Holtzman Victorian Piano Stool, Claw & Glass Ball Feet, c. 1880–1900 View Watchlist >
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Lot # G530
System ID # 30369115
Start Date
End Date
5 Watching
Holtzman Victorian Piano Stool, Claw & Glass Ball Feet, c. 1880–1900
An adjustable-height Victorian piano stool made by Holtzman of Columbus, Ohio, dating to circa 1880–1900. The round solid wood seat wears an ebonized finish and rides on a screw-height adjustment mechanism, seated to a cast iron spider plate marked HOLTZMAN / COLUMBUS. Four turned wood legs carry classic ring-and-baluster profiles, joined by X-form turned stretchers and terminating in cast iron ball-and-claw feet with original glass ball inserts — the glass balls intact at all four feet, a detail frequently missing or replaced on stools of this age. An original paper label on the underside reads "MILD MAHOGANY / HOW TO SET UP STOOL" with period assembly instructions.)
Holtzman produced piano hardware and accessories during the height of American parlor piano culture, when the upright and its accompanying stool were fixtures of the late-Victorian sitting room. The screw mechanism turns to raise or lower the seat, an original feature that lets the player set height to the keyboard. Complete original components — the intact spider plate, working adjustment, and unbroken glass ball feet — set this example apart from the many that reach market missing hardware. Parlor furnishings of this era also sit comfortably alongside territorial-period New Mexico domestic interiors, a point of interest for regional collectors.
Significance & Rarity
Original glass ball inserts in the cast iron claw feet are the primary condition benchmark collectors watch for in this category — they are routinely lost or swapped out, and all four survive here. Paired with the confirmed Holtzman / Columbus mark on the original cast iron hardware and a functioning screw-height mechanism, this stool retains the mechanical and material completeness that drives value in the type.
CONDITION
Fair with age-appropriate wear throughout. The seat shows finish loss and a visible crack running across the top; turnings and finish carry scuffs and rubbing consistent with age and use. The height-adjustment mechanism functions, the cast iron hardware is sound, and all four glass ball feet are present and intact.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Overall: 19" × 14" × 14"
- Seat Diameter: 14"
- Maximum Adjustable Height: 23"
- Materials: Solid wood, cast iron, glass
- Maker's Mark: HOLTZMAN / COLUMBUS (cast iron spider plate)
- Underside Label: "MILD MAHOGANY / HOW TO SET UP STOOL"
