Art Factory.com Fine Art Certified Appraisals
Expert Certified Appraisals on ArtFactory.com production of Fine Art Furnishings
Lisa Barnes, professional fine art appraiser, was recently commissioned to establish true value prices for insurance purposes. We share this information with our customers to help with establishing true values of the fine art furnishings manufactured by our master craftsmen.
All ArtFactory.com products are considered fine art and appreciable assets that are expected to become family heirlooms and valuable fine art antiques.
Every item we build is for long-term investment value – not speed for price mass production. We never make fast-process furnishings. All our custom doors, gates, furniture, lighting, and furnishings are build by hand, one at a time, in America by our master craftsmen, using old world handcrafted techniques that will last forever.
Listed below are some examples of recent certified appraisals of a cross section of items we have produced. We are making this public for our customers so they may be able to establish true values for a benchmark, since there is very little to compare to in the general marketplace today. The professional appraiser’s report follows.
Custom Designed Furnishings
King-sized Bed — Appraised Value ($51,800)
Full description: Hand crafted and carved bed in the style of Chapeau de Gendarme with Art Nouveau And Chateau de Vitre 17th Century (France) Inspiration. Solid American Cedar Cypress (renewable source). Hand-forged steel structure.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Armoire — Appraised Value ($36,700)
Full description: Hand crafted and carved armoire in the style of Chapeau de Gendarme with Art Nouveau And Chateau de Vitre 17th Century (France) Inspiration. Solid American Cedar Cypress (renewable source).
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Night Stands (qty. 2) — Appraised Value ($17,000)
Full description: Hand crafted and carved night stands in the style of Chapeau de Gendarme with Art Nouveau And Chateau de Vitre 17th Century (France) Inspiration. Solid American Cedar Cypress (renewable source) with granite top.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
King-sized Bed — Appraised Value ($60,350)
Full description: Hand crafted and carved French style bed. Solid American Cedar Cypress (renewable source). Hand-forged steel structure.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Armoire — Appraised Value ($42,500)
Full description: Hand crafted and carved French style armoire. Solid American Cedar Cypress (renewable source).
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Night Stands (qty. 2) — Appraised Value ($27,180)
Full description: Hand crafted and carved French style night stands. Solid American Cedar Cypress (renewable source).
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Dresser and Mirror — Appraised Value ($48,000)
Full description: Hand crafted and carved French style dresser and mirror. Solid American Cedar Cypress (renewable source).
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Dining Table with five Chairs — Appraised Value ($35,150)
Full description: Hand crafted and carved 12th century castle style dining table and chairs. Solid American Cedar Cypress (renewable source).
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Chandelier — Appraised Value ($13,800)
Full description: Gothic Chandelier in the style of Chateau de Thorens, 13th Century France. Hand forged wrought iron and hand blown glass.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
China Cabinet with Hutch — Appraised Value ($36,860)
Full description: China Cabinet with hutch. Solid American cedar cypress with hand forged wrought iron and crystal glass.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Dining Table — Appraised Value ($67,000)
Full description: Round dining table in the style of Alphonse Giroux and Company of Paris. Solid American cherry.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Canoe Coffee Table — Appraised Value ($27,000)
Full description: Hand hewn cedar cypress coffee table in the form of an Arapaho hunting canoe.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Chandelier — Appraised Value ($23,800)
Full description: Chandelier with Plains Indian hunting scene in hand wrought iron.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Wall Sconce — Appraised Value ($1,950)
Full description: Matching sconce for chandelier with Plains Indian hunting scene (above) in hand wrought iron.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Wall Sconce — Appraised Value ($2,350)
Full description: Wall sconce with crossed arrow motif in hand wrought iron.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Pillar Lantern — Appraised Value ($6,300)
Full description: Lantern for pillar mounting with acorn motif in hand wrought iron.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Door Hinge — Appraised Value ($7,250)
Full description: Door hinge in hand wrought iron.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Door Pull — Appraised Value ($2,500)
Full description: Door Pull inspired by Coppola Vinyards. In hand forged wrought iron.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Door — Appraised Value ($72,000)
Full description: Door inspired by medieval castle design. Hand carved cedar cypress with wrought iron hardware.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Hutch with Wine Rack — Appraised Value ($53,700)
Full description: Hutch with wine rack. Hand carved Cypress cedar with hand wrought iron Hardware and granite tops.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Wall Sconce — Appraised Value ($4,600)
Full description: Wall sconce inspired by 49er lantern. Hand wrought iron.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Wall Sconce — Appraised Value ($4,800)
Full description: Wall sconce inspired by historic design. Hand wrought iron.
Provenance: Mfd. by ArtFactory.com
Fine Art Furnishings Appraisal Report
ArtFactory.com L.L.C. has an international reputation for handcrafted, one-of-a-kind furnishings and fixtures. These high-end creations are inspired by European works, and other forms from the 17th century through modern times.
The differences between commercial furniture manufacturers and ArtFactory.com’s products are the Art Factory’s original designs and the firm’s factory employees who are fine artisans.
An artisan or “artigiano” (Italian for craftsman or artisan) is a skilled manual worker who makes items that can be functional and/or decorative such as furniture, sculpture, clothing or jewelry. Artisans practice a craft and through experience and aptitude reach the expressive levels of an artist. The differences between a manufacturer and an artisan is reflected in pricing, quality and the uniqueness of the functional art.
After interviewing the owner, it is clear he does not wholesale and further research confirms this. He is strictly a retail business due to the fact that it is 100% custom, crafted for a particular client. These patrons demand customization and detailing, including changing the dimensions for a piece. It should also be noted that because their products are generally custom, they can take months to produce.
To place pricing in proper perspective, there is a large difference between mass manufactured items and handmade, one-of-a-kind creations. As an example, bronze as a metal is not valuable, but when used to cast the creations of a gifted artist, the resulting sculpture can be worth hundreds of times the value of the bronze in its raw state.
Similarly, wood, no matter what the scarcity, is not particularly valuable until an artisan creates something beautiful and unique. Historically, designers such as Chippendale, Charles Eames, George Nakashima and even Frank Lloyd Wright took the value of the wood to new heights because of their unique designs. In the art world, it is common practice for the artist or their agent to establish prices. If a client purchases said item, or an item similar to it, then one can conclude that the price was acceptable.
It is impossible to look outside the market for pricing ArtFactory.com furniture for comparable products, because these designs are unique to ArtFactory.com’s business. Therefore, I can only draw comparable prices from like items in their catalog. For example, when appraising a Picasso painting, the appraiser looks at like works by Picasso, not by his contemporaries such as Juan Gris or George Braque who also worked in the cubist movement.
In conclusion, when acquiring or appraising works of “art furniture” or any other piece of art for that matter, condition is also a major factor and cannot be overlooked. The skilled craftspeople, equipment, creativity and overall operation at The ArtFactory.com is necessary to facilitate the design and production of these quality items.
The unique operation of the ArtFactory.com, allows for the production of fine artisan furnishings and fixtures. Each work is designed to the specification of the client, in collaboration with the artists of the firm. This is unlike certain other firms who produce their work in either limited editions or mass production, yet the pricing to the customer is approximately the same for similar pieces.
ArtFactory.com L.L.C. has decades of history in producing these quality items with their market determining the price points. The value of fine art is reflected by “what the market will bear” as well as other factors such as:
- Artist Reputation
- Quality of wood and other materials
- Workmanship
- Aesthetics
- Supply and Demand
There is an inherent scarcity in this area of the market, in that these type of products require special materials that can be difficult to obtain and costly. Even excepting that factor, the intensive labor involved in the production of quality art means that it can take weeks or months of craftsperson time to complete. Also, each major piece is typically one-of-a-kind, made to order, and thus only replaceable at great cost of material and labor.
However, a market does exist for these goods, as valuable as they are. This is not different from the market for very expensive homes, automobiles, or other products.
by Lisa Barnes, professional appraiser (see credentials)
July 2013