I got to meet one of my readers today. Robin works in another building at Acxiom and we’ve taken aerobics classes together at Acxiom’s gym during lunch time for years, but we’ve never really met. So it was surprising to find out she reads my blog. She found out about this site from seeing information about it at my booth at Jenifer’s Antiques.
She told me about a Hutch Auction she went to a couple of weeks ago and the awesome buys she got. These concrete statues were part of her amazing buys and she was wondering if I had any idea how old they are:
I can tell by the patina that all three of these have that they’re old, but I have no idea how to date them. I searched around on Google trying to find any sites about calculating the age of concrete statues and they pretty much said it’s really hard to figure out. Do any of my readers have any ideas or thoughts about the ages of the concrete bird bath and urns above?
[Edit] I’ve got more photos! Robin took photos of her concrete statues in their new home. These are such great eye candy – I’ve gotta get some of these for my house!!
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Ashley Honey — Almost anything can be made to LOOK old.
( I do a double-take in the mirror often – tisk-tisk! I DIGRESS…)
About that ‘Bird Bath and Urn’ question-business…
If you want a VINTAGE EFFECT to your lawn ornaments, take a new concrete/ terra cotta/ etc… item and paint it generously with BUTTERMILK. YES – you read it correctly. Straight from the dairy bar BUTTERMILK. After a generous slather, plop it a distance down-wind for a week or two. It will grow a mossy patina – green / brown (and rather handsome) and look 50 yrs plus!
Cheap paint and a power-washer can produce a Shabby Chic, effect if you like the Flakey Paint!
(That just reminds me of rough elbows and dandruff…)
Most of the really beautiful old concrete statues are left in ‘Da Raw’.
As for metal yard items – remember, the masterful Impressionist artist, MONET painted all his garden furnishing in that mah-velous blue-green hue. If Claude thought everything should be blue-green, welllllll…
*Best spraypaint – cheap dollar-a-can Wal-Mart brand.
*For GOLD spray paint – don’t recall the specific namebrand (also sold ‘AT’ Wal-mart) but the cap is a foil-like gold. That is the most glorious paint…and runs about $3 or $4 per can / worth it!
(Don’t tell anyone – but I’m wild for CHEVROLET ORANGE spray paint / the color of car parts. It reminds me of “50 hot rods, cars with their hoods up on steamy, summer afternoons and teenage boys saying: “Pass me that wrench.”
Dang — I feel so Vintage writing all of this – I’m going to have a cold BUTTERMILK and fan myself!
We inherited a bird bath identical to this- it is missing the whole top part. The flat part on her head has a date- 1902!
Thanks for the info! Robin will be happy to hear that she has a true antique! I bet you’ve been able to re-purpose your gorgeous birdbath into something else since you don’t have the top. I could see it being a beautiful plant stand!
Well, actually, I’d LIKE to try to find something that works so she can be a bird bath again- I’ll keep on looking but might end up having someone that does cement work design and make something for me.