at 624-1700 for more information.
Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of the August Farmhouse Antiques on route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.