Catalog: Antiques (493)

A nice Griffin, Smith & Hill majolica pitcher in the "Wild Rose" pattern. The bulbous sides are decorated with yellow wild rose blossoms and green foliage against a stippled ivory background. The base has a medium-blue basketweave pattern and the lip is finished in a reeded pattern in the same shade. The pitcher has an applied twig handle and a butterfly forms the pouring spout. The interior is pink.

Origin: America, ca. 1875. Condition: very good, no cracks, a few very small nicks on the upper rim (1/32" to 3/16"). Size: 4-1/2" tall.

A terrific folding paper knife, the body covered in the colorful “Caledonia” tartan. The blade is carved from bone and has a locking mechanism just as any other pocket knife would have. These are sometimes called fruit knives, but I’m reasonably certain they were intended for use as paper knives or letter openers. Tartanware became popular after Queen Victoria caused a rage for all things Scottish through her love of Scotland.

Origin: Scotland, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent, light wear to the varnish on one side, no missing paper. Size: closed, 3-21/32” long; open, 7-3/8” long.

A very nice pair of Staffordshire spaniels highlighted with gilt decoration. Each dog wears a collar with a padlock and a chain. The muzzles are decorated with pink and black overglaze enamel, and the eyes are set with glass eyes. Both have the whimsical "Joan Crawford" eyebrows. Spaniels with glass eyes, although a bit later than some of the other Staffordshire figures, are difficult to find.

Origin: England, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, no damage, one dog has a slightly open seam on top of the ear that is original to the making. Size: 8-1/2" x 3-1/4" x 9" tall.

A lovely Staffordshire pottery inkwell and quill holder in the form of a swan. The wings are painted vivid shades of pink with black and gilt accents. The bird rests on a colorful "confetti" nest. The hole in the swan's back served as the inkwell, while the two holes in the front were to hold quills. This swan is a particularly colorful example.

Origin: England, ca. 1840. Condition: excellent, no damage. Size: 3" x 2" x 3-1/4".

A nice Staffordshire inkwell or quill holder in the form of a recumbent deer. The naive painted decoration almost makes it look as if she's wearing a little black hat. The doe is posed on a white base molded as a rocky outcropping. The base is highlighted with a burnished gilt line.

Origin: England, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, no damage. Size: 4-3/4" x 2" x 4".

A nice early Staffordshire pottery child's cup decorated with a transfer scenes of children playing leap frog on one side and "peg top" on the other. The black transfer is highlighted with red overglaze enamel. The cup is accented with a molded foot and a strap handle. Teh glaze has the slight bluish tint found in Staffordshire pottery of this period.

Origin: England, ca. 1850. Condition: normal crackling to glaze, a few small flakes at the rim and two tight hairlines. Size: 2-3/4" tall.

A wonderful Staffordshire pottery cow creamer standing on a oval base. The cow is decorated with rust spots on the white background and the horns are gilt. The oval base is decorated as a grassy outcropping. Cow creamers were very popular in the early 19th century and were produced by a number of potters in Staffodshire, Wales and southern Scotland. This example is from the Staffordshire region.

Origin: England, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, no damage. Size: 6-3/8" x 3" x 4-3/4".

A delightful Bennington-type yellowware cow creamer with mottled brown glaze. The cow stands on a concave oval base. This example is more nicely potted than some, with good detailing in the ribcage area and a quirky facial expression. These creamers were made in both America and England, but the style of modelling suggests this is an American example. The tail has been reglued nicely, and a professional restorer could make the repair completely invisible.

Origin: America or England, ca. 1840. Condition: mint aside from the tail. Size: 6-7/8" x 3" x 5-3/8".

A marvelous and very rare Victorian patchbox, the body carved from a single piece of ivory and the cut crystal lid enclosing a cameo incrustation (“sulphide”) depicting a pansy. A ribbon tied around the flower’s stem reads “a moi”. This is a clever play on words. The French word for pansy is “pensé”, which is very nearly the same word used to mean “thought”. So, when combined with the words on the ribbon, the sulphide expresses the sentiment “Thoughts of me”. This is one of the most interesting pieces we’ve seen using the sentimental Victorian language of flowers. The gilt silver fittings are stamped with Portuguese hallmarks, but the sulphide lid is most definitely French—almost certainly by Baccarat.

Origin: France and Portugal, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, a very small line in the ivory at the side, superb patina. Size: 2-1/4” diameter.

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

A phenomenal Victorian sterling silver soup ladle in Whiting’s “No. 26” pattern. The top of the handle features incredibly detailed peony foliage. The twist stem leads to the fluted and scalloped bowl. At the junction of the bowl and stem, a full-blown peony blossom is delicately engraved into the silver. The bowl is parcel gilt. “No. 26” is an extremely rare pattern. It is always very finely made and exceptionally heavy, even by Whiting’s standards. The pattern is a multi-motif design, so each piece has a slightly different, but related, decoration on the handle. The back of the handle is engraved with the original owner’s name. The back is also marked with Whiting’s old hallmark and the pattern number.

Origin: America, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent, the original gilding is slightly faded. Size: 13” long. Weight: 210.0 grams.

A phenomenal Victorian sterling silver cheese scoop in Whiting’s “No. 26” pattern. The tip of the handle features a gorgeous full-blown peony blossom and bud. The twist stem leads to the deeply curled bowl. “No. 26” is an extremely rare pattern. It is always very finely made and exceptionally heavy, even by Whiting’s standards. The pattern is a multi-motif design, so each piece has a slightly different, but related, decoration on the handle. The back is marked with Whiting’s old hallmark and the pattern number.

Cheese scoops were used to serve blue or soft cheeses. The implement insured that the diner could have a quality serving from deep inside the cheese, rather than just a slice off the less desirable outer surface of the cheese.

Origin: Ameica, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent, the original gilding on the bowl has faded to a very pale lemony yellow, sharp detail, original 3-letter monogram. Size: 8-9/16” long. Weight: 73.0 grams.

A nice tin tray with tole floral decoration. The center is painted with a colorful bouquet including roses, tulips, peonies, lilies and ferns. The bouquet is surrounded by a foliate border, and the edges of the tray are highlighted with an orange-gold sand paint. The tray is handmade with soldered seams and rolled edges.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent original paint. Size: 18-5/8” x 12-5/8” x 1-3/16”.

Elegant crystal trivet with a sterling silver overlay in an orchid pattern. The piercing of the silver is highlighted with engraved details. The center has a silver reserve that was never monogrammed. The side is hallmarked by Webster Silver Co.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 6” diameter.

NOTE: We have four matching trivets in this size. One of the four has an elegant monogram "K". Each is priced at $185, except the monogramed trivet, which is $160.

Elegant crystal trivet with a sterling silver overlay in an orchid pattern. The piercing of the silver is highlighted with engraved details. The center has a silver reserve that was never monogrammed. The side is hallmarked by Webster Silver Co. This trivet is in the harder to find large size.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 8” diameter.

A beautiful sterling silver vase in the Art Nouveau taste by Shreve & Co. The sinuous trumpet form body is decorated with gorgeous applied silver iris blossoms and buds accented with engraved foliage. The body rises to a ruffled rim that mimics the curvy lines of the floral decoration. The foot is decorated at compass points with iris blossoms, their stems forming the rolled bottom edge. The bottom is hallmarked by Shreve & Co. with the post-1894 mark.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no dings, no monograms. Size: 12-3/16” tall. Weight: 526.0 grams.

An elegant sterling silver soup ladle in Whiting’s 1890 “Old King” pattern. The shell and acanthus leaf design elements of the handle appeared in many flatware variations since the Georgian era, and has become an established classic for its restrained elegance. The bowl is parcel gilt for nice contrast. The back of the ladle is stamped with the retailer’s mark for Theodore B. Starr. Starr had agreements with several major silversmiths who provided the store with fine silver to which they applied the retailer’s mark rather than the manufacturer’s.

Origin: America, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, light fading to the original gilding, no monogram. Size: 13-/4” long. Weight: 218.0 grams.

A very nice folding corner shelf of lacquered papier-mache with metallic decoration of Chinese court scenes. One wall shows ladies riding in a rickshaw while the other shows ladies strolling in a court garden with their guardian. The scalloped edge of the shelf is decorated with a gilt edge.

Origin: England, ca. 1840. Condition: excellent, no cracks, bright coloring. Size: 5” wide; 7-3/8” tall.

A lovely bright olive green vase with molded ribbed blocking and cold-gilt gold and platinum decoration depicting thistles. The gilding is of very fine quality and has almost an Aesthetic Movement appearance. The vase uses a cased construction of various layers of clear and colored glass typical of Moser. The bottom is finished with a concave polished pontil and is marked with the form/decoration code “Q/195”.

Origin: Bohemia, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks, gilding intact. Size: 10” tall.