Aesthetic brass plant stand

Hi all,

I just recently picked up this Aesthetic period brass plant stand in a Philadelphia antique store. (Inevitably in our household it is now a cat-stand.) The top owes a lot to the designs of Christopher Dresser, to my mind. Iron supports within the central shaft bear patent dates of April 18th & May 16th, 1882, but it is otherwise unsigned. Any educated guesses as to who the manufacturer might be?

Thanks!

Eric

Quote from: aesthete
Hi all,

I just recently picked up this Aesthetic period brass plant stand in a Philadelphia antique store. (Inevitably in our household it is now a cat-stand.) The top owes a lot to the designs of Christopher Dresser, to my mind. Iron supports within the central shaft bear patent dates of April 18th & May 16th, 1882, but it is otherwise unsigned. Any educated guesses as to who the manufacturer might be? Thanks! Eric

Wow! Eric,
What a fantastic piece. I agree with you it has a Dresser-esque design feel to it. Otherwise, it has one of the strongest overtly Aesthetic Movement designs I've yet seen. Given the patent dates, it was made late in the Aesthetic Movement "fad" after there was a proven market for such ornate pieces. It is American made, almost for certain, but American designers were certainly familiar with Dresser's work and they turn up frequently in American pieces. The quality is superb and I'm surprised there is not a maker's mark. However, anyone who can access the patent database can look on those two dates and come up with the maker.  Philadelphia is exactly the kind of place I'd expect to find such a piece-it was urbane and quite sophisticated in the early 1880's. Nice find! (nice cat too)
John

Thanks, John!

I suspect the patents may refer to the nifty contrivance that attach the legs to the center shaft, rather than the design; but I'll have a look myself, and will welcome input from anybody else more savvy than me about the use of that database. The cat's name is Hector, BTW, and he's made it clear to me that this is HIS collection of Aesthetic Period doodads, not mine ... 

Happy Fourth!

Eric