GUEST: My husband was in the Army. In 1958, we were stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, and I found it in a very small shop. I had decided that I could only afford $100 for anything that I would purchase, so that's what I paid for this piece.
APPRAISER: $100 limit.
GUEST: $100 limit.
APPRAISER: Okay. This is a piece of furniture that has the generic name of Boulle, B-O-U-L-L-E. Named after André-Charles Boulle, who was the great cabinetmaker in the era of Louis XIV. But this piece dates in the third quarter of the 19th century. At that time, France was trying to revive the glories of an earlier era. They were nostalgic for 18th-century France, actually, the late 17th century. And Boulle, who had developed this style of putting cut brass marquetry into tortoise shell, and hence, furniture made in this style ever since has been called Boulle furniture, although it was made by a number of makers in the 19th century. But the great thing about this piece is that it was made not only in this era of historical revivalism, but this piece was clearly made for display. It was to show off ceramics, books. The had a mania for display in this period. It's been called a period of ostentatious storage. Do you use it for display yourself?
GUEST: Yes, I do.
APPRAISER: You do.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: These pieces have one great problem, as you're aware of, and that is condition. Humidity and heat does a job, and as we can tell, some of the brass is lifting on this piece.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: And to put it back, it's a bit like the proverbial putting toothpaste back in the tube.
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: But it can be done, but it's a very expensive process. I would think that a piece like this at market today, in this condition, would bring somewhere in the area of $5,000 to $7,000.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: But that's a great improvement on your $100 in the 1960s.
GUEST: Yes, it's considerably so.
APPRAISER: And thank you for bringing it in, it is...
GUEST: Well, thank you.
APPRAISER: ...a great pleasure to find such an architectural piece, such a decorative piece, such a French piece here in middle Alabama.
GUEST: Well, thank you so much.
