Catalog: Antiques (495)

An elegant Art Nouveau glass vase decorated with enameled poppies. The blossoms are worked in shades of cream, yellow, rose and violet, while the foliage is stained a reddish-purple and highlighted with complex lacy gilding. The upper rim is decorated with a band of stained and gilt flowers, as well. The vase is blown in pillar form with an optic paneled design. The workmanship is very fine. Unsigned, but definitely made by Mont Joye (also know as Verreries Saint-Denis and Legras).

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, no cracks, no enamel or gilding wear. Size: 9-1/4”.

Outstanding sterling silver ice cream slice with the fabulous Art Nouveau "Poppy" pattern by Baker Manchester. Both the front and back are beautifully detailed. The blade is lightly matte gilt. During the Victorian era, ice cream was served in a loaf shape, and implements like this were used to slice off pieces for serving. The form often did "double duty" as a fish server. The back is stamped with the hallmark for the Baker Manchester Silver Co. (Providence, RI), a company famous for its ornate serving pieces.

Origin: America, circa 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no monogram. Size: 9" long. Weight: 54.75 grams.

A lovely Bohemian zwischengoldglass liqueur beaker, the bottom featuring an inset gilt and enameled design of bouquet of violets. The panel cutting along the beaker’s sides causes the design to be visually repeated when looking into the interior. These glasses have become increasingly difficult to find.

Origin: Bohemia, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent, gilding intact, no chips or cracks. Dimensions: 2-7/16” tall.

Wonderful lacquered box from Russia's Imperial era. The lid has a handpainted summer troika scene. Scenes depicting troikas in the snow are a bit more common. The design is very colorful and the facial detail on the three people is very nice. The lid is signed "E. Gustov" (translated). The box is lacquered red inside.

Origin: Russia, circa 1890. Condition: decoration and overall condition is excellent, three corners of the lid have flakes. Size: 5-3/4" x 3-15/16" x 1-3/4" high.

A superb 19th century Imperial Russian wooden Easter egg with polychrome decoration of Christ arising from the tomb flanked by a pair of angels. The scene is beautifully colored and shows dynamic movement. The reverse of the egg bears the gilt letters “XB” for “Christ is Risen.” The egg is completed with its original blue silk ribbon, appropriately worn with age. Careful examination of the drill holes in the egg show even oxidation of the wood’s unpainted surfaces and the paint has typical aligatoring, supporting a 19th century age.

Origin: Russia, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent; negligible paint loss. Dimensions: 3-5/8” long.

A very attractive French silver (1st standard=950/1000 pure silver) tastevin, the bottom inset with a 1785 silver coin showing the bust of King Louis XVI. This tastevin departs slightly from the traditional form, with the fluted “godrons” placed immediately around the coin and the sides finished with very nice repousse decoration of grapes, vines and leaves. The tastevin is finished with a single coiled snake handle. Tastevins set with royal coins seem to have been popular during various times in the 19th century when France was ruled over by a king or emperor. Tastevins with Louis XVI coins are not often encountered, however. The tastevin is stamped with French silver marks and with an unidentified master silversmith mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 7.9 x 10.5 cm (3-1/8 x 4-1/8 in). Weight: 105.4 gr.

Outstanding brass match holder the pocket formed in the shape of a shield and punch-decorated in a stars and stripes pattern. The pocket is surmounted by a punch-decorated American eagle underneath the motto “In God We Trust”. This motto was adopted in 1863 as a subtle government reminder during the Civil War that God was on the side of the Union troops fighting to end the evil of slavery. The backplate has a punchwork border and also a hole for hanging.

Origin: America, ca. 1860s. Condition: excellent, all original, nice patina. Size: 3-15/16” x 2-1/2” x 5/8” deep.

Excellent Staffordshire children's cup illustrating the letter "H". The blue transfer decoration shows the letter amidst scenery filled with "H" words--horse, house, hound and horn. The cup has very nice color and a thick bluish glaze typical of Staffordshire pottery.

Origin: England, circa 1850. Condition: very good, a tiny (1/8") flake at the top rim. Size: app. 3" diam., 3-1/8" high.

Fabulous and extremely rare hand-forged iron trade sign in the form of a pretzel. The sign retains an old gilt surface. There is a strong trace of red, yellow and blue paint on the back side and edges of the pretzel, no doubt the colors that were used on the wall or backboard to which the sign was attached through the 13 mounting holes. There also appears to be a red layer underneath the gold. This layer was probably intended to be an undercoating to give the gilding more depth. I don't think the pretzel was originally red and then gilded later. In any case, the gilt surface has considerable age, and probably dates from at least the late 19th century. Approximately 10% of the gilt surface shows wear (nearly all of it on the left side.

Origin: America, found in south-central Pennsylvania, circa mid-19th century. Condition: see paint description above, no cracks. Size: 18-1/2" x 15-1/2" x 1".

A very rare and elegant Victorian sterling silver pie knife in Gorham’s 1894 “Imperial Chrysanthemum” pattern. The handle is decorated with an ornate design of chrysanthemum blossoms and foliage that extends down onto the blade and shoulders of the blade. The back of the handle is decorated with a complementary design. Pie knives or pie servers are difficult to find in the better patterns. The back is marked with Gorham’s older hallmark and also has the patent date, indicating that the piece was made during the period.

Origin: America, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no monogram. Size: 9-1/8” long.

John C. Moore period Tiffany & Co. sterling silver child's fork decorated with the nursery rhyme "Cock Robin & Jenny Wren." The fork shows the likeness of Mr. Robin wearing a tuxedo and Ms. Wren demurely peeking over her fan. The back is marked "Tiffany & Co. Sterling". The back also bears the letter M designating manufacture between the years 1875 and 1891.

Condition: excellent; usual wear to outer tines; no monogram. Size: 6-1/4" long.

Gorgeous sterling silver berry spoon in Durgin's 1891 "Watteau" pattern. The rococo design of the handle is wonderful on its own, but when combined with the decoration of the bowl, it's stunning! The back is hallmarked by Durgin.

Origin: America, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent, all original, period monograms on both the front and back. Size: 7-1/2" long.

Superb early Gorham lady’s purse, the exterior decorated in the Aesthetic taste. The surface is matte-finished and accented with areas of matte-finished and glossy parcel gilding. Each side features a triangular area of engraving representing what appears to be a bough of olive branches with olives. The purse’s beveled edges are glossy and are decorated simply with rows of bright-cut engraving. The purse opens with a push on the thumbpiece to reveal an interior divided into three compartments and lined with the original teal blue silk shantung. The purse retains its original chain. The inside rim of the purse is marked with the earliest form of Gorham’s lion-anchor-G hallmark, along with the pattern number “210”, “Sterling” and the date letter for 1871.

Origin: America, 1871. Condition: excellent, a small ding in the engraved area on one side (visible in raking light), all original, the silk lining with almost no wear. Size: 3-1/2” wide, 2-1/2” high, 1-1/2” thick, 11” chain. Weight: 68.0 grams.

Elegant Victorian sterling silver serving dish with intricate repousse and pierced sides. The sides are finished off with a cyma-curve border punctuated at compass points with baroque shell motifs. The bottom is fully hallmarked for London, 1891-92, and has the maker’s mark “WC”. The piece is quite heavy and is of the very good quality.

Origin: England, 1891-92. Condition: excellent, no dings, no monogram. Size: 9” x 6-1/2” x 1-3/8” high. Weight: 177.5 grams.

A very fine antique Baccarat glass paperweight featuring a Type III pansy and bud. A pair of dark purple petals and three amber petals with purple stripes and spots surround a central bull's-eye cane. The design is completed with bright, finely formed leaves and a bud. The paperweight is further enhanced with a star-cut base, and most unusually, fluted facets along the perimeter. This faceting pattern is very rare in antique Baccarat weight. This is one of the best Baccarat pansies we have seen.

Origin: France, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, one small moon along the perimeter and extremely light surface abrasion on the dome. Dimensions: 3" diameter; 2-3/8" high.

A very nice scrambled glass paperweight by the New England Glass Company. The weight is well-packed with a colorful assortment of canes and twists. Visually, the set-up extends all the way to the periphery when viewed directly from the top. The glass is very clear.

Origin: America, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent, no wear to crown, some small flakes all along the edges of the basal ring. Size: 2-1/2" diameter; 1-7/8" high.

Ornate Victorian sterling silver pie server by Gorham. The pattern is very similar to "Dresden", but is not an exact match. The handle is covered with various motifs, including shells, flowers, scrolls, and foliage. The bowl is very nicely scalloped and elegantly decorated with engraving to match the handle. The original gilding has faded to a soft lemon shade. Pie servers are not very common and are quite useful for all sorts of pie, pastries or cakes, or even tea sandwiches. The back is marked with one of the earlier Gorham hallmarks.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: very good, light wear to details on the handle, no monogram, original gilding intact. Size: 9” long. Weight: 74.0 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”.