Catalog (971)

A c1753 rare and highly desirable Chelsea Raised Anchor Period octagonal tea bowl painted by Jeffrey Hamet O'Neal (also spelled Jefferyes Hammett O'Neale and other variations). Highly detailed and beautifully decorated with a man standing by a barrel, and two other men with some kind of measuring stick. A building and foliage are in the background. There are 4 insects arrayed around the exterior of cup while the interior has a central flower spray, leaves and a butterfly.

Raised Anchor war...

A wonderful double sided smalt trade sign for D.M. Woodward, Doctor of Chiropractic. The gilded letters and the black smalt background are virtually intact and vibrant. The frame is original, and measures 28 3/4 inches by 14 inches by 2 inches deep. There is a small sliver out of the frame at one upper edge, and a small gap in the frame at the corner. Aside from these very minor flaws, the piece is in excellent condition.

A nicely decorated Christian's Liverpool coffee cup with a grooved loop handle and featuring a large rose and other floral motifs. Interior with a flower sprig on the bottom and an iron red border at the interior rim. The condition is excellent with bright colors and no chips, breaks, or paint loss. 2 1/2" in height and having a 2 3/8" diameter. ...

A nice miniature painting done by Christopher Greiner. The sitter is a gentleman in a black coat and tie, but Greiner emphasized the somber feel of the painting by using a background of black and dark green.

The painting has no condition flaws, and is housed in a cast foliate pendant case with hair in the glazed aperture on the back. The size is 2 1/2" by 1 3/4".

Note: Not much seems to be known about Christopher (or Christian) Greiner (died 1864), other than that he was a painter and min...

A deep cobalt blue salt or sweetmeat, probably of German origin. The bowl has a silvered everted rim with silver leaf decoration and is above an inverted baluster stem. Rough pontil. No condition problems, and with a maximum diameter of 4" and a height of 3 1/2".

An interesting painting of a rather ruddy-faced gent, in a dark jacket with a striped yellow waistcoat, holding a book at the bottom center. The reverse of the case has blue and yellow striped fabric and a lock of hair, all under beveled glass which has worn reverse painted gilding. The gilded metal case is 2" by 1 7/8".

The standard reference book for this type figure is "Staffordshire Portrait Figures of the Victorian Era" by P.D. Gordon Hugh. The figure offered here is so rare that the book does not even show an example, although it does have information about the history underlying it. The same model is shown as figure 49, page 32, in Schiffer's "Victorian Staffordshire Figures 1835-1875."

The figure, known as the "Death of the Lion Queen," is modeled as Ellen Bright standing with a leopard to her l...

An exceptional ladder back Delaware Valleycahir with 4 slats, original red wash and splint seat, and well developed turnings.

The chair is in excellent original condition and structurally sound. As to be expected there are some losses to the splints. The height is 43", with a width of 20" and a depth of 18". The seat depth is 16" and 18 1/2" high.

A rare and fine early English Derby porcelain miniature tea bowl and saucer, painted with roses and other flower sprigs, the rims of both in puce. Overall excellent condition, with good colors and paint integrity, no cracks or restoration, and only a tiny chip to the footrim of the bowl. The height of the bowl is 1", with a top diameter of 1 5/8". The saucer is 2 1/2" in diameter.

A charming and early Derby diminutive basket form sweetmeat, with delightful floral painting by the Cotton Stem Painter. This form, which is uncommon in blue and white, is almost unheard of in polychrome, with virtually no examples having been offered at auction in the last 10 years. An example is shown as illustration 44 in Gillespy's book on Derby Porcelain.

In overall very good condition, with a very old repair to one of the handles. The basket is 3 1/2" in length, 2 1/2" in width, and 1 3...

This extremely rare and very early Derby enameled wine taster is of circular shape with gadrooned sides, and has a pierced scroll handle in puce with the exterior handle ends with applied leaves in green. The exterior has puce foliate sprays, and the interior has a circular central panel edged with black and red lines containing an insect.

While the form itself is uncommon, they are usually done in blue and white, and polychrome examples are of the "utmost rarity." It is for this reason that ...

The graphic impact of this blanket box with paint decoration is absolutely stunning. It is swirl decorated in black over a yellowish-putty color, and virtually all the paint is intact. Adding to the special nature of this piece is its dainty size, measuring 31 inches long by 15 1/4 inches deep by 13 1/2 inches tall. Further, the box has a molded base, and an ogee molded edge around the top. The wood is poplar, often used in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The construction shows wonderful dovetailing with...

A fine and relatively early example of the popular Prunus Root pattern done by Worcester between 1752 and 1770.Hand painted in blue and white, with a workman's mark on the bottom.

The bowl is in excellent condition, with no cracks, restoration, or paint loss. 4 3/4" in diameter, and 2" in height.

A wonderful Dr. Wall First Period antique English porcelain ovoid vase, painted in the Mandarin style with Chinese figures in interior scenes, within wide red and gilt borders. The pattern is called "The Telephone Box" when appearing on blue and white wares, where it is considerably more common. The style of painting, using elongated figures, originated in China and then was adapted for Dutch Delftware which then gave rise to the term "Long Eliza." The form originated in the 1750s.

This partic...

A fine and rare Dr. Wall First Period Worcester porcelain coffee can in the "Warbler" pattern. Painted in deep shades of blue, the can has a slightly flaring top and base, and a grooved handle. There is a workman's mark of "7" on the bottom.

Superb condition, with no cracks, chips, restoration or paint loss. This pattern is very often blurred, sometimes quite badly. This example has only a faint and small amount of blurring in areas. The height is 2 3/8" and the diameter is 2 1/8".

A beautiful early 17th century silk floss textile embroidered with a variety of flowers in a panoply of colors. The central section has larger and more elaborate examples, while the borders have smaller meandering flora. Most probably of Italian origin.

The condition is quite fine, and the dimensions are 67" by 16". This wonderful piece has been part of my collection for 25 years and has not been previously shown or offered.

A rare Worcester porcelain coffee can, tapering slightly toward the base and molded with corrugated ribs above a finely scalloped foot, the lobed rim with a slight flare, and the double scroll handle with a pointed thumbrest. Painted in the Chinese style with flowering plants, the border with half-flowerheads linked by a red line above leafy tendrils.

Excellent condition with vibrant colors, no chips, cracks, or restoration. A slight paint skip is on one petal of one half-flowerhead, shown in...

An early pale yellow-green mold blown bottle of mallet shape. The conical neck with two narrow rings at the top and a knop-like bulge at the bottom. At the shoulder of the bottle is a molded brown tinted circle. The bottle body is decorated with three raised circular reserves, each with a flower within, and surrounded by radiating leaves.

This very rare bottle has survived its long burial without damage. It is also remarkable in that most of the outside retains its original fire finish while t...