Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art (485)

Elegant crystal trivet with a sterling silver overlay in an orchid pattern. The piercing of the silver is highlighted with engraved details. The center has a silver reserve that was never monogrammed. The side is hallmarked by Webster Silver Co.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 6” diameter.

NOTE: We have four matching trivets in this size. One of the four has an elegant monogram "K". Each is priced at $185, except the monogramed trivet, which is $160.

Elegant crystal trivet with a sterling silver overlay in an orchid pattern. The piercing of the silver is highlighted with engraved details. The center has a silver reserve that was never monogrammed. The side is hallmarked by Webster Silver Co. This trivet is in the harder to find large size.

Origin: America, ca. 1920. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 8” diameter.

A delightful sterling silver photograph frame intended to celebrate the arrival of a newborn. Designed by Lebkeucher & Co. (1896-1909), the frame is ornately decorated with storks, song birds and climbing roses. The top border has a reserve for engraving the baby’s name. The bottom border has a reserve for adding the birth date, a clock on which the time of birth can be engraved, and a scale on which the weight may be added. The frame retains its original black composition easel back. Frames of this type were created by other makers well into the 20th century, but very early examples of this quality and with absolutely no prior engraving are exceedingly uncommon. Lebkeucher was especially noted for its ornately engraved wares. The frame has the company’s hallmark and is stamped “Sterling 3187”.

Origin: America, 1896-1909. Condition: excellent, no dings, no monograms. Size: 4-3/8” x 5-3/4”; sight size, 2-7/8 x 4-3/16”. Silver Weight: 61.1 grams.

An elegant sterling silver tea strainer completely covered in translucent bas-taille enamel. The octagonal bowl of the strainer and the handle are outlined in a delicate trailing pattern of pink roses with green foliage, tied with a pink ribbon at the tip of the handle, all against a pale blue background. The quality of the enameled decoration is superb, as would be expected of any item retailed by Tiffany in this period. The back is marked “Sterling” and “Made for Tiffany & Co.”. Tiffany often retailed silver by other major makers such as Gorham and Whiting. The back of the handle bears a period monogram “DW”.

Origin: America, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, no enamel damage. Size: 4” x 2-1/4”. Weight: 47.5 grams.

Exceptionally fine Edwardian tortoishell letter box decorated with gold pique. The serpentine front is inlaid in a pattern of floral swags flanking a center wreath. The curved top has a matching wreath and swags as well as songbirds. The gold has a beautiful rose tint that contrasts nicely with the rich golden-brown of the tortoise, and the surfaces are intricately engraved to enhance the appearance. The use of gold for pique work was reserved for only the most expensive and impressive items. The back and sides of the box are covered in burgundy Morocco leather and the interior is covered in red silk moire. The workmanship and overall style of this piece suggests the workshop of William Comyns, though he more frequently worked in silver. Signed boxes by Comyns feature exactly the same lining and side upholstery and similar swag and wreath designs.

Origin: England, ca. 1905. Condition: very good, the front has a few hairlines (no hairlines on top), six of the tiny pins along the edge of the top are lacking, no loss to pique. Size: 10-1/8" x 5-3/4" x 7-1/4" tall.

NOTE: This item cannot be shipped outside the United States.

Extremely rare dessert plate featuring transfer decoration commemorating Napoleon’s great victory in the Battle of Friedland. The center decoration is printed in color and the rim is hand colored over a black transfer of crowned “N”s encircled by laurel wreaths and military decorations, alternating with escutcheons with the Emperor’s signature hat and sword. The back of the plate is stamped with the maker’s mark for Boch Freres of La Louviere, Belgium. The monarchy was in and out of favor frequently during the 19th century. Few Napoleon plates survived the period.

Origin: Belgium, late 19th century. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 8-1/8” diameter.

A lovely Victorian parcel-gilt sterling silver demitasse spoon, the bowl decorated with enameled Easter lilies. The back is marked “Sterling”.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, original enamel and gilding intact, sharp detail. Size: 3-3/8” long. Weight: 4.5 grams.

A stunning cranberry-cut-clear cut glass claret jug with a hammered sterling silver collar and hinged lid with a palmate finial. The Aesthetic-style hammered silver makes are particularly nice counterpoint to the Gothic-inspired design of the cutting which combines tall arches of small diamond cutting divided at the top with elongated triangles of larger diamond cutting. The bottom of the jug is cut with a 36-point star. The applied handle is worked in clear crystal. The silver mounting is fully hallmarked by Martin Hall & Co., with a Birmingham city mark and the date letter for 1904.

Origin: England, 1904. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks to glass; no dings or monograms to silver. Size: 10-3/4” tall.

Terrific pair of sterling silver sugar tongs dating to the reign of George III. The design (made by cutting reflective facets in the silver) is very nicely executed on this quality piece, and unlike many Georgian tongs, these are quite heavy.

The tongs are marked with the lion passant and the script hallmark "GS" for George Smith, entered in London in 1782. Since the tongs bear no other marks, they were probably made to order and the duty was never paid.

No monogram and in excellent condition. 5-5/8" long.

Early Staffordshire porcelain saucer decorated with bright polychrome enamels and pink luster arranged in a very pretty wreath pattern. The body is very slightly molded into lobes along the edges.

Origin: England, c. 1840. Condition: good; a small crow's foot on the back side and a small bite to the bottom rim. Size: 5-5/8" diam.

An exceptionally nice English porcelain cup and saucer decorated with pink luster. The body is molded in a net pattern with reserves that are highlighted in overglaze blue, green, yellow and iron red enamels. The center of the saucer is decorated with a strawberry motif that is repeated in the bottom of the cup. The cup is raised on a slight foot. The saucer has very deep and steeply sloped sides so the hot tea could be drunk directly from the saucer, as was the custom.

Origin: England, ca. 1840. Condition: excellent, a 1/8” flake on the very bottom edge of the cup’s foot. Size: saucer; 5-7/8” diameter; cup, 2-3/8” tall.

English porcelain teacup and teabowl featuring three fine transfer designs printed in a stunning magenta color that is so intense it almost takes on the appearance of pink luster. The teabowl is decorated with a scene entitled "Winchester College" and the cup has "Macduff's Castle" and "Berwick Salop [sp?]". The saucer is further decorated with two concentric rings around the edge and the cup has two matching rings around the inside lip. Both pieces are in very fine condition, with only minimal scratching of the top surface of the teabowl. English, ca. 1840. Saucer 5-1/4" diam.; cup 2-1/2" tall.

A marvelous and rare Victorian figural cigar cutter in the form of a champagne bottle. The bottle is carved of bone and has a silverplated top intended to represent the bottle’s foiled neck. The cutter is shaped as the bottle’s label and is engraved “Bollinger”—one of the most famous of champagnes during the Victorian era. The metal collar is stamped with English registry marks dating the cutter to 1883 and also with a design number. The cutter has a bale so it can be suspended from a watch chain.

Origin: England, 1883. Condition: excellent. Size: 2” tall.

Very rare Staffordshire pottery child's plate with an ABC rim surrounding a hand-colored transfer print of a railroad steam engine emerging from a tunnel. The plate is very colorful and is highly desirable because of the train decoration.

Origin: Staffordshire, England, ca 1895. Condition: very good, two very tight hairlines about 1" long, a couple of potting and painting flaws. Size: 7-1/2" diameter.

Superb sterling silver tongs in the "Kings" pattern. These are of the finest workmanship, exhibiting crisp detail on a very heavy blank. Fully hallmarked for London, 1842, with the Victoria head duty mark. The maker's mark is "WE" in conjoined circles.

Origin: London, England, 1842. Condition: virtually mint, period monogram "JJ". Size: 6".

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.

A nice Griffin, Smith & Hill majolica pitcher in the "Wild Rose" pattern. The bulbous sides are decorated with yellow wild rose blossoms and green foliage against a stippled ivory background. The base has a medium-blue basketweave pattern and the lip is finished in a reeded pattern in the same shade. The pitcher has an applied twig handle and a butterfly forms the pouring spout. The interior is pink.

Origin: America, ca. 1875. Condition: very good, no cracks, a few very small nicks on the upper rim (1/32" to 3/16"). Size: 4-1/2" tall.

A very nice blue and white Chinese export porcelain plate in the Fitzhugh pattern. The central reserve is surrounded by a complimentary design in the four quadrants, all enclosed in a diapered border. The blue color is very intense and the porcelain body has a good, clear white color. The execution of the painted design suggests that the plate dates from the first quarter of the 19th century.

Origin: China, ca. 1810. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 8-5/16” diameter.