Re: What does "original finish" mean, exactly?

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 23:51:19 +0000, Ronnie McKinley
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>In rec.antiques  quarkmeister <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 21:43:25 +0000, Ronnie McKinley
>><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>
>>>In rec.antiques  quarkmeister <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>'......... the original patina'?
>>>
>>>
>>>Qxymoron.
>>
>>True. Not helpful, but true.
>
>
>Of course it's helpful.  IMO one cannot take "original finish" to
>the extreme. Applying it to mean how a piece looked the first day it
>came out of the showroom, and claiming this to be the "original
>finish" and therefore the "ultimate" antique. For one thing, on that
>first day it would not have had any patination. It has to live, be
>cared for, looked after and preserved during its (hopefully) long
>life, all the while building its patina and enhancing its colour. 
>
>The 'finish' is a matter of expectation and acceptability,
>considering each piece individually against the prevailing
>circumstances of the past and (recent) present. In short, the finish
>could have/may well have changed over the lifetime period of the
>piece in question. Many times, depending on age, one can bet the
>bottom dollar the finish has changed, been altered as result of a
>fashion, maybe even a 170 year old fashion.
>
>The subject you propose is a long complex one and certainly not a
>black and white subject, with a purist bottom line. The subject
>should have its fundamental do's and don't but at the same time much
>of it is subjective. One man's 'fading' and happy, may be another
>man's strip it and refinish it.

Well, I agree with you. But I'm not really looking for a philosophical
answer. What I'm looking for is a description of the official line of
demarcation (and there must be one - otherwise the term has no
meaning).

When an antique expert calls a finish the "original finish", what does
he/she mean? How much can be done to an "original finish" to make it
presentable - to minimize or hide damage/wear - yet still allow it to
be called the "original finish" by authorized rule-makers?

quarkmeister