 |
| Locating the rare ceramic knife rests the Brooklyn Museum |
It seems 2022 has been the year of knife rests for BTS and we hit the jackpot last week at the Brooklyn Museum, viewing a rare pair of our recent obsession dating back to the mid -19th century. Keep your smelling salts handy - this is pretty exciting stuff!
We became reacquainted with knife rests back in April when we stayed at a charming Bed and Breakfast in Virginia. At the Trinkle Mansion, our hosts set knife rests on the dining room table for teaspoons. That set us down memory lane to the home of one of my junior high friends whose parents collected knife rests. That resulted in my purchasing a twenty-year old book last month on the subject (Antique Knife Rests, a book with a surprising beginning).
 |
| The Brooklyn Museum |
 |
| The museum includes vintage furniture (and more!) |
As mentioned in that previous blog post, I was shocked when I saw the name of my junior high friend's father mentioned as a reference.
But, that book held more treasures - the chapter on ceramic knife rests noted that there is only one ceramic knife rest made in the U.S. that can be "reasonably identified with a specific company", that of Charles Cartlidge Co. of Greenpoint, Long Island.
 |
| Page 13 of Antique Knife Rests tells us where to find these rare treasures |
Which brings us to the Brooklyn Museum. On page 13 of "Antique Kinfe Rests" it states the following:
"The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York, contains a pair of fine molded white porcelain knife rests identified as being produced by the Charles Cartlidge Co.".
Oh, my!
In a bit of serendipity, earlier this year we had booked an August trip to Brooklyn. Initially, for a wedding and to visit our son and his girlfriend, but now, we added "knife rests" to the list.
More good fortune was in store. Turns out, the Brooklyn Museum was a short walk from our hotel, and while I was pumped up to view these knife rests, I was a little concerned it might be like looking for a rare ceramic needle in the proverbial haystack. But that anxiety was quickly quelled when the young woman at the front desk looked neither puzzled nor amused by my request of the location of the ceramic knife rests. She searched her computer database and within seconds of my question, she looked up and said, "they're a pair, correct?"
Oh, my, again!
 |
| The Brooklyn Museum's Visible Storage includes pressed glass and silver items |
She directed us to the fifth floor 's "Visible Storage". When passing through the glass doors to this elegant "grandma's attic", I found the prize in Case no. 36. The catalogue listing describes the ceramic knife rests as: "general barbell shape with cylindrical, fluted shafts that terminate at each end in a knob with Victorian design of a daisy-like flower in the center and five irregular, molded, trefoil shaped (or fleur-de-lis shaped) surrounding flower. Condition: Edges of knobs chipped".
But to me, they were perfect.
 |
| While the edges of the knife rests may be chipped, we thought they were perfect. |
The Brooklyn Museum, I must hastily add, has much more than just these ceramic knife rests to take in. The Visible Storage also showcases vintage furniture, pressed glass and silver. On the third floor, there's an impressive Ancient Egyptian Art exhibit and another floor had a mid-nineteenth century parlor and library from a home in Saratoga Springs. (I'm betting that if they had the dining room from that home, it would include knife rests on the table).
 |
| The museum has rooms from a Saratoga Springs mid-nineteenth century home (parlor above) |
In my knife rest research quest, the Brooklyn Museum was a major score. But, my husband, Chris, and I really enjoyed exploring all the exhibits here. Even so, I will give a shout out to Chris for accompanying me on this unusual journey. Seems only appropriate that he morphed into the Brooklyn Museum's enormous wooden sculpture, "All the Way" that both greets and sends off visitors in the large lobby.
 |
| At the Brooklyn Museum we're in all the way. |
No comments:
Post a Comment