Catalog: Vintage Arts (284)

A classic late Art Deco or early modernist porcelain water jug advertising Ricard Anisette. In the south of France, tradition dictates that anise-flavored aperitifs should be served with water to dilute the drink. Makers such as Ricard and Pernod provided advertising pitchers to local bars and cafes to increase their sales. This squared-off rectangular form is less common than the traditional globe-shaped pitcher and became popular after World War II. The bottom is marked "Ateliers de Céramique Ricard/Made in France".

Origin: France, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 9" x 3-3/4" x 5-1/2" tall.

A classic Art Deco porcelain water jug advertising Ricard Anisette. In the south of France, tradition dictates that Ricard and other anise-flavored spirits be drunk with a side of water. Makers such as Ricard and Pernod provided advertising pitchers to local bars to increase their sales. This globe form is the classic shape from the first half of the 20th century. The bottom is marked “Ateliers de Céramique Ricard/Made in France”.

Origin: France, ca. 1930. Condition: good, there is a firing line in the spout and a flattened area on the foot, both original to the making; no subsequent chips or cracks. Size: 6” tall at handle.

A classic Art Deco porcelain water jug advertising Ricard Anisette. In the south of France, tradition dictates that Ricard and other anise-flavored spirits be drunk with a side of water. Makers such as Ricard and Pernod provided advertising pitchers to local bars to increase their sales. This globe form is the classic shape from the first half of the 20th century. The bottom is marked "Ateliers de Céramique Ricard/Made In France".

Origin: France, ca. 1930. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Dimensions: 6" tall at handle.

A rare French Art Deco cocktail pick set (“porte-piques”) depicting Aesop’s fable about the raven and the fox. The fox praised the raven so much that the bird opened its mouth to sing and dropped its lunch right into the fox’s waiting mouth. The moral: beware of flattery. This set was likely designed by the French children’s illustrator Banjamin Rabier who enjoyed a sideline designing barware. Pick sets such as this were once a fixture on every Parisian bar counter and today, they can be used at home for cocktails or to serve small hors d’oeuvres.

• Origin: France, ca. 1930
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 5-7/8” x 2-7/16” x 5-3/16”

A classic Art Deco first standard (950/1000 pure) silver jigger by the Parisian silversmith Auguste Roustang. The tapered form is simply decorated with a series of increasingly narrower steps at the base for a streamline look. The rim is hallmarked by Roustang.

• Origin: France, 1909-29
• Condition: excellent, no dings
• Dimensions: 1-15/16” tall
• Weight: 34.9 grams

An elegant French Art Deco silverplate jigger in the form of a champagne bucket. The form is completed by a pair of spherical handles typical of champagne coolers of the era. The bottom is stamped with an illegible maker’s mark.

• Origin: France, ca. 1930.
• Dimensions: 1-7/8” diameter; 2” high.
• Condition: excellent; no dings; a 2mm area of plating wear to the interior near the bottom.

A terrific Art Deco spun aluminum ice bucket for chilling wine and champagne. The front is decorated with a copper plaque depicting the label of a very well-known French winery in Alsace. The winery is famous for its Riesling, but also for Crémant, a sparkling wine native to Alsace. Alsatian wines are traditionally bottled in tall, narrow bottles, hence the shape of this bucket. The bottom is marked "URBA Made In France". Ice buckets were offered by wineries to cafés and distributors as a way of advertising their products.

Origin: France, ca. 1930. Condition: surface scratching from normal use. Size: 10-3/4" tall.

An elegant second standard (800/1000 pure silver) French tastevin. Rather than the typical "perles" and fluted "godrons", the bowl of this tastevin is decorated with repousse grape leaves and berries in the 18th century style. This treatment is sometime see in tastevins made by Parrod, one of the most influential makers of tastevins in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The handle is in the tradition form of two entwined snakes grasping an apple in their mouths, thought to remind drinkers of temptation and sin. The tastevin is fully hallmarked and has an illegible maker's mark.

France, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Dimensions: 3-1/4" x 4-1/4" x 1". Weight: 53.5 gr.

An elegant second standard (800/1000 pure silver) French tastevin. Rather than the typical "perles" and fluted "godrons", the bowl of this tastevin is decorated with repousse grape leaves and berries in the 18th century style. This treatment is the classic Dijonais interpretation of the form. The handle is in the tradition form of two entwined snakes grasping an apple in their mouths, thought to remind drinkers of temptation and sin. The tastevin is fully hallmarked and has an unidentified maker's mark (EE with a plumb bob).

• France, ca. 1925
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail, a small porosity blemish (1/4") under the rim on one side
• Dimensions: 3-1/4" x 4-3/16" x 1"
• Weight: 55.7 grams

An elegant cranberry-cut-to-clear perfume bottle, likely by Cristallerie de Saint Louis or Cristalleries de Nancy. The bottle is worked in a classic pattern of pillars finished with step cutting at the shoulders and panels cuts on the neck. The base is also cut-to-clear in a star pattern. The hollow-blown stopper is cut in a matching pattern.

• Origin: France, ca 1920
• Condition: excellent, no chips
• Dimensions: 2-9/16” x 2-9/16” x 6-1/2”
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A very rare French first standard silver (950/1000 pure silver) tastevin, the bottom bearing the coat of arms of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. The arms depict St. Vincent, patron saint of winemakers. The body is further decorated with the traditional raised “perles” for highlighting the reflections in the wine and recessed “cupules” and elongated “godrons” intended to concentrate the color during the tasting process. The handle is worked in the snake motif traditional in Burgundian tastevins. The rim is stamped with the master silversmith’s mark for Emile Mémery & Henri Hours.

The Confrerie was established in 1934 to promote the wines of Burgundy. Modeled on Medieval guilds, membership in the Confrerie is strictly controlled and is open only to sponsored candidates. A tastevin bearing the arms of the Confrerie could only have belonged to a member. Tastevins used by the Confrerie come in a few different variations (not all the members are wealthy and must make do with a silverplate taster), with the being the rarest and most prized. Known for their service to the elite of Burgundy, Alsace and Lorraine, Mémery & Hours were the preferred silversmiths to the Confrerie’s elite.

• Origin: Lyon, France, ca 1935
• Condition: excellent; sharp detail on the coat of arms; a minor ding on each of two “cupules”
• Dimensions: 3-1/16” x 4” x 1”
• Weight: 96.8 grams

A very rare French first standard silver (950/1000 pure silver) tastevin, the bottom bearing the coat of arms of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. The arms depict St. Vincent, patron saint of winemakers. The body is further decorated with the traditional raised "perles" for highlighting the reflections in the wine and recessed "cupules" and elongated "godrons" intended to concentrate the color during tasting. The handle is worked in the snake motif traditional in Burgundian tastevins. The rim is stamped with an unidentified silversmith's mark.

The Confrerie was established in 1934 to promote the wines of Burgundy. Modeled on Medieval guilds, membership in the Confrerie is strictly controlled and is open only to sponsored candidates. A tastevin bearing the arms of the Confrerie could only have belonged to a member. Tastevins used by the Confrerie come in a few different variations, with this being the rarest and most prized.

Origin: France, ca. 1935. Condition: excellent, light wear to coat of arms consistent with age, a minor ding to one cupule. Dimension: 3-1/16" diameter (excluding handle). Weight: 91.6 grams.

A witty cocktail pick holder in the form of a marching drum. The drum is made of aluminum and is finished with a sort of rubberized coating and real string to mimic the rope ties on an old-fashioned drum. The ten picks have colorful ball finials.

Origin: France, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 3-7/8" tall.

A nice mid-century modern French cocktail pick set featuring a blonde wood stylized snail with a chrome shell. He's perched on a set of chrome leaves that hold the six chrome and plastic-topped cocktail picks. Cocktail pick holders ("porte-piques") were once a fixture of every French bar and café. They can be used to spear olives or cherries for cocktails or to serve small hors d'oeuvres.

• Origin: France, ca. 1960.
• Dimensions: 5-1/2" x 2-1/2" x 3-5/8" high.
• Condition: excellent; tiny amount of chrome wear.

A classic mid-century porcelain water jug advertising Ricard anisette. In the south of France, tradition dictates that a pitcher of water should be served alongside anise-flavored aperitifs to dilute the drink. Makers such as Ricard and Pernod provided advertising pitchers to local bars and cafes to increase their sales. The squared-off shape is less common than the traditional globe-shaped pitcher, and only became popular after World War II. This is a miniature version, about half as tall as usual, and was obviously intended for someone who drinks alone! It’s the only miniature we’ve found after many years.

Origin: France, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Dimensions: 2-15/16” tall.

A delightful second standard (800/1000 pure silver) French tastevin featuring a mermaid. The overall design is in traditional Burgundian style, with “cupules,” and “perles” for viewing the color and clarity of either red or white wines, but this example is set apart because of the seaweed-surrounded mermaid set into the bottom. She has a distinctly “naughty mermaid” appearance typical of 1950s/60s Playboy illustrations. The thumb ring is worked in a rope motif. Both the thumbpiece and the bowl are stamped with French silver marks and the master silversmith’s mark for Ste Arcaud. The tastevin is presented in its original box from the Rolta boutiqueon rue de l’Opéra in Paris.

• Origin: France, ca. 1960
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 3-5/16” x 4-1/4” x 1”
• Weight: 86.0 grams

An elegant boxed set of gilt sterling silver demitasse spoons with fox head finials. Each spoon is stamped with the hallmark for William Suckling. Each is also stamped “Swaine & Adeney,” one of London’s most exclusive luxury goods shops for more than 270 years. The spoons are presented in their original velvet- and silk-lined fitted case. An extra spoon, apparently from a second box, is included.

• Origin: Birmingham, England, 1938
• Condition: excellent, gilding intact; box shows typical wear
• Dimensions: spoons, 3-13/16” long
• Weight: 84.3 grams.

All sterling silver pastry server in Georg Jensen's 1927 "Viking" pattern (called "Nordisk" in Danish). This is one of the very rarest of all the Jensen patterns, and was designed by Jensen himself. It is beautifully crafted of the heaviest silver and combines traditional Scandinavian motifs with an Art Deco eye for design. The reverse is marked with the old interlocked "GJ" mark. This pattern has been out of production for many years, and it is extremely hard to find.

Origin: Denmark, circa 1927. Condition: light normal patination on sufaces, crisp details, no monogram. Size: 7.5" long.