There is presently a rare opportunity to see the work of Daniel Kemper Jackson (October 18, 1938- August 3, 1995) in person. Dan’s Rocking Unicorn is on currently on display at the Moderne Gallery, 111 North Third Street, Philadelphia. A public viewing has not been possible since its creation in 1974. It was a private … Continue reading Daniel Jackson’s Unicorn Rocker
Carving
Urn and Flowers Cartouche
This urn and flowers cartouche from a chest on chest was carved in Philadelphia c.1775. The chest was sold at Sotheby's in 2008. These photos were made during the auction preview. I've recently been teaching classes on carving a basket and flowers cartouche. The flowers, carved from a separate block of wood, were identical in … Continue reading Urn and Flowers Cartouche
Strawberry Mansion Clock and Case
In 2011 the administrators of Strawberry Mansion, a historic house open the public about a mile north of Mount Pleasant in East Fairmount Park, sold a clock at auction they deemed inconsistent with their furnishing plan. I had the chance to photograph the clock before the auction.
Drexel’s Rittenhouse
The David Rittenhouse astronomical and musical clock now in the collection of Drexel University in West Philadelphia has been called the "Most Important Clock in America". It is a stunning achievement. The gearing calculations would have been difficult if Rittenhouse had access to modern computing technologies. That this work was done by hand calculation in … Continue reading Drexel’s Rittenhouse
Chips and Shoulders
Responding recently to a question about the quality of carving gouges marked C. Maiers, I noticed that in the post I wrote two years ago about some of the C. Maiers tools I own and use I said I had never seen a C. Maiers tool with a shoulder. Since then I’ve acquired two Maiers … Continue reading Chips and Shoulders
