Going on a vacation this summer? In the 18th and 19th centuries, wealthy American and European travelers made “Grand Tours” of continental Europe to view ancient ruins and collect souvenirs.

The specimen table with a top made of fragments of different types of stone or wood, often arranged as a mosaic or pattern, was a popular choice. A 19th-century Italian specimen table sold for about $3,832 in U.S. currency, at a Bonhams auction in London. It features different colors of marble and rises on a base with fish-shaped “dolphins,” a design element associated with ancient Greek and Roman sea gods.

Many varieties of Italian marble have been quarried since at least the time of the ancient Romans. Even today, Italian marble, especially from the Carrara region, is considered the best in the world in terms of purity and durability. After all, marble sculptures and monuments from ancient Rome are still standing.

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Q: I have a porcelain set I think was made by R & E Haidinger of Elbogen. There’s an impressed mark with an arm holding a sword and number 1696. Can you tell me something about the maker and age of this porcelain?

A: Rudolf and Eugen Haidinger founded a porcelain factory in Elbogen, Bohemia (now Loket, Czech Republic) in 1815. The name was changed to “Vienna Porcelain Factory in Elbogen” in 1818. Some marks used the name “Gebruder Haidinger” (Haidinger Brothers) beginning about 1850. The company made tableware, decorative porcelain, figurines, and laboratory porcelain. The company was sold in 1873 and the pottery operated under various owners and names after that. It was nationalized in 1945 and became part of Starorolsky Porcelain. Without seeing the mark, we can’t tell you the age of your porcelain. The Haidinger brothers owned the factory from 1815 to 1873 but several versions of the mark picturing a bent arm holding a sword were used by their successors until 1945.

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Q: I’d like to know more about an art nouveau lamp I bought at a yard sale years ago. I believe it is solid brass. There is a statue of a young woman holding a branch with a couple of birds on it next to a column that holds the light bulb. A brass label on the front reads “FEE aux OISEAUX par Hering.” What can you tell me about it?

A: The title of your lamp is “Bird Fairy.” It was sculpted by Elsie Ward Hering (1871-1923), an American sculptor who made bronze and other metal sculptures and vases. She studied and worked in New York in 1896 and moved to Paris in 1898. In 1900 she moved to Cornish, New Hampshire, and worked as an assistant to sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. She married another assistant, Henry Hering, in 1910 and did not make many of her own works after that. The value of your lamp depends on the desirability of design, its size and its material. Solid bronze is worth more than brass, spelter or bronze-coated white metal.

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Q: I inherited a large pewter collection from my mother. Everywhere I research and everyone I’ve asked says pewter is no longer a collectible. How can I find collectors who might be interested in her collection?

A: Pewter is an alloy made of tin, copper, lead and other metals. It was first made over 3,000 years ago. Pewter was made in America beginning in Colonial times and is still being made. Early pieces were handmade. Pewter went out of fashion when machine-made Britannia ware became popular in the 1850s. It became popular again in the 1920s and ’30s. There are still people who collect pewter. The Pewter Collectors Club of America, Inc. was founded in 1934 and is still in existence. Their website is www.pewtercollectorsclub.org. Pewter sells at auctions and in antiques shops. Early American pewter by known makers sells for high prices. A tankard made by Thomas Danforth III, for example, sold for $2,160 in 2021.

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TIP: Stained marble tabletops can be touched up by using paste wax and steel wool.

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Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer readers’ questions sent to the column. Send a letter with one question describing the size, material (glass, pottery) and what you know about the item. Include only two pictures, the object and a closeup of any marks or damage. Be sure your name and return address are included. By sending a question, you give full permission for use in any Kovel product. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We do not guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. Questions that are answered will appear in Kovels Publications. Write to Kovels, King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803 or email us at collectorsgallery@kovels.com.

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CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Jewelry, bracelet, cameo, woman’s profile, blue Murano glass, oval, silver spiral twist frame, silver multi-chain bracelet, Patrizia Daliania, cameo 1 1/2 inches, $75.

Czechoslovakian glass, tumble-up and underplate, punty and Moorish window patterns, opaque white cut to clear, original stopper, Bohemian, c. 1875, tumbler 8 inches, decanter 7 5/8 inches, underplate 7 inches, $135.

Pottery-midcentury, pitcher, stylized leaves in cartouches, woman’s face on side with protruding nose, brunette bangs, conforming headdress, pink, blue and green on cream color ground, elongated oval, marked, Bjorn Winnblad, Denmark, 8 inches, $215.

Furniture, stand, Sheraton, cherry, overhanging top, single drawer, metal pull, splayed legs, turned feet, 1800s, 29 x 19 inches, $325.