Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art: Metals (281)

Rare hammered brass three-handled loving cup or wedding cup from Russia's Imperial era. The tapering form is nicely accented with forged strap handles attached to the sides with copper rivets. The bottom is stamped with the Imperial Romanov double eagle and the maker's name.

Origin: Russia, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, no polishing. Size: 4" tall.

Elegant Napoleon III ivory letter opener and book mark with a French silver handle with repousse decoration. The piece serve as a paper cutter or letter opener, but the double blade can slip over the edge of a page to serve as a book mark. The handle is decorated in a foral pattern and has a reserve which was never monogramed. The end has a loop so that the opener/mark could have a ribbon attached or so that it could be worn from a chatelaine. The handle is marked with French silver hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent, a tiny nick at the very point of the ivory. Size: 5-29/32" long.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ITEM CANNOT BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

Elegant sterling silver sauce ladle by Baker-Manchester Co. The lobed bowl has matte gilding and the rare feature of a pouring spout. The reverse is marked with the company's hallmark.

Origin: America, circa 1898. Condition: near mint, no monogram. Size: 5-1/4" long.

A classic 19th century French silver tastevin of traditional form by master silversmith Alexandre Vauger. This example is of small size, intended for use in evaluating cognac, Armagnac or calvados instead of wine. Unlike the “perles” and “godrons” found on the walls of a wine taster, a cognac taster more accurately reflects the liquid’s color using a smooth surface. Similarly, cognac tasters are smaller than wine tasters because the alcohol is considerably stronger and a smaller taste is more appropriate. The bottom of the interior features a partial image of Hercules flanked by female figures representing “Liberty” and “Equality” that once appeared on the 5-franc coin of the Third Republic. The back of the coin, dated 1873, is visible on the bottom of the tastevin. The taster is finished with a classic engraved double serpent handle, the heads grasping the apple of temptation.

Accomplished French silversmiths prided themselves on the ability to raise an entire tastevin from a single 5-franc coin, using only hammers and a few other hand tools to thin, spread and shape the flat coin into a finished tastevin. Only a handful of masters were capable of raising the tastevin with the words “DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE” (“God protect France”), originally found around the outer edge of the coin, still visible along the top edge of the tastevin. The last silversmith proven to have mastered this skill stopped working in 1968.

This tastevin is stamped with French silver hallmarks and has the master silversmith’s mark for Alexandre Vauger, who worked in Paris 1884-1887.

Origin: France, 1884-87. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 48 x 66 mm (1-7/8 x 2-5/8 in). Weight: 30.9 grams.

A very finely-made coin silver pastry or cake server, the handle decorated with a spray of flowers in the Aesthetic style. The blade has ornately shaped sholders and wonderful bright-cut engraving. The back of the handle has a period 3-letter monogram "MSS" and is marked "Pure Coin Pat. App. For". The retailer's mark is "Hutchinson & Connell".

Origin: America, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent, a very slight bend at the very tip of the blade and light surface wear, sharp details, traces of original gilding on blade. Size: 8-7/8" long. Weight: 70.0 grams.

A fine first-standard (950/1000 pure) silver tastevin, the bottom inset with a silver 5-franc coin from the reign of Louis Philippe. The coin has good detail, the front showing a bust of the king in profile, while the bottom shows a laurel wreath enclosing the words “5 Francs/1846”. The coin is surrounded by repousse decoration of angled godrons, small convex perles and larger concave cupules. The varying shapes were meant to reflect light through the wine to more accurately judge its color and clarity. The circular cupules and perles were used for red wines and the elongated godrons for white. The handle is in the form of two entwined snakes grasping an apple between their open jaws. The style of handle and the relatively steep sides of the bowl is typical of Burgundian tastevins. The tastevin is marked with the 1st standard “Minerve” hallmark and an illegible maker’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 3-1/4” diameter (excluding handle); 1” high. Weight: 83.7 grams.

A beautiful enameled silver patch or pill box by Nicholai Alexeyev. The hinged box is fully covered with enamels worked in shades of opaque white, aqua, periwinkle and royal blue, accented with translucent red and green. The cover and bottom are worked in a stylized starburst pattern, while the sides feature floral banding flanked by traditional triangular and dotted patterns. Exposed areas of silver are stippled and lightly gilt. The interior is also gilt. The interior of the body and lid are marked with the Moscow city mark, the 88 standard, and the maker’s mark for Nicholai Alexeyev. The lid closes securely and can be used as a functional pill box, if desired.

Origin: Moscow, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage. Size: 2-1/8” diameter; 1” high. Weight: 53.0 grams.

Outstanding Victorian silverplate napkin ring decorated in the Aesthetic or Japonesque taste. The surface is encrusted with decoration representing flying cranes, crysanthemums, fans, and bamboo. The plain surface of the fan was intended for a monogram, but the napkin ring was never engraved.

Origin: America, circa 1870. Condition: excellent, all original, sharp detail. Size: 1-9/16" diameter; 1-1/8" wide.

A wonderful set of six Victorian silverplate napkin rings. The outsides are decorated with two cherubs grasping baroque reserves framed with swirls of acanthus leaves, pendant bellflowers and other ornate decorative devices. The insides are brightly gilt. It is very unusual to find a complete matching set of Victorian napkin rings.

Origin: probably American, circa 1890. Condition: all original, no monograms, normal wear the the plating on the insides and outsides. Size: 1-5/8" wide; 1-7/8" diameter.

An unusually nice silverplated studs box, the top decorated with repousse chrysanthemums. The only clue to the box’s purpose of holding a gentleman’s shirt studs and cufflinks is the figural stud finial on the top. The bottom is marked for the Middletown Plate Co. This is a much more decorative example than most.

Origin: America, 1876-99. Condition: excellent, hardly any wear to the plating. Size; 2-5/8” diameter; 1-3/4” tall.

Fabulous figural silverplated shellfish server. Of the highest quality, this piece is formed as two mussel shells flanking an oyster shell, with a double strap handle reminiscent of seaweed. The bottom is marked with a "N & W" hallmark, along with the pattern number "424" and the registry number "333221" indicating a date of 1899.

Origin: England, 1899. Condition: virtually mint. Size: 11" x 11" x 5-1/4" high.

Victorian silver plated sugar tongs in the Gothic Revival taste. Each of the twisted sides is decorated with a woman (who looks curiously like a nun) holding a child, and an angel-like figure. The oval tips are gilt.

Origin: probably Continental, circa 1880. Condition: excellent. Size: 4-3/8" long.

A very fine Victorian silver plated flip-top card case, both sides heavily decorated with nautical themes. The front features a scene of a sloop in roiling waves passing a lighthouse in the background. The scene is surrounded by a border of seashells and seaweed, and a bare-breasted mermaid watches from one of the lower corners. The back of the is decorated in a pattern of waterlilies and foliage. The detail in the design is superb--one can even just make out the stars and stripes of the ship's American flag. The case is fitted with two pairs of loops so is can be worn suspended from a heavy chain.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: some plating wear along the edge near one of the chain loops and an area of dings on the bottom edge; the design areas are all in excellent condition. Size: 2-2/1" x 3-3/4" x 3/8".

Very fine ornate sterling silver server for either fish or ice cream. The handle is covered with a pattern of hibiscus flowers and swirling foliage. The floral element is echoed in the beautifully engraved floral pattern on the blade. The blade is finished off with a very ornate outline. Many American silversmiths did not mark their names until the early 20th century, and the back is marked only "Sterling."

Origin: America, ca. 1885. Condition: excellent, very sharp details, no monogram. Size: 11-3/8" long. Weight: 96.0 grams.

An elegant sterling silver soup ladle in Whiting’s 1890 “Old King” pattern. The shell and acanthus leaf design elements of the handle appeared in many flatware variations since the Georgian era, and has become an established classic for its restrained elegance. The bowl is parcel gilt for nice contrast. The back of the ladle is stamped with the retailer’s mark for Theodore B. Starr. Starr had agreements with several major silversmiths who provided the store with fine silver to which they applied the retailer’s mark rather than the manufacturer’s.

Origin: America, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, light fading to the original gilding, no monogram. Size: 13-/4” long. Weight: 218.0 grams.

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.

A classic 19th century French second standard (800/1000 pure silver) silver tastevin of traditional form and the bottom inset with a silver coin from the reign of Louis XV. The sides of the tastevin are decorated with the traditional raised “perles,” recessed “cupules,” and elongated “godrons” for assessing the depth of color and concentration of a wine. The coin, dating to 1732, depicts the profile of the king surrounded by the Latin inscription “Louis XV, by grace of God, king of France and Navarre.” The taster is completed with an especially fine double-snake handle. While double snakes are the traditional handle form for Burundian tastevins, the pretzel-like shape and the realistic appearance of the entwined snakes is a most unusual treatment. The handle and bowl are stamped with French 2nd standard silver hallmarks and the bowl also has an unidentified master silversmith's mark.

• Origin: France, ca. 1880.
• Condition: very good; a small ding to one side of the bowl; typical wear to the front of the coin; reverse side of the coin has sharp detail.
• Dimensions: 2-13/16” x 3-5/8” x 3/4".
• Weight: 56.4 grams.

Handsome gilt bronze figure of a reclining dog (some variety of hound) mounted as a paperweight on a butterscotch marble base. The statue retains its original gilt surface and has achieved a very pleasing patina. The marble base is richly colored with gray veining.

Origin: France, circa 1850. Condition: some flaking to bottom edges of marble base, no cracks, no damage to bronze figure. Size: 4-1/4" x 2-3/8" x 2-1/4" tall.