Catalog: Vintage Arts (283)

Very fine pair of George VI sterling silver master salt dishes. The salts are raised on paw feet surmounted by lion masks. The everted rims are gadrooned. The salts retain the original cobalt blue glass liners. The salts are identical, but were made in different years by the same silversmith. One has the date mark for 1936 and the other for 1939. The only difference is that glass liner in one is a little thicker than the other.

Origin: London. Condition: excellent, all original, no dings or monograms. Size: 2-7/8" diameter; 1-1/2" tall. Weight: 202.0 grams (silver only).

A terrific set of 12 Art Deco silverplated knife rests. The design on the ends combines severely linear elements with bas-relief details—the ultimate in Art Deco styling. Each “porte-couteau” is marked with unidentified French hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent. Size: 3-1/8” long.

A vintage sterling silver figural jigger by Gorham, the sides marked off with enameled stoplights in green, yellow, and red, meant to signify “go,” “caution,” and “stop.” Each light corresponds to the 1, 2.5, and 3.5 ounce markings on the jigger’s bottom. The bottom is hallmarked by Gorham

• Origin: America, ca. 1950
• Condition: excellent, a couple of extra-small pinpoint dings on the bottom edge
• Dimensions: 2-7/16”
• Weight: 50.4 grams

A beautiful set of six silverplated scallop shell dishes by Tiffany & Co. The dishes are worked with wonderful detail—even the feet have a decorative treatment similar to snail shells. These dishes are perfect for butter, mints, nuts, or even individual servings of cocktail sauce. The bottoms are marked “Tiffany & Co/Makers/Silver-Soldered”.

Origin: America, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent, no plating wear. Size: 3-13/32” x 4-5/8” x 1-3/16” high.

A wonderful French Art Deco cocktail pick set featuring a Scottie dog (Scottish terrier) carved from Indonesian Macassar ebony. The severely linear carving of the dog is nicely accented by the natural markings of the wood. The dog has inlaid white eyes. The set is completed with eleven cocktail picks topped with colorful orbs. This set could certainly be used for olives or cherries in a cocktail, but could also be used as food picks for hors d'oeuvres.

• Origin: France, ca. 1930.
• Condition: excellent; no cracking to wood; one blue pick missing.
• Dimensions: 5-1/2" x 3-1/8" x 3-1/2" tall.

A French Art Deco cocktail pick set in the form of Gideon the duck and his snail friend worked in chrome on a mahogany base. The design is by the famed French Art Deco illustrator Benjamin Rabier, who created a comic strip called "The Adventures of Gideon" in 1923. It was immensely popular and Rabier was commissioned to make a range of entertaining barware. Few of Rabier's designs were signed, but this example is signed with his full name. The twelve picks have red bakelite finials. Cocktail pick holders ("porte-piques") were once a fixture of every French bar and café. Today, they can be use to spear olives of cherries in a cocktail, or to serve small hors d'oeuvres.

• Origin: France, ca. 1930.
• Dimensions: 5 7/16" x 3" x 4 1/2".
• Condition: very good; a small area of wear to chrome in the folds of the tail feathers and another smaller spot on the underside of the tail; normal age-appropriate wear to the wooden base.

Excellent squat Rookwood vase with raised decoration featuring large three-leaf clovers and flowers. The flowers, particularly, are molded in fairy high relief, so that the glaze is thinner over the tips of the petals, creating lovely shading. The glaze is shiny, but with an orange peel texture, and is colored a medium chocolate brown. The bottom is marked with Rookwood's impressed mark and the date letters "XLV", the pattern number "6352" and the decorator's number "23" scratched into the glaze.

Origin: American, 1945. Condition: mint; no glaze crazing. Size: 5" diam.; 3-1/2" tall.

A wonderful set of 16 tiles illustrating scenes from the story of Don Quixote. The tiles have incised lines separating the colored glazes. Each tile has a rich blue border.

Origin: Spain, circa 1900. Condition: most have small nicks along the edges; two have larger flakes on the edges or corners; no cracks. Size: 2-5/8" x 2-5/8" x 9/16".

A modernist sterling silver graduated jigger by Tiffany marked off in half-ounce increments. This design, created in 1939 at the height of Tiffany’s Art Deco period, remained popular through the ensuing mid-century years. The bottom is marked “Tiffany & Co. Sterling” and has the date mark for 1955-65. The jigger is accompanied by its original Tiffany felt bag (with typical wear)

Origin: America, 1955-65

Condition: excellent, no dings

Dimensions: 1-13/16” tall x 2-1/4” diameter

Weight: 42.1 grams

An elegant sterling silver rollover jigger in Tiffany & Co.’s classic modernist “Cordis” pattern. Designed by Oscar Riedener in 1958, Cordis’ stark contemporary lines were something of an aesthetic departure for Tiffany. Riedener was a leading designer for Tiffany, most famous for his 1966 design of the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy. The jigger is designed to rest across the rim of cocktail shaker or glass. Once filled, the jigger can simply be tipped sideways, allowing the liquid to drop into the vessel without spills. The handle is marked “Tiffany & Co. Sterling.”

• Origin: America, ca. 1960
• Condition: excellent, no dings
• Dimensions: 6” x 2-3/8” x 1-3/4”
• Weight: 61.7 grams.

Nice pair of vintage sterling silver candlelabra in a classic style. The double twisted-armed sockets unscrew so that they can be used as two single candlesticks, as well. The bases are marked "Empire Sterling Weighted".

Origin: America, circa 1950. Condition: excellent, all original, two sockets have a 1/16" ding on the lower sides, no monograms. Size: candlelabra, 9-3/8" tall, 8-1/2" wide; candlesticks, 6-1/2" tall.

Lovely pair of porcelain compotes in the "Dresden Garland" pattern by Schumann. The pierced rims are heavily decorated with colorful flowers and gilding. Each compote is centered with a floral bouquet surrounded by entwined gilt and floral garlands. The decorative motifs are echoed on the pedestals. The bottoms are marked by Schumann.

Origin: Germany, ca. 1920. Condition: mint. Size: 7-1/2" diameter; 4-5/8" tall.

A very handsomely decorated set of 12 sterling silver demitasse spoons. The handles are finely decorated with a cast and pierced stylized bellflower. The swirling character of the finial design nicely contrasts with the more angular line of the lower handles and the oval bowls. The backs are fully marked with Swedish hallmarks for 830 silver, including the town mark for Norberg.

Origin: Sweden, ca. 1940. Condition: excellent, all original, no monograms. Size: 4-1/16" long. Weight: 92.0 grams.

A colorful orange and white bakelite dice holds a set of six chrome cocktail picks, each with a dice finial in this Art Deco set. The cocktail pick holder (“porte-piques”) was once a fixture of every French bar or café. Today, they can be used to spear cocktail olive or cherries, or to serve small hors d’oeuvres.

• Origin: France, ca. 1930
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-1/2” x 1-1/2” x 3-3/4”

An elegant Art Deco ruby glass cocktail shaker with sterling silver overlay in a grapevine pattern. The glass has a very intense ruby coloring, and the bottom has a polished pontil-a reliable sign of quality glass. Each side of the shaker is enhanced with a stylized grapevine motif worked in sterling silver overlay. The shaker is finished with a chrome-plated top.

Origin: America, ca. 1935. Condition: excellent, all original, no chips or cracks, no splits to metal. Size: 11-1/4".

Rare sterling silver ice tongs in Kirk’s popular “Old Maryland Plain” pattern. This pattern, designed in 1850, is one of the oldest patterns in Baltimore silver. Because it is so simple, it can appear both Colonial or contemporary, and works well with nearly any silver pattern. The tongs are marked with later 20th century Kirk hallmarks.

Origin: America, ca 1980. Condition: excellent, no monogram. Size: 6-1/4” long. Weight: 84.5 grams.

A pretty pair of Dresden porcelain candlesticks with traditional hand-painted floral decoration. Dresden candlesticks are rather uncommon. The squared bases are intricately pierced and decorated with flowers and gilt highlights. The columns are similarly decorated. Bobeches separate the columns from the candle sockets. The bobeches are original and have not been repaired, but at some point, a previous owner decided to paint her own flowers on the bottom sides of the bobeches and to add more gilding along the rim. Each candlestick is marked by an unidentified maker in underglaze blue, and is also marked "Dresden Germany".

Origin: Germany, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent with alternations as noted above. Size: 9-1/2" tall.

Gorgeous vintage Hermes silk scarf (“carré”) worked in rich shades of medium blue, cream, golds, browns and greys. The design illustrates various 18th century gilded carriage or chariot wheels, including one emblazoned with an image of the Sun King, Louis XIV. The hand-rolled edges (rolled toward the front) are plump. “Hermès Paris” is worked into the design, as is the signature of the desiger, Caty Latham.

Origin: France, ca. 1995. Condition: the scarf has never been cleaned, and shows a little smudge and a pale stain near the edge, no tears. Size: 35” square.