Catalog: Vintage Arts: Decorative Art: Metals: Silver (194)

A fine sterling silver double jigger in an Art Deco pattern by Tiffany & Co. The austere style is decorated only with an incised band around each lip of the cone-shaped vessels. This severe geometric style is typical of Art Deco wares produced by Tiffany. The jigger is fully hallmarked by Tiffany and is stamped with the date mark used 1907-47.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: very good, one rim very slightly out-of-round, no monograms. Size: 4-3/4” tall. Weight: 89.0 grams.

A lovely set of Cartier silverplated cocktail picks, buffet markers and champagne whisks, presented in their original fitted and embossed case. The finial of each pick is pierced with “Shou” the Chinese symbol for “longevity.” The double-sided finials allow the picks to double as buffet markers, by inserting a small card to identify cheese, charcuterie or finger sandwich selections presented on a cocktail buffet table. And finally, the piercing of the finials allows the picks to be used to aerate a glass of champagne to keep the bubbles flowing. The picks are presented in their original fitted box, the silk interior lid stamped with Cartier’s Paris/London/New York mark. The bottom of the box is stamped “Cartier Ltd,” indicating the picks were designed and sold in London. Each pick is stamped with a serial number.

Origin: England, ca. 1920. Condition: picks are excellent; the box has wear consistent with age, as well as an old auction or retail label on the top cover. Dimensions: picks 3” long.

Superb and extremely rare silverplated cocktail shaker in the "Ile de France" pattern by Meriden Britannia Plate Co. This is one of the most desirable of the high style Art Deco shakers. The ocean liner "Ile de France" was launched in 1926--not as the largest ship afloat, but intentionally as the most elegant ship in the world. This shaker was intended to celebrate that achievement and took its streamlined design elements from the ship itself. The pour spout protrudes from the side of the shaker at an angle and is strongly suggestive of the liner's angled bow. The shaker is severe in its decoration, using only stepped concentric rings to relieve the plain surfaces. The angular handle and cap are carved from strongly figured rosewood. The bottom of the shaker is marked with the pattern name and Meriden's marks.

Origin: America, 1927. Condition: excellent, extremely light surface wear to plating and a little bit of roughness are the edges of the pouring spout. Size: 9" tall.

A fascinating English Art Deco sterling silver hors d'oeuvre or dessert set cast and engraved with Egyptian motifs. This set is hallmarked for 1922—the year King Tut's tomb was discovered by English archaeologists in Egypt. Everything Egyptian suddenly became a design craze. This set features ornate depictions of everything Egyptian—the Step Pyramid of Zoser, a pharaoh wearing a nemes headdress, papyrus, lotus, ibis, Horus wings, and more! The spoons with the spade-shaped bowls are gilt, suggesting they were intended for use with salty foods that would tarnish bare silver. The spoons are presented in their original fitted case. Each spoon is stamped with Birmingham date marks for 1922 and the maker's mark for Levi & Salaman.

• Origin: England, 1922.
• Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, slight wear to gilding on spade-shaped spooons; case has slight spotting to lining, but otherwise superb.
• Dimensions: oval spoons, 4-13/16"; spade spoons, 4".
• Weight: 78.8 grams.

Two sets of English Art Deco sterling silver cocktail picks, the finials in the form of brightly enameled roosters. Each pick has unusual double tines that firmly hold olives, cherries, etc., and a hook on the back side that can rest on the edge of tall glass to keep them from sinking to the bottom. Each is hallmarked the silversmith Adolph Scott ("Amnora") and with the datemark for Birmingham, 1929. The picks are presented in their original fitted boxes.

• Origin: England, 1929
• Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, one pick missing, typical wear to fitted boxes
• Dimensions: 3-3/8" long
• Weight: 28.3 grams

A delightful set of six sterling silver Art Deco cocktail picks with finials in the form of the Devil. The little naked figure grasps a flaming torch in one upraised hand and his tail is replaced by the business end of the cocktail pick. No doubt, the picks were intended to remind one, rather tongue in cheek, of the sin of drinking! Each pick is fully hallmarked for Barker Brothers Silver Ltd. The picks are presented in their original velvet- and silk-lined fitted case.

• Origin: Birmingham, England, 1929.
• Condition: picks are excellent; box is very good with minor discoloration to the velvet lining.
• Dimensions: picks, 3-17/32” long.
• Weight: 26.8 grams.

A terrific first standard (950/1000 pure) silver tastevin by the acclaimed Dijon silversmith Marc Parrod. Though working in the very early 20th century, Parrod was fond of creating tastevins in fantasy styles of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Among his catalog of motifs were sides with repoussé decoration of grape clusters and leaves, bottoms inset with royal coins or medallions, double snake handles representing temptation in the Garden of Eden, and handles with engraved scenes or witty sayings. He must have had some /extra time when he made this tastevin, because it includes all these except the snake handle. In its place is a “tab handle” engraved with a cluster of grapes surrounded by a heart below the saying “A bon vin bonne humeur” (“To good wine and a good mood”). The bottom features a medallion (“jeton”) with the image of Louis XVI surrounded by a legend translated as “the most Christian King Louis XVI 1785”. The reverse of the medallion shows the coat of arms of the Duchy of Burgundy and the inscription “Comitia Burgundiae.” Silver jetons were struck by various civic governments (in this case, the Three Estates of Burgundy) or by the Crown itself to honor important people, significant historic occasions, or personal visits by the King. The rim is engraved with the name of the tastevin’s original owner Paulin from the wine village of Corton. The handle is stamped with Parrod’s mark and first-standard silver marks.

• Origin: Dijon, ca. 1903-1944 (most likely toward the earlier part of this period)
• Condition: excellent, no dings or monograms, sharp detail
• Dimensions: 2-7/8” x 3-13/16”
• Weight: 67.2 grams

Phenomenal Art Deco cocktail shaker and six matching cocktail glasses by Gorham. The gently curving surface has a quilted appearance created by deeply incised vertical and horizontal lines. The spout and handle are attached to the body with a cobweb-like decorative device. The cocktail glasses are raised on tall stems with knops decorated to match the bowls. The same decorative element is repeated where the stems meet the flaring bases. The interiors of the bowls retain the original gilding. The bottom of each piece is fully hallmarked for Gorham with the year mark for 1928. The shaker is marked with the pattern number GA 13825 and the glasses with GA 13826.

This set was featured in Gorham's 1929 catalogue under the heading, "Sterling Splendor: Eminently Indispensible Silver Necessities of the Luxurious Modern Home." The set was the most expensive shaker offered by Gorham and cost the equivalent of a car or a small farm. Partly as a result of its sellling price, this set is one of the rarest cocktail shakers ever made. Gorham produced silver in the Art Deco and modernist style for only a short period (1926-29) under the guidance of famed silversmith Erik Magnussen worked there. Though it has been attributed to Magnussen (Visakay), it was probably not one of his designs since none of the very few examples are signed by the designer.

Origin: America, 1928. Condition: excellent; shaker has no dings, deep scratches or monograms; two of the glasses have a small flat ding on the edge of the weighted base. Size: shaker, 12" tall; glasses, 5-1/8" tall. Weight: 2,064 grams.

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.

A very handsome set of twelve sterling silver coffee spoons in a hammered Arts & Crafts design reminiscent of Georg Jensen. The design is very well-conceived, with the arching rows of beads echoing the slightly round indentations left by the hammering process. The spoons are just a bit larger than traditional demitasse spoons, but certainly smaller than teaspoons. The backs are stamped with the guarantee mark of Christian Frederik Heise, who was assay-master in Denmark from 1904 until 1932. They also bear the year mark for 1926. The spoons are presented in their original silk-lined fitted box.

Origin: Denmark, 1926. Condition: excellent, period monograms on the backs of handles. Size: 4-3/4” long. Weight: 149.0 grams.

A delightful and very rare set of 12 sterling silver cocktail picks with gilt Devil’s head finials presented in their original fitted box. The snarling devils come complete with horns! The picks are presented in their original velvet- and silk-lined fitted case. This is only the second set of Devil picks we’ve managed to find in over 20 years of dealing in vintage barware. Each is hallmarked by William Hutton & Sons, Ltd and has Birmingham date marks for 1928.

• Origin: Birmingham, England, 1928
• Condition: excellent, no bends, gilding completely intact, interior of case shows light wear
• Dimensions: picks, 3-5/16” long
• Weight: 53.8 grams

Very fine sterling silver trumpet vase with a ruby glass liner. The vase's body is intricately pierced in an acanthus leaf motif to show the rich red liner. The undulating flared rim lends a slight Art Nouveau feeling to the overall look. The base is marked for the Watson Co.

Origin: America, 1905-29. Condition: excellent, all original, no damage to glass; there are a couple of small dings to the underside of the flared lip (easier to feel with the fingertips than to see). Size: 10-1/8" tall. Weight: 261.0 grams (silver only).

An extremely rare set of 12 sterling silver and enamel tea or coffee spoons from the "Cymric" line produced by Liberty & Co. in partnership with the Birmingham silversmith William Hair Haseler. The stems of the spoons have an incised trailing motif accented with translucent shaded enamels in blue and green. Only a few designers produced spoon designs for the Cymric line, and this style is typical of designs by Archibald Knox around 1910. Each spoon is fully stamped with Liberty’s hallmark and the city and date marks for Birmingham, 1927-8. The spoons are presented in their original silk-lined fitted case, the lid impressed with Liberty’s logo.

• Origin: England, 1927.
• Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, one spoon has a slight flattening at the very tip of the bowl; box in very good condition.
• Dimensions: 4-3/8” long.
• Weight: 148.4 grams.

A very good set of sterling silver cocktail picks, the tops decorated with colorful enameled roosters. The use of the rooster (“cock”) motif in Art Deco barware was a play on the word “cocktail”. Each of the roosters is enameled in a slightly different colorway. The picks are presented in their original fitted case. Each is marked "Sterling Silver".

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: all original, no enamel damage, box has significant wear. Size: 3” long. Weight: 10.8 grams.

A fine sterling silver double jigger in an Art Deco pattern by Tiffany & Co. The only decoration are incised bands around the lip of each cone-shaped vessel. This severe geometric style is typical of the Art Deco wares produced by Tiffany. The jigger is fully hallmarked by Tiffany and is stamped with the date mark used 1907-1947.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, three tiny pinpoint dings. Weight: 86.5 grams. Size: 4-3/4” tall.

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

12 sterling silver demitasse spoons in Kirk's wonderful "Repousse" pattern. Certainly the most famous of all silver patterns to emerge from Baltimore, "Repousse" they are filled with flowers such as roses, daisies and forget-me-nots. The backs are marked "S. Kirk & Son Sterling." The set of 12 is accompanied with it's original felt protector with 12 individual holders for the spoons.

Origin: Baltimore, MD, circa 1924. Condition: mint, excellent, no monogram and nicely polished. Size: 4-3/8" long. Silver weight: 184 grams.

A very large and heavy sterling silver double jigger with a turned ebony handle by Quaker Silver Co. The cups are decorated with an ornate acanthus leaf and bead design reminiscent of Jensen and other Nordic designers of the early 20th century. The jigger is stamped with Quaker's hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1925. Condition: excellent, a couple of very tiny pinpoints along the rim of the smaller cup. Dimensions: 4-15/16" tall; 10-3/4"long. Weight: the silver portion is approximately 150.00 gr.