GUEST: This dragon was at my mother-in-law's house from the time I can remember.
APPRAISER: Where is the house?
GUEST: The house is in Newport, Rhode Island. My in-laws bought the house in the 1950s, and the house was built in 1881. This dragon, with his-- he has another dragon that goes with him-- were original to the house.
APPRAISER: Okay, so, age-wise, it's exactly where I would put these, around 1880, 1881. The monumental size was something that the Victorians were doing with all of the revival styles. It's not an andiron, it's not a chenet, it really is an ornament for the front of the fireplace. And like you said, it would have a pair, a matching pair.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: And this chain would swag across to protect from the fire. It's bronze. Along the top here, you can see traces of silver plating. So I think it was silver-plated at one time, and heat and age have kind of worn it away.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: It's a classic mixture of different elements that you see in Victorian style all the time. You have a hippocampus tail, you have harpy claws and wings, you have this crazy serpent-like dragon neck. The face to me is the most interesting, because it's not a dragon face at all.
GUEST: Not at all.
APPRAISER: It looks like a Scotty or some other terrier. And my best guess is, this was a whimsy put together by the original owners, and this dog head may have been a pet of theirs that they were sort of commemorating or honoring.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: That's quite wonderful. So, we don't know who the maker is, it's likely a custom piece. It's unusual and it would be an unusual taste. Assuming that the mate is in similar condition to this one, I think a fair auction estimate would be $5,000 to $7,000.
GUEST: Very nice.
APPRAISER: It's a very nice example.
GUEST: Thank you.
APPRAISER: You're welcome.
GUEST: I think we'll keep 'em.
(both laughing)
