Antiques: A chair set that offers comfortable value

QThis chair and a matching rocking chair were given to her husband by his parents. The only discernible marking is an old torn tag that says "JORDAN MARSH Co., Furniture Dept. BOSTON". Thank you very much.
Christine, Ottawa

A Your quirky parlor chair set dates from his circa 1895-1905 and is in very good condition is. They are made with maple or birch mahogany veneer highlights that are factory produced and dyed to match the mahogany. The Art Nouveau style is evident in the scrollwork and floral motifs, and the lion finials poised like the gargoyles of ancient architecture. The company was founded in his 1841 and operated through most of the 1900s. Developed into the United States' first department store, Boston, Massachusetts-based New He became a chain in the England region. The brand name continued through most of his 20th century, but remained in family ownership in the 1920s. Your set is worth $325.

Q Our family collected picture frames for family photos. A few years ago I found one at a garage sale with a floral print in it, but when I took it apart, I found a beautiful hand-painted butterfly page underneath.The paper is old, about 25 x 20 cm (10 x 8 inches) and looks like it was ripped from the pad. Handwritten on the back is "$45, P. Cramer".

Anna, Guelph, Ont.

A You have discovered the pages of the last book of his rare four-volume set called "De Uitlandsche Kapellen", published between 1779 and 1782. Contains about 400 pages of butterflies. , Moth, Skipper (order of insects known as Lepidoptera). They come from Africa, Asia and America, and many are now extinct. The drawings in the book are so well done that they are considered to be on a par with the actual specimens - each complete book is worth thousands of dollars. The artist Peter Cramer (1721-1776) was a wealthy Dutch merchant and entomologist. These books were published posthumously by his entomology partner, his C. Stoll. The outlines of the moths and butterflies were printed using engraved copperplates and then hand colored with watercolors. The page you have is plate number 58 and is worth about $300.

Q This painting originally belonged to my grandparents, but it was in a box in my parents' barn. I found it in dust. A small oil painting of a Quebec landscape signed by Jack Young. Dimensions are 20 x 26 cm (8 x 10 inches). I've always liked it, partly because our family is from Quebec.

Cheryl of Wellington, Ontario.

Nice save. British-born Jack Young (1894-1963) began his artistic career by studying at the Royal Victorian School of Art. You have his favorite subject archetypes, reflecting his life after he settled in Montreal in 1913. It is a Quebec winter landscape of the Laurentian family with their old houses and farms. He was president of the Montreal Arts Club in his mid-1950s and worked as an artist in commercials for the Imperial Tobacco Company for nearly 40 years. His work has not appeared much and is not well known in the art market these days. Currently worth around $900, it's a collector's favorite size and theme treasure.

John Sewell is an antiques and art appraiser. To submit items for his column, please visit the Contact John page at.www.johnsewellantiques.caMeasure the size of the piece. Please tell me when and how you got it. , what you paid for, and an identifying mark. A high resolution jpeg photo of him should also be included. (Email only accepted)

Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Network Inc.