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Is vintage chalkware worth anything?
Chalkware Figures Gain Respect and Higher Prices Humble chalkware objects considered a form of folk art, once sold from peddler’s packs, are still modestly priced at $200 or more when they come to auction. However, the more unique and rare the form, the prices can be over a thousand dollars.
How can you tell vintage chalkware?
Chalkware pieces are heavy on the bottom. All chalkware is hollow, but old pieces are lighter because they lack the heavy plaster base that chalkware artists began to incorporate to keep the figurines from tipping over. Reproductions are heavier than old pieces. Examine the bottom of the piece.
What is ceramic chalkware?
Chalkware is an American term for popular figurines either made of moulded plaster of Paris (usually) or sculpted gypsum, and painted, typically with oils or watercolors. Heavy, and easy to break or chip, chalkware eventually lost favor to ceramic and plastic alternatives in the 1970s.
What is Carnival chalkware?
Carnival chalkware is an American term for the figurines made most often out of plaster of Paris (though some were made of gypsum) and painted bright colors using oils or watercolors that were won at carnivals and fairs of this time period.
What is the value of Chalkware?
Values for Chalkware pieces from the late 19th/early 20th Centuries can range from $10 to $500 depending on form, decoration, condition, age, rarity, and other factors.
How do you clean vintage Chalkware?
Chalkware easily dissolves with moisture, so use a dry brush, cloth or cotton swab to gently remove grime and dust. Your painted high-relief plaque dates to around 1910 and would cost from $150 to $200 in a nice antique shop.
Can chalkware be hollow?
Early chalkware pieces can be hollow or solid, painted with watercolors, oils, or even tempera paint. Designs were often in imitation of Staffordshire style ceramics, an English product that only the well-to-do could afford.
Can you wash chalkware?
Do not wash your chalkware; it’s made of an unglazed material and is not impervious to liquid and moisture. Instead wipe the piece occasionally with a dry, clean, soft cloth.
What is a Bosson head?
Have you ever seen the plaster painted heads hanging on someone’s wall and wondered what they were? They are called wall sculptures, or simply Bossons after the English company that made them between 1946 and 1996 as ornaments for every room in the home.
How do you make Chalkware?
You can easily create your very own nostalgic chalkware at home. Spread a few layers of newspapers over a flat working surface. Run water into the 3D molds to wet the inside surfaces. Turn each mold upside down, with the fill hole up. Mix the plaster of paris according to the package instructions.
What is Rockalite?
Rockalite is a semi-brittle material as the amount of shortening for prior to failure by rupturing is between 5 and 10 %. ( Rupture occurs after the dashed blue line) 20.).
How do you paint Chalkware?
Brush any detailed areas, cracks and crevices of the piece with a soft paintbrush to remove dirt residue. Use the paintbrush to remove chipped or peeling paint from the piece. Mix the paint colours together on a disposable plate until the proper colour has been created.
Is Chalkware fragile?
Chalkware is, essentially, Plaster of Paris—inexpensive, lightweight, and ultimately very, very fragile. And that makes things a little more difficult for the collectors that covet them now, because they do not stand the test of time.
What is Marwal?
ANSWER: A Polynesian craze swept across America in the 1950s. Marwal offered a wide variety of plaster of Paris statuary, among which were several variations of head and shoulder busts of Polynesian/Hawaiian woman/girls and men/boys.
How do you fix Chalkware?
Repairing Cracks or Broken Pieces Apply a small line of Elmer’s glue to the broken sections. Press the pieces together and hold in place until glue sets. Wipe off excess glue that gets squeezed out. Let dry for 24 hours.
How do you clean plaster art?
Finished plaster objects present fewer problems as the finishes are often quite durable. In addition to the dry cleaning methods already described, these items can usually be cleaned with cotton swabs moistened with distilled water to which a little detergent has been added.
What is Chalkware made out of?
Chalkware is made from Plaster of Paris (and occasionally sculpted from blocks of gypsum). It is used to create figurines. Chalkware was especially popular in the 19th Century (before plastics became popular). Plaster of Paris is a mix of powdered and heat-treated gypsum.
How do you clean plaster ornaments?
Clean sealed plaster with a swab dampened with water or white spirit. Test a small, unobtrusive test area and, if this is successful, progress in small stages over the remainder of the object. Problem areas to watch out for include flaking plaster and areas of thin coating that might show gaps.
How do you clean Chalkware statues?
Care must be taken in cleaning them: they must never be soaked, rinsed or held under running water. Dust chalkware regularly, using a dry, soft cloth, to prevent an accumulation of dirt. Use a cotton swab or a soft-bristled paintbrush to gently work on embedded and stubborn dirt, especially in recessed areas.
What is plaster Paris?
plaster of paris, quick-setting gypsum plaster consisting of a fine white powder (calcium sulfate hemihydrate), which hardens when moistened and allowed to dry. Known since ancient times, plaster of paris is so called because of its preparation from the abundant gypsum found near Paris.
How do you clean religious statues?
Make your statues or sculptures shine with an unscented soap without bleach. Typically, with materials other than concrete, you will usually want to use a linen cloth to scrub, not a soft scrub brush. No matter the material, statues should be handled with care and never scrubbed too harshly.
How many different Hummels are there?
As many as twelve different figurines exist with a back stamp of “Beswick – England”—a well-known porcelain manufacturer. These are usually marked with mold numbers 903 to 914. However, when the Beswick company was later bought, no documentation, molds, or references for the Hummel figurines were discovered.
