Catalog: Antiques (495)

Very rare sterling silver individual berry spoon in Whiting's 1891 "Louis XV" pattern. This is a rare form and the unusual broad shape of the bowl matches that shape of the large berry serving spoons. The bowl is lightly gilt. The back is stamped with Whiting's hallmark, the patent date (indicating an older piece) and the retailer's mark "Jacquemin & Co."

Origin: America, circa 1890s. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no monogram. Size: 5" long.

Sterling silver sugar spoon with very fine decoration of a peacock amidst trailing foliage. The bowl is parcel gilt and is decorated with bright-cut engraving. The reverse is marked "Sterling". Before 1916, many American silversmiths did not mark their name on flatware.

Origin: America, circa 1885. Condition: excellent, period monogram "B" on reverse side. Size: 5-5/8" long.

Lovely sterling silver cream or sauce ladle with a gilt, lobed bowl featuring a floral display. Designed by the Sterling Silver Manufacturing Company of Providence, RI, in 1908.

Origin: America, c. 1908. Condition: excellent, no monogram, gilding intact. Size: 5-3/4" long.

Extremely rare pair of Victorian cast iron flamingo garden ornaments. Dating from the late 19th century, these flamingos are exceptional. I've seen many later versions in concrete or plastic, but never another pair this old or made of cast iron. These birds appear to be enjoying their third or fourth layer of paint, but the newest layer appears to be a good 50 years old. The outermost and innermost layers are nearly the same color, with an intervening layer of softer pink. The most recent painter splattered some of the pink paint onto the green bases. Each bird was cast in two parts. The legs are screwed into openings at the bottom of the birds and then into the cast bases. The detail is outstanding, with even the bases having a rocking texture. I cannot find a signature, but there could possibly be one underneath the paint.

Origin: American, possibly by Fisk or another iron foundry of equal stature, late 19th century. Condition: see description of paint history above; no missing parts or cracks; rust appropriate to age. Size: 15" and 19.75" tall.

A classic Baccarat cut crystal perfume bottle in a blue-cut-to-clear cane pattern. While several American and European companies cut this pattern, the stopper of this bottle is a known Baccarat design. It appeared in a Baccarat pattern book under the name “Stella.” The stopper has a blown teardrop in the interior and is accented with a star pattern at the top. Baccarat products were marked only with a paper label until logo until around 1930.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: very good; a few very minor nicks along the bottom edge (obscured by the design). Size: 4-15/16” tall.

A very pretty early 20th century French silver tastevin in the style typical of Dijon in the Burgundy region of France. This style retains the usual convex base surrounded by a wreath of “perles”, but the gadrooning (“godrons”) along the side have been replaced with a decoration of very finely worked grape leaves and clusters of fruit. The handle, also in typical Burgundian style, represents two snakes with the heads of ducks grasping the forbidden apple between their beaks. Although the maker’s mark on the bottom is illegible, the quality of workmanship suggests that this tastevin may be have been made by Orfevres Parrod, one of the most important silversmiths in the region and a house particularly noted for its tastevins.

Origin: France, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no dings. Size: 2-5/16” diameter (excluding handle) x 13/16”. Weight: 33.4 grams.

A classic 19th century French silver tastevin of traditional form by master silversmith Alexandre Vauger. This example is of small size, intended for use in evaluating cognac, Armagnac or calvados instead of wine. Unlike the “perles” and “godrons” found on the walls of a wine taster, a cognac taster more accurately reflects the liquid’s color using a smooth surface. Similarly, cognac tasters are smaller than wine tasters because the alcohol is considerably stronger and a smaller taste is more appropriate. The bottom of the interior features a partial image of Hercules flanked by female figures representing “Liberty” and “Equality” that once appeared on the 5-franc coin of the Third Republic. The back of the coin, dated 1876, is visible on the bottom of the tastevin. The taster is finished with a classic engraved double serpent handle, the heads grasping the apple of temptation.

Accomplished French silversmiths prided themselves on the ability to raise an entire tastevin from a single 5-franc coin, using only hammers and a few other hand tools to thin, spread and shape the flat coin into a finished tastevin. Only a handful of masters were capable of raising the tastevin with the words “DIEU PROTÉGÉ LA FRANCE” (“God protect France”), originally found around the outer edge of the coin, still visible along the top edge of the tastevin. The last silversmith proven to have mastered this skill stopped working in 1968.

This tastevin is stamped with French silver hallmarks and has the master silversmith’s mark for Alexandre Vauger, who worked in Paris 1884-1887.

Origin: France, 1884-87. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 48 x 66 mm (1-7/8 x 2-5/8 in). Weight: 30.9 grams.

A fine mid-19th century French silver tastevin (wine taster), the base inset with an 1810 Italian silver coin from the reign of Emperor Napoleon I as King of Italy. The bottom edge of the bowl is decorated with curved, scalloped "godrons" which were intended to reflect light through white wine to judge clarity. This tastevin does not have the "cupules" ("ovoides") specifically intended to deepen the color of red wines. The sides are decorated with grapevines and clusters of fruit. The handle is formed as a coiled serpent--as style particularly popular in Burgundy. The whole is raised on a circular ropetwist foot. Napoleonic coins are rarely seen in tastevins, and this piece probably dates to the Second Empire when Napoleonic items were viewed with some nostalgia. Fully hallmarked.

Origin: France, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 3" diameter excluding handle. Weight: 72.3 grams.

A unusual brass tea caddy from the Imperial Romanov era. These boxes are much more frequently seen as rectangular shapes rather than ovals. The hinged lid is decorated with an ornately detailed appliqué of the imperial Romanov double-headed eagle. The interior is tin-lined in the traditional Russian style. The lid can be locked with a small padlock—a reminder that tea was once an expensive, luxurious commodity that had to be protected from household thieves. The interior is tin-lined as expected in a Russian brass box.

Origin: Russia, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, no dings, all original. Size: 5-3/16" x 3-7/8" x 2-13/16" high.

A lovely first standard (950/1000) silver tastevin, the bottom inset with a 1658 silver coin depicting the youthful image of Louis XIV surrounded by text translated as "Louis XIV, by grace of God, King of France and Navarre." The sides of the tastevin a decorated with clusters of grapes and elegantly curved godrons in the style typical of Orfevre Parrod. Coin inserts, however, are unusual in Parrod tastevins. The handle is worked in a simplified snake motif typical of Dijon. The handle is stamped with Parrod's hallmark.

Origin: France, ca. 1850. Dimensions: 2-9/16" diameter (excluding handle). Weight: 59.3 gr.

A fine early 19th century silver tastevin in the 17th century Burgundian style, inset with a Louis XIV silver ecu coin. The coin is surrounded by a “couronne” of 27 perles from which extend elongated “godrons”. These elongated grooves, without any corresponding circular grooves typically meant the tastevin was intended for use only with white wines. The godrons are further enhanced with small bunches of grapes. The handle, in a stylized design of two entwined snakes, with the heads and beaks of ducks, is also typical of 17th century tastevins. The rim is engraved with the name of the original owner, Vincent Nuits. The tastevin was created by the Orfevre Parrod, an important Dijon silver maker founded in 1816, and is hallmarked appropriately.

After the final defeat of Napoleon, the Bourbon monarchy was restored to France, and reminders of the previous reigns appeared everywhere in French decorative arts. This coin, dating to 1652, depicts the boy king Louis XIV surrounded by the Latin inscription translated as “Louis XIV, by grace of God, king of France and Navarre”. The reverse is decorated with the royal crown over a shield of fleurs-de-lys. Though a 17th century tastevin would never have been made with a coin in the bottom, the combination of these two elements was a masterful stroke by Parrod and makes this tastevin a particularly desirable example.

Origin: Dijon, France, ca. 1840. Condition: ecellent, sharp detail. Size: 2-13/16” diameter (excluding handle); 3/4” tall. Weight: 72.7 grams.

An absolutely delightful bronze calling card tray, the center designed with a small frog atop a traditional baroque-style wave. The top edge of the dish has a wonderful scene of four frogs riding big-wheel bicycles along a road. They have quite good balance, as all have their arms crossed. The lead frog is even smoking a pipe. Road markers reading “2Km” and “3Km” mark their progress. The frog and bicycle design was taken directly from a J & P Coats thread company advertisement used on trade cards in the 1880s. More than likely, the tray was designed to be used to hold the cards in an exclusive Parisian dressmaker’s or tailor’s shop.

Origin: France, ca. 1885. Condition: excellent; original patina; sharp details. Dimensions: 7-1/2 x 4-1/4 in.

A very nice Imperial Russian enameled silver spoon by Gustav Klingert. The bowl is beautifully decorated in five shades of opaque cloisonné enamels and in translucent red and amethyst. The design I modified floral pattern with a Persian-style reserve. The handle is finished in a fish-scale enameled pattern. Exposed areas of silver are stippled and gilt. The interior of the bowl is engraved “Moscow”, indicating that the spoon was sold as a souvenir to an American or English visitor. The handle is fully hallmarked with the city mark for Moscow and Klingert’s maker’s mark. The date mark is obscured, but the assay master Lev Oleks was active only between 1890 and 1896.

Origin: Moscow, 1890-96. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, gilding intact. Size: 4-7/32” long. Weight: 15.9 grams.

An outstanding Restoration period French silver wine taster in the 18th century style typical of Lyon. With the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, many old styles from the ancien regime once again came into fashion, and this tastevin, building on decorative elements typical of the 1770's, is a perfect example. Tastevins with snake-form handles were particularly popular. Those with a pair of snake heads that somewhat resemble bird's heads flanking a sphere are typical of silver from Lyon. The punchwork decoration of grape clusters surrounded the bowl is also a typical 18th century design. The tastevin is completely handmade and was raised on a lathe in the traditional method, as is evidenced by the pinprick in the middle of the bowl and the remnants of hammer marks. The outer rim is engraved "F. Porcheret-Billard". Stamped with 2nd standard "tete de Minverve" hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1840. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 3-1/2" diameter, excluding handle. Weight: 113.4 grams.

A delightful early 19th century French silver tastevin featuring a 1770 Louis XV coin and a wonderfully decorated handle. The handle decoration depicts a man seated atop a wine barrel grasping a wine bottle in one hand and a Cupid's arrow in the other. The design is completed with the legend "Vive l'amour et le vin" ("Long live love and wine."). This type of handle was developed in the early 1700s and was used mostly in the Burgundy region. The use of real silver coins as a decorative element is seen in tastevins dating from the mid-1700s onwards. The handle is stamped with 19th century hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1840. Condition: excellent; 2 pinpoints to the bowl and a slight ding along the edge opposite the handle. Dimensions: 3-1/4 x 4-1/4 x 7/8 inches. Weight: 95.0 grams.

A lovely set of six sterling silver demitasse spoons in the "Floral" pattern by Tiffany & Co. This lovely Victorian spoons feature a different old-fashioned flower on each handle. The tip of each handle is the flower blossom, while the neck is fashioned as the plant stem and foliage. The flowers represented are marigold, clover, daisy, iris, violet, and wild rose. The unusual elongated bowls are similar to those on egg spoons, and retain their original matte gilding. The backs are marked "Tiffany & Co. Stg."

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 4-1/16" long. Weight: 52.4 gr.

A classic 19th century French silver tastevin of traditional form by master silversmith Alexandre Vauger. This example is of small size, intended for use in evaluating cognac, Armagnac or calvados instead of wine. Unlike the “perles” and “godrons” found on the walls of a wine taster, a cognac taster more accurately reflects the liquid’s color using a smooth surface. Similarly, cognac tasters are smaller than wine tasters because the alcohol is considerably stronger and a smaller taste is more appropriate. The bottom of the interior features a partial image of Hercules flanked by female figures representing “Liberty” and “Equality” that once appeared on the 5-franc coin of the Third Republic. The back of the coin, dated 1873, is visible on the bottom of the tastevin. The taster is finished with a classic engraved double serpent handle, the heads grasping the apple of temptation.

Accomplished French silversmiths prided themselves on the ability to raise an entire tastevin from a single 5-franc coin, using only hammers and a few other hand tools to thin, spread and shape the flat coin into a finished tastevin. Only a handful of masters were capable of raising the tastevin with the words “DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE” (“God protect France”), originally found around the outer edge of the coin, still visible along the top edge of the tastevin. The last silversmith proven to have mastered this skill stopped working in 1968.

This tastevin is stamped with French silver hallmarks and has the master silversmith’s mark for Alexandre Vauger, who worked in Paris 1884-1887.

Origin: France, 1884-87. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 48 x 66 mm (1-7/8 x 2-5/8 in). Weight: 30.9 grams.

A classic 19th century French silver tastevin of traditional form and the bottom inset with a silver coin from the reign of Louis XV. The sides of the tastevin are decorated with the traditional raised "perles" and recessed "cupules" for viewing the depth of color in a wine. The coin, dating to 1726, depicts the profile of the king surrounded by the legend "Louis XV, by grace of God, king of France and Navarre." The reverse of the coin can be seen from the bottom of the tastevin. The taster is completed with a handle in the form of a single coiled snake. Stamped with an illegible maker's mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, sharp detail to the tastevin, typical wear to the coin. Dimensions: 3-5/16" x 4-5/16" x 1". Weight: 95.4 grams.