Catalog: Antiques (496)

A very good Classic Period glass paperweight with a pinchbeck design. The scene depicts the "Descent from the Cross" and shows two centurions, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking the body from the cross while Mary weeps at Jesus' feet. The pinchbeck insert is finished in a silver tone rather than the more common gold. The crystal dome is of very good quality, with excellent clarity and good optical magnification to highlight the detail of the scene. The bottom of the weight retains its original red and gilt-painted decoration.

Origin: England or Continental Europe, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, light surface scratching at the top of the crown. Size: 2-5/16" diameter; 1-1/4" high.

An elegant sterling silver trumpet vase with an opaque glass liner by either Jenkins or Armiger for F. Bucher & Sons. This silver is ornately decorated wthroses, forget-me-nots, wild roses, chamomiles and daises against a stippled background. Bucher was a retailer who stamped wares with his own mark, even though they were actually made by Jenkins, Armiger, Schofield or other leading Baltimore silversmiths of the day. The treatment of the chamomile blossoms and the use of cyma scrolls in the narrow borders are distinctly similar to Jenkins’ work, but the use of ferns amongst the foliage is more often seen in Armiger’s. The liner is opaque white glass with a translucent pink border at the undulating, flaring rim, and appears to be original. The base is marked “F. Bucher & Sons. Sterling”.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 10-3/8” tall. Silver Weight: 161.4 grams.

An elegant Art Nouveau glass vase decorated with enameled poppies. The blossoms are worked in shades of cream, yellow, rose and violet, while the foliage is stained a reddish-purple and highlighted with a complex, lacy pattern of gilding. The upper rim of the vase is decorated with a band of stained and gilt flowers, as well. The vase is blown in pillar form with an optic paneled design. The workmanship is very fine. Unsigned, but almost certainly the product of Mont Joye (also known as Verreries Saint-Denis or Legras).

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no cracks, no enamel or gilding wear, a 1/32" flake at the upper rim. Size: 8".

A fine glass cocktail shaker by Hawkes. The glass blank is blown in an optic paneled style and highlighted with gilding at the neck. The body is beautifully enameled with a colorful rooster and the reverse side is engraved with the recipe for a "Bronx" cocktail. The stopper is finished with floral intaglio engraving. The The double-lip form of the shaker is very similar to the shape Hawkes used for oil & vinegar cruets. The base and stopper are signed with Hawkes' acid-etched trefoil mark.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks; a small moon on the lower edge of the stopper. Size: 11" tall.

A very fine Victorian silver plated flip-top card case, both sides heavily decorated with nautical themes. The front features a scene of a sloop in roiling waves passing a lighthouse in the background. The scene is surrounded by a border of seashells and seaweed, and a bare-breasted mermaid watches from one of the lower corners. The back of the is decorated in a pattern of waterlilies and foliage. The detail in the design is superb--one can even just make out the stars and stripes of the ship's American flag. The case is fitted with two pairs of loops so is can be worn suspended from a heavy chain.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: some plating wear along the edge near one of the chain loops and an area of dings on the bottom edge; the design areas are all in excellent condition. Size: 2-2/1" x 3-3/4" x 3/8".

A wonderful French first empire tole ware monteith, the sides hand painted with bouquets of colorful flowers against ivory-colored reserves flanked by gilt grapevine designs. The sides rise to handles cast in the form of swans’ heads--a feature very rarely seen. Verrieres are typically oval in shape, but this example is round. The bowl is unusually raised on four lion’s paw brass feet. As a whole, this is one of the more elegant and interesting early tole verrieres or monteiths we’ve seen.

Elegant glassware was a luxury and even the wealthy didn’t have enough to provide a fresh glass with each different wine course during a formal dinner. The monteith or verriere contained water, and the guests’ glasses could be hung from the notched rim to be rinsed in the communal bath. Sometimes, the vessel was filled with cold water and the glasses were simply hung there to be chilled before the service.

Origin: France, ca. 1800. Condition: excellent original paint with slight loss to one bouquet, the interior shows surface rust as expected; three of the notches seem to have been bent and then straightened out again, but this appears to have happened long ago and without any re-painting. Size: 9-1/4" x 12-5/8" at handles; 4-1/2" high (6-1/4" at handles).

A lovely sterling silver fancy serving fork in an unnamed Art Nouveau pattern by the Baird-North Co. The handle is beautifully decorated with a thorny vine of wild roses. The back is decorated in a simpler design of roses. The splayed tines are ornately pierced. A fork of this shape would probably have been used to serve bacon, but it might also be useful for cold meats. The reverse is marked “Sterling/Pat. 1903”. There is no maker’s mark (maker’s marks were not legally required until 1906), but we’ve had pieces in this pattern that have bear Baird-North’s hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1903-1906. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no monograms. Size: 8” long. Weight: 35.5 grams.

A nice stoneware ewer in an unusual form by Doulton Lambeth. The bulbous body is decorated with raised flowers and foliage against a cobalt blue ground, while the foot and long tapering neck are finished in a simple pattern of incised rings highlighted with chocolate brown borders. The inside of the foot is stamped with the mark used 1891-1902 and also with the artist's mark which appears to be a conjoined "JH", "HL" or possibly just an ornate "H". There is also an assistant's mark, "b".

Origin: England, ca. 1895. Condition: no chips or cracks. Size: 11-5/8" tall.

A very nice Nanking Chinese export porcelain plate. The blue decoration is finely worked and the body color is excellent.

Origin: China, ca. 1820. Condition: very good, no chips, two tight 1" hairlines visible on the back side at the rim. Size: 8" diameter.

A lovely cut glass perfume bottle cut from cranberry to clear. The design is a simple, classic combination of crosshatched diamonds and fans. The shoulders of the bottle are panel cut, and the base is finished with a 24-point star. The lapidary-cut stopper is original to the bottle and is engraved with the same number as the inside of the bottle's neck. Origin: Europe, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 5-3/4" tall.

A lovely cut glass perfume bottle cut from cranberry to clear. The design incorporates wide miters separated by combinations of fans, strawberry diamond and star motifs. The shoulders of the bottle are panel cut, and the base is finished with a 24-point star. The lapidary-cut stopper is original to the bottle and is engraved with the same number as the inside of the bottle's neck.

Origin: Europe, possibly Val St. Lambert, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 5-3/4" tall.

An uncommon set of six nut picks, the mother of pearl handles attached to the silverplate picks with sterling silver ferules. The ferules are decorated with ropetwist borders flanking an ornate acanthus leaf pattern. In the Victorian era, fresh nuts would have been served alongside and cheese and fruit as a dessert course. The ferules are marked "Sterling".

Most sterling silver flatware services before 1900 had mother of pearl cutlery instead of knives that matched the rest of the service. Mother of pearl pieces such as a nut picks are considerable less common than knives.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, no plating loss. Size: 5-1/4".

A very rare sterling silver chamber stick in a repousse floral pattern by Shiebler. The overall floral decoration depicts buds and full-blown rose blossoms against a background of leaves. Areas between the leaves are finished with a stippled texture. The knop of the candle socket and the bobeche are plain and make a nice contrast to the elaborate decoration. The thumbpiece is accented with a fan-shaped element that is suggestive of Shiebler’s more Aesthetic-style pieces. The bottom of the bobeche is stamped with Shiebler’s hallmark, the pattern number 1174, and the retailer’s mark “J. E. Caldwell & Co.”

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, a small rim ding and a couple of pinpoints on the bobeche. Size: 6” diameter; 3-1/2” tall. Weight: 211.0 grams.

An impressive and well-designed antique Bohemian glass paperweight. The bullet-shaped weight encloses a large central red, white and blue lily surrounded by three smaller lilies, all emanating from a speckled glass pot at the base. The area just above the pot has a thin film of green glass to suggest foliage. The weight is ornately faceted into a bullet-shape. The glass is quite heavy and clear. The coloring tends toward grayish-yellow, as is typical of Bohemian weights of the period.

Origin: Bohemia, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent, no chips, no wear to crown. Size: 7" tall; 2-25/32" diameter.

A very nice scrambled glass paperweight by the New England Glass Company. The weight is well-packed with a colorful assortment of canes and twists. Visually, the set-up extends all the way to the periphery when viewed directly from the top. The glass is very clear.

Origin: America, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent, no wear to crown, some small flakes all along the edges of the basal ring. Size: 2-1/2" diameter; 1-7/8" high.

A very well-cut low bowl in an unidentified pattern. The cutting is deep, sharp and precise. The pattern comprises three panels of star- and diamond-cut cane, divided by elongated loops enclosing flashed fans and strawberry diamond, alternating with hobstars. The blank is heavy and very clear.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, a 1/32" fleabite on the inside edge of one tooth. Size: 7-1/4" diameter; 2" high.

Exceptionally fine Edwardian tortoishell letter box decorated with gold pique. The serpentine front is inlaid in a pattern of floral swags flanking a center wreath. The curved top has a matching wreath and swags as well as songbirds. The gold has a beautiful rose tint that contrasts nicely with the rich golden-brown of the tortoise, and the surfaces are intricately engraved to enhance the appearance. The use of gold for pique work was reserved for only the most expensive and impressive items. The back and sides of the box are covered in burgundy Morocco leather and the interior is covered in red silk moire. The workmanship and overall style of this piece suggests the workshop of William Comyns, though he more frequently worked in silver. Signed boxes by Comyns feature exactly the same lining and side upholstery and similar swag and wreath designs.

Origin: England, ca. 1905. Condition: very good, the front has a few hairlines (no hairlines on top), six of the tiny pins along the edge of the top are lacking, no loss to pique. Size: 10-1/8" x 5-3/4" x 7-1/4" tall.

NOTE: This item cannot be shipped outside the United States.

A very pretty sterling silver berry or casserole spoon by Durgin. The handle is nicely engraved in an ivy pattern, while the gilt bowl is engraved with a flock of butterflies. The back is stamped with Durgin's earliest hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent, no monogram, sharp detail, gilding faded to pale lemon. Size: 9" long. Weight: 59.0 grams.