Viking Magazine - August 2013 - 11

BY DENISE LOGELAND
ere's a distillation
of
35 years of
professional
wisdom
from Suzanne Kramer, an
antique dealer who specializes
in Scandinavian objects:
" After I buy an object, I
always, in an auction or a
sale or whatever, seek out the
oldest person there and try
to get the stories from them,
what they know about the
family or the history. "
Knowing the story of a person
or a craft tradition clues
her in to the value of things,
both their financial worth and
their significance. Kramer,
who belongs to Valkyrien
5-053 and owns Country Gallery
Antiques in River Falls,
Wis., explains this as she's
talking about the Norwegian
pieces she counts among her
most memorable finds.
One is the first Hardanger
fiddle she ever bought, in
1980. It turned up in tiny
Deer Park, Wisc., just half
an hour away. The decorative
kolrosing on the wood
was unusually beautiful. She
looked through the f-holes on
the front to find a signature
and realized it was an 1849
instrument from one of Norway's
most famous makers.
Erik Jonson Helland was part
of a dynasty of violin makers
whose fiddles were played by
none other than Ole Bull.
Kramer's advice for anyone
interested in Norwegian
antiques is the same,
whether you wonder what
to do with an inherited mystery
item or hope to make a
great flea market find: First,
" educate yourself. "
MAKE MUSEUMS
YOUR TEACHERS
Some of the best places to
learn is at museums, where
you can see authenticated,
curated collections of folk art
and objects you're curious
about. Besides Norway's great
folk museums in Oslo and
Lillehammer, Kramer recommends
state historical societies
and even small museums
in areas where Norwegians
settled in North America.
High on her list is Vesterheim
Norwegian-American Museum
in Decorah, Iowa.
" You start to develop your
eye to notice the characteristics
of good quality handwork "
at museums, says
Laurann Gilbertson, Vesterheim's
chief curator. She and her
colleagues are gradually making
the museum's collection
of more than 24,000 objects
Kramer's advice for anyone interested
in Norwegian antiques is the same,
whether you wonder what to do with
an inherited mystery item or hope to
make a great flea market find: First,
available for online viewing
at vesterheim.org. Vesterheim
also offers a research library
that's open to the public on
weekdays or by appointment.
Without a good base
of your own knowledge,
you're at the mercy of the
seller, Kramer says. The
problem is a seller who's
sincere but uninformed.
" They kind of lump Scandinavia
into one category ...
not knowing that there are
those national differences, "
Kramer says. She once
asked a seller if he had any
Norwegian painted pieces.
" Oh, yes, " came the answer,
followed by a procession of
Swedish Dala horses.
Scandinavian antique
expert Suzanne Kramer
with items from her
personal collection,
including a hand-carved
horse that was given to
her mother.
Museums will sometimes
help you research an object,
even when you're not looking
to donate it. But Gilbertson
gives this caution: Don't
expect an appraisal.
" All museums are prohibited
by the IRS from giving
valuations of any kind, " she
explains. Vesterheim and
others will provide referrals to
expert dealers and appraisers.
" SO MUCH CAME OVER "
Short of having heirlooms
tucked away in the basement
or the barn, where can you
find Norwegian antiques?
Kramer says first you need
to decide what you mean by
that phrase.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM THULEN
http://www.vesterheim.org
Viking Magazine - August 2013

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