Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art (485)

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.

Outstanding Victorian figural picture frame in the form of a map of Australia! The metal is very heavy gauge and the coloring is white (I believe it is constructed of white brass with a yellow-tinted lacquer). The detail is superb, including outlines of rivers, the political boundaries (Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria), and the locations of cities (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane).

The reverse side is stamped "R. Golding/Rd. No. 30/Tasmania". The back has an easel which is removable for hanging on the wall with the attached hook.

Origin: Tasmania, Australia, late 19th century. Condition: excellent, with some wear to lacquer around edges. Size: 8" x 6-1/4".

A matching frame (missing the glass) is also available.

A superb late 19th century first standard (950/1000 pure) silver berry spoon with a shell-form gilt bowl. These spoons were originally intended for serving strawberries. The front of the handle is decorated with a twisting wreath of holly leaves and berries, and the back with a similar wreath of thistles. The bowl is beautifully worked in the shape of a scallop shell. Improvements in agriculture and railways made strawberries widely available to the wealthy classes in the 1870s. Special implements such as this were needed to compete the experience. Today, it could be used for any sort of desert or even hors d’oeuvres. The spoon is stamped with French silver marks and with an illegible maker’s mark. The quality of workmanship is easily on par with the great makers such as Odiot and Puiforcat.

• Origin: France, ca. 1880.
• Dimensions: 8-3/4” long.
• Condition: mint; gilding completely intact.
• Weight: 99.5 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.

Wonderful 7-piece toleware spice set comprised of a handled tray, four spice tins, and two spice tins with sifter tops. Two of the regular tin lids are decorated with a red and yellow pomegranate design; one has a red, yellow and green strawberry design; and one has a red, yellow and green tulip and flower design. The sifter lids are simply decorated with yellow and red arcs. The sides of all the tins are decorated with a squiggly yellow line, as are the sides of the tray. The handle of the tray is decorated with green foliage.

Origin: American, probably central Pennsylvania, 19th century. Condition: excellent; all the tins have wear to the lower third where they rub against the sides of the tray; all original finish with appropriate alligatoring; the lid of one tin is a bit loose, but all the others are very tight. Size: tray--5.5" x 8" x 4" tall; tins--2-7/8" tall x 2-5/8" diam.

A rare sterling silver pickle fork in Towle’s 1887 “Pomona” pattern. The long handle is decorated with a cornucopia overflowing with peaches, pears and grapes amidst foliage. The handle twists before leading into the matte gild three-tined fork. This piece would have been used for pickled vegetables, but could now be used for a variety of foods. The long size is much more difficult to find than the shorter version. The back is stamped with Towle’s hallmark and the patent date.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, original gilding, period two-letter monogram. Size: 9” long. Weight: 28.0 grams.

A lovely cobalt blue blown glass hyacinth or bulb vase in the classic cone shape. The flared rim was intended to hold a hyacinth or other bulb just above the water line to root. Forcing bulbs was a popular Victorian pursuit and hyacinth vases were lovely adornments for kitchen and conservatory windows. The quality of glass is very good and cobalt blue is a desirable color. The bottom has a sheared pontil.

Origin: America, probably New England, ca. 1890. Condition: no chips or cracks. Size: 6-1/8" tall.

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 wonderful sterling silver trout set in Towle's 1884 "Arlington" pattern. The handles are decorated in the repousse style with a profusion of roses and foliage. The decoration lends itself to being mixed with many of the repousse patterns from the Baltimore area. It is the blade of the trout knife, wonderfully decorated with an engraved trout leaping into the air after biting a lure (the entire casting rod in the background), that really sets these servers apart. Complete Victorian services included fish sets, but trout servers are extremely uncommon. They are a bit smaller than regular fish servers and have a slightly different shape. Towle, in particular, seems to have been fond of the form. The backs are stamped with Towle's hallmark and the retailer's mark "H. G. Shupp".

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, light surface wear, a small bend at the tip of the knife's upper lip. Size: fork, 8-1/8" long; knife, 10-1/4". Weight: 140.5 grams.

Superb early hinged porcelain box with gilt brass trim. The top of the box is painted with a colorful scene of a pheasant in a pastoral setting with foliage, pink flowers and a lake. The bottom half of the box is painted in a coordinating pattern. Boxes such as this were used to hold small candies called “bonbons”. The best of the boxes were made in France, both in Limoges and in the area around Paris, from the middle of the 18th century.

Origin: France, ca 1840. Condition: excellent, no cracks or chips. Size: 3-1/2” x 2-3/4” x 2-1/4” high.

An oustanding sterling silver centerpiece basket by Gorham. The sides and handle are decorated with extremely ornate bright-cut engraving in a swirling foliate pattern. The motif is repeated to great effect in the gilt feet that raise up the basket. The intersection of the handle and feet is finished with an applied classical lion mask. The surfaces are finished in an acid-finished matte texture. The reeded border and the feet are enhanced with matte gilding, while the interior is finished with highly polished gilding. The centerpiece is an excellent example of Gorham's work for an elite market in the years immediately following the Civil War. The bottom is stamped with Gorham's hallmark, the date mark for 1871, and with Gorham's retail location at Union Square in New York.

Origin: America, 1871. Condition: very good, the interior has some small dings and light wear to the gilding visible in raking light only when the centerpiece is empty. Weight: 737.0 grams. Size: 7-1/4" x 10-1/4" x 8-1/4" tall.

Extremely elegant Louis XV-style French silver master salt dip with cobalt glass liners. The shapes of the containers remind me of Louis XV bombe commodes. The repousse design is very architectural in nature, and makes use of numerous decorative elements such as fluted columns, ribbons, cartouches, and pendant bellflowers. Surprisingly, none of the four cartouches has ever been monogrammed. Although intended for salt only, this piece could be used today to serve both salt and pepper. The server is marked with the Paris 1st standard hallmark for 950 silver (purer than sterling silver) and an unidentified maker’s mark “R&D”. The cobalt liners are of very high quality crystal and might possibly be the work of Baccarat.

Origin: Paris, circa 1860. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no dings, no monogram. Size: 5-1/4” long; 1-3/4” wide; 4-1/2” tall.

Pretty French faience plate exuberantly decorated with vases of carnations, sprays of bluebells and colorful insects. The plate has a deep rim and the edges are finished in a nice curved pattern. The back of the plate is marked "Jardin" in underglaze blue.

Origin: France, early 19th century. Condition: no body cracks or chips; glaze wear along rim; normal glaze crackling. Size: 10-1/4" diameter.

A lovely set of twelve sterling silver demitasse spoons by Whiting. This pattern, probably referred to as “39”, was most likely only made as demitasse spoons. Whiting produced a number of patterns in the 1880s and 90s that were limited in this way. The handles, beautifully decorated with a pierced pattern of lilies of the valley, blend into corkscrew twist stems that connect to bowls enhanced with repousse decoration of chrysanthemums. Exactly what chrysanthemums and lilies of the valley have to do with each other is not clear, but the design certainly works from an aesthetic point of view! The bowls are highly polished, but the flowers on the handle have a matte surface that really highlights the floral details and adds to the realistic appearance. The backs are marked with Whiting’s earlier hallmark, the pattern number 39, and “Sterling”. The spoons are presented in their original fitted box covered in lilac velvet and silk.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, no monograms. Size: 4-1/16” long. Weight: 115.0 grams.

A lovely set of twelve sterling silver demitasse spoons presented in their original fitted velvet and silk box. The design features a scroll of acanthus leaves along the stem with an asymmetrical shell at the handle. The backs are stamped “Sterling” (prior to 1915), American silver was not required to bear a maker’s mark. The pattern is nearly identical to Knowles’ “King” pattern. The spoons are presented in their original velvet and silk fitted box from Hamilton & Diesinger of Philadelphia (1895-1900).

• Origin: America, ca. 1895
• Condition: spoons are excellent except one which has a tiny ding right at the tip of the bowl; sharp detail; no monogram; box is functional, but has significant wear. One of the 2 latches is broken at the top of the latch.
• Dimensions: spoons, 3-7/16” long
• Weight: 77.2 grams

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.

Extremely rare set of six transferware dessert plates depicting Napoleon’s great victories. The rims are printed with crowned “N”s encircled by laurel wreaths and military decorations, alternating with escutcheons with the Emperor’s signature hat and sword. The scenes are entitled “Mort De Desaix A Marengo”; “Le Ge’al Massena Devant Zurich 25 Decembre 1799”; “Bataille De Friedland 14 Juin 1807”; “Combat De Benhout 8 Mars 1799”; “Bonaparte A Arcole 17 Novembre 1796”; and “Napoleon Haranguant Les Troupes Bavaroises Et Wurtembergeoises”.

All the plates were made by Boch Freres of La Louviere, Belgium. Most are marked with the company’s stamp. The monarchy was in and out of favor frequently during the 19th century, and few of the Napoleon transferware items survived.

Origin: Belgium, circa 1850s. Condition: all are in excellent condition with no chips or cracks; one has light crazing to the glaze and minimal discoloration; all the transfer decoration is well-detailed and strongly-colored. Size: 8-1/8” diameter.

Very good Staffordshire pottery inkwell in the form of a country cottage beside a tree populated by a mother bird and her nest of young. A Dalmatian watches the birds from the ground. The cushion base is accented with a gilt line.

Origin: England, circa 1860. Condition: very good, normal glaze crazing; some ink discoloration to base, no chips or cracks. Size: 4-7/8" x 2-1/16" x 4-3/4" tall.