Can someone help me date this pedestal?

Found this unusual pedestal.  A little Gothic trim, beautiful spiral-turned column and spindles -- the spindles have a square-sided twist as well. Relief (machine-carved (I think) Aeolus, dolphins, and other) decorative elements.  How old is this?  Obviously a mix of styles, but how would one best describe it?  Sorry for photo shot through glass window.  Thanks!

I'm thinking late 1880s or 1890s.  Seeing larger, clearer shots of the motifs would help me be more sure, but I think I see a Northwind face which would put it very late 1800s.  Also, that's when the spiral craze such as seen on this pedestal occurred.

Here are a few more, John.

 

Hello-

My thoughts were 1890-1900's.
Interestingly enough the following pedestal
is on ebay now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ATTRACTIVE-VICTORIAN-MAHOGANY-TWIST-PEDESTAL-/220474584842?pt=Antiques_Furniture&hash=item33554f2f0a

ebay# 220474584842

Although not identical it is very similar in composition
and style. Note the base and the top corner incisings which
are almost identical to one another.

stever

Thanks for the eBay listing!  I would say it is more than likely that both pedestals were made by the same manufacturer.  Looks like the company got the most bang out of their engine lathe, followed by their duplicating router, bandsaw, and pin router (in that order).  They certainly weren't much for fancy bases!  Is there any way that the eBay images may be embedded into this thread so that they aren't lost when the listing ends?

Wow, what a beauty!

I see Aesthetic and Eastlake elements, so I'd say 1885-95.

Nice pedestal. Did you buy it or is it in a shop? I like the small twisted spindles on the sides w/ the squared portions - it's an unusual detail. One is a left hand twist, the other is a right hand twist.
Here are the images from the Ebay listing that is similar. I also had a pic of another twisted pedestal on my computer that I will include, but it's different enough that I wouldn't necessarily say for it was from the same manufacturer.   woodwright

Thanks again, you all.  The pedestal that woodwright has contributed to the discussion is similar enough that I think that it was also made by the same manufacturer as well.  On my pedestal, there is a small chunk gone from the Aeolus (North-wind face) that allows a look at the structure of the carved work and I suspected it may be a pressed/molded material such as sawdust/clay/glue or gutta percha, rather than a carved wooden detail.  Looking at the lighter color of the applied details on woodwright's pedestal convinces me that this is the case and strengthens the argument for the same manufacturer.

I would also speculate that the manufacturer may have had a primary business of producing newel posts and baluster spindles and other parts for staircases, as the sophistication of the pedestal design seems to mirror the sophistication of similar parts on staircases -- fancy spindles; but flatwork rather plain and shaped with bandsaw or pattern router (like the curls under the ends of the treads that decorate the stringer on a stairs).  The center columns on these pedestals are of a large enough scale to double as a newel post with little modification.  I would suspect a millwork firm who was using extra stock to produce these pedestals as a side-line, or a furniture factory who was using up remaindered materials from a defunct millworks.  The right vs left hand twist is accomplished simply by flipping the spindle 180-degrees.  The fact that the factory did NOT set up for two separate turnings speaks to the idea that these indeed may actually be baluster spindles.  Thoughts?

Hello-

A very interesting and certainly plausible
hypothesis! Can you imagine the fashionable
Victorian home having a newel post(s) with matching
pedestals in the parlor!

Yes, agree the ebay lot and your pedestal
is certainly from the same manufacturer.
Nice score.

Stever