Seller Story
The Estate of George J. Carbone, West Nyack, New York
My parents, George and Alice, moved into this house in the 1960s. He had been in the Army Corps and served in WWII, went to college on the GI bill, and eventually received his Master’s Degree in chemistry. She got a degree in music and was a trained opera singer, and she performed at weddings and gave lessons. Later on my mother got a Masters Degree in Library Science and became Chairman of the high school library in West Nyack. When we went up to the attic of their home to go through her books, they were all lined up in the Dewey Decimal system.
The style of their home is Greek Revival, which explained the columns in the front, but parts of it were probably built as early as the late 1700s. My father renovated the space as a hobby, and when they first moved in, the interiors were all Victorian, so they started collecting late Empire/early Victorian décor. Her collection of blue Canton China is from that period, and so are those beautiful tilt-tops tables, as well as the Victorian mahogany secretary. The latter was their first serious piece, and they bought it from a man who was very well known in the Americana antiques world. Over the years he would call my father and say “George, are you ready to sell it back to me?
Almost everything in the house is antique. They would drag my three sisters and me to auctions, shops, and estate sales in upstate New York, down South; they’d ship things from England or France. The house had enough space for everything — until now, after my father recently passed away, 17 years after my mom — nothing had been sold. In the huge living room — with two marble fireplaces on either side of a long wall and huge bay window — we had four full seating areas with couches and matching chairs – like the green set in the sale— lighting, rugs; the whole nine. — Alethea Pratt, daughter
American School, Portrait of a Lady, Oil Painting, Late 18th Century
American Mahogany Tall Case Clock by Nelson H. Brown of Boston, Circa 1900
Spode Porcelain Dinnerware in the "Blue Italian" Pattern
Semi-Antique Hand-Knotted Persian Heriz Wool Area Rug
Federal Style Gilt Wood and Composition Convex Mirror, 20th Century
Currier and Ives Water Fowl Color Lithograph "Wood-Duck"
American Chippendale Cherrywood Slant-Front Cabinet, Late 18th Century
Ruben Corliss Bluebill Drake Painted Wood Duck Decoy
Edwin D. White Oil Painting
Victorian Rococo Revival Mahogany Sofa, Third Quarter 19th Century
American Gilt Brass and Glass Prism Girandoles on Marble Bases
American Classical Flame Mahogany Sideboard, New York, Circa 1830
American School, "Portrait of Dorothy Place", Oil on Canvas, Early 19th Century
French Hand-Colored and Printed Bone Fan in Gilt Wood Frame, 19th Century
Currier and Ives Hand-Colored Lithograph "Hudson River - Crow Nest"
Pair of Bristol Glass Vases, Late 19th Century
Four Painted Wood Shorebird Decoys Including Jay Parker
Italian Sterling Silver Repoussé Bowl
Pair of McCoy Pottery Jardinieres on Stands
American School, Water Fowl, Oil Painting on Canvas, 19th Century
Attributed to William G. Boardman Oil Painting "Green's Lake Catskill Mountain"
American Porcelain Dinner Service in the "Washington" Pattern, by Pickard
Victorian Cranberry Glass and Brass Kerosene Table Lamp and Shade, 19th Century
Non-Fiction Books by Theodore Roosevelt
American School Portrait of a Child Oil Painting
Victorian Style Mahogany Child's Recamier, 20th Century
Currier and Ives Lithograph "The Narrows, New York Bay"
Quoizel Collectibles Leaded Glass and Patinated Metal Table Lamp
John Rubens Smith 1810 Pastel Portrait of Mrs. Woodcock
Painted Wood Drake Broadbill Duck Decoy
Hand-Knotted Indo-Persian Heriz Serapi Wool Area Rug
Spode Porcelain Dinnerware in the "Blue Italian" Pattern
Victorian Oak Adjustable Child's Highchair, Late 19th Century
Group of Seventeen New York State Souvenir Green Glass Table Articles
"A Popular History of the United States of America" by J.C. Ridpath
Currier and Ives Hand-Colored Lithograph "Central Park - The Bridge"
Victorian Cranberry Glass and Brass Kerosene Table Lamp and Shade
American "Bonanza" Mantel Clock by Wm L. Gilbert Clock Co., Winsted, Conn
George III Mahogany Tilt-Top Tripod Table, Late 18th Century
L. Rugger Oil Painting
M.E. Hayden Spencerian Ink Composition
Victorian Walnut Five-Piece Salon Suite, Circa 1880
Victorian Mahogany Secretary Bookcase, Mid 19th Century
Andrew Millrose, Pastoral Landscape, Oil Painting, Late 19th Century
What did each of your parents like to collect?
In addition to the secretary, my father loved clocks — especially the grandfather clock in the sale. My mother, on the other hand, loved all of the glassware — the crystal, the red ware, the green glass. She had a great eye. The portrait of Priscilla Cartwright hung over the mantelpiece in the dining room, and on either side two 12 foot wall niches were filled with the blue china. The walls were ecru; there were chandeliers; it was absolutely striking.
Did any pieces bring back memories?
I’ve always been fond of that adjustable oak high chair. But all of those Currier art prints that used to line our stairway make me remember when I was once heading back to college with all of my luggage and flipped from the top of the stairs, hitting all the hangings as I went. I landed face first on the M.E. Hayden ink drawing that says “Home Sweet Home!” From then on, anytime I would come down the stairs, someone would yell “Home sweet home!”
