Catalog (971)

A watercolor on paper of a little girl, holding a basket and flowers, in front of a group of buildings. Found in Lancaster, PA, and supposedly a painting of structures that still exist. Dated february, 1845.

Some minor creasing and spotting, which are much less obtrusive in person than in the photos.

A black lacquered lap desk or writing slope, with elegant, elaborate, and finely detailed gilt decoration, the center having a mother-of-pearl inlay; interior with what appears to be the original velvet lining, removable pen tray, and pewter topped ink bottle; 10 1/2" by 7 1/2" by 2 3/4"

A fine and early Dr. Wall Worcester porcelain cup of slightly tapering octagonal form with each of the 8 sides decorated with a flowering plant or insects. The graceful handle is of double scroll form with a pointed thumbrest.

Excellent condition with bright sharp colors, and no chips, cracks, or staining. The height is 2" and the diameter at the top is 2 1/4".

Labels are present from the well known Shaw collection and the 1998 Albert Amor exhibit of the Vincent Townrow collection.

An extremely rare and early Worcester bowl, c 1752-3, with an elaborate landscape painted in the Chinese style. Central to the scene is a pavilion on an island among formal trees, flanked by a hut on a short jetty. Continuing the scene on that side are mountains in the distance, and a rocky island with trees in the foreground. To the right of the central pavilion scene is a rocky mountain with trees. There is an empty sampan on the reverse, and yet another treed island with mountains in the int...

A wonderful example of a Dr. Wall, or First period, Worcester small bowl, thinly potted and pencilled (painted with a very fine brush) in black with the "Boy on a Buffalo" pattern. The buffalo is standing by a large tree at the water's edge, sampans off the shore, with a bird, other foliage, and a building in the scene. A flower is on the interior bottom. A workman's mark is on the bottom, as is a label from when this item was displayed at the 1998 Albert Amor Exhibition of the Vincent Townrow C...

A wonderful and uncommon Worcester Scratch Cross period high-footed silver form sauce boat of desirable small size. This charming piece has a scroll handle with an upturned thumb rest, the body molded with scroll panels painted with "strutting birds" near a triangular fence and flowering rocks.

The length, including the handle, is 6 1/2 ", the width is 3 1/4", and the height is 2 1/2". Superb condition with vibrant colors and no flaws.

An extremely fine and beautiful Worcester mug or tankard of Scratch Cross type. The tankard, which has a grooved strap handle, flares, or spreads, toward the bottom, a shape which evolved from the silver form popular at the beginning of the 18th century.

Painted in a variety of colors with a standing Long Eliza figure, another figure seated at a table to her left, and a third figure and garden seat to her right. A tall gilded stand is behind the table. This pattern, taken from the Chinese, wa...

A charming small watercolor on paper painting of a young boy wearing a naval uniform and holding a flute, which is used to pipe the hours. Period bird's eye maple frame with period backboard.,

The painting has even light toning and is in excellent condition, with no folds, tears, or restoration. Sight size is 8 1/8" by 6 1/2", and the framed size is 11 3/8" by 9 3/8".

A beautifully limned still life of flowers on a table. Done in oil on copper, with a silvered back. Excellent condition with no issues. Quite large, with a diameter of 1 1/2".

PLEASE NOTE: We collected buttons for many years, but have decided to sell our collection. The buttons shown on our site represent but a small sample on what we have, so please do not hesitate to ask if you are looking for a particular type.

An 18th century antique wine glass, English lead, with a flared bell bowl, plain stem, rough snapped pontil, and folded foot. Simple, but with elegant form, this glass is 6 5/16 inches tall, 2 15/16 inch bowl diameter, 3 1/8 inch foot diameter.

An important French button of very large size at 1 1/2". The scene, which is handpainted on paper and under glass, shows the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. At the top of the scene is a banner saying "le Despotisme abatu" (despotism demolished). In addition to the people attacking in the foreground, there are figures rejoicing on the ramparts. Encased in a copper rim and backing.

The condition is excellent, with no issues. The grayish areas in the sky are clouds or smoke, not toning...

A beautiful and uncommonly small 18th century glass mug, English, possibly a wine mug. Applied trailing at the top and center, with an applied grooved handle. Finely engraved with the name "Clarence Arthur." Polished pontil.

3.5 " tall, 2 5/8" diameter at the top, and 3" diameter at the foot.

This extremely large 18th century Dutch glass goblet, which was made for the German market, has incredibly detailed engraving of a galleon ship and buildings, with the saying Het Well Vaaren Van Ons Vaaderland, which translates as Success to Our Homeland. The large bell bowl sits atop a 4 knopped stem which has, in sequence from the top, a flattened knop, an inverted baluster knop, an annular knop, and a half knop. A trapped tear extends the entire length of the stem. The domed foot has a rough...

A wonderful Barr Flight Barr Worcester porcelain coffee can painted by Thomas Baxter or William Doe, the two Worcester decorators who did the finest feather painting. This beautiful example features 4 glorious feathers, a gilded Greek key border, and a gilded ring handle. The bottom is marked with an impressed crown above "BFB".

The condition of this little gem is superb, looking fresh from the factory with absolutely no issues. The height is 2 3/8" with a diameter of 2 1/2"

A superb example of one of the rarest and most sought after types of 18th c English glass, the color twist. The bell bowl sits atop a shoulder knopped stem with a white lace twist outlined in red around a central green thread. A gorgeous and perfect glass. 6 1/2 inches tall.

The fully ribbed round funnel bowl on this glass elevates it above the ordinary into an elegant and striking wine glass. The double series opaque twist stem consists of a spiral band surrounding a single spiral tape. Rough snapped pontil. There has been a slight polish to a small section of the foot, probably to remove a nick, as it has not reduced the foot size at all.

5 1/4" tall, 2 1/8" bowl diameter, 2 1/2" foot diameter.

A miniature portrait painting, watercolor on natural wafer, done by Mary Ann Knight at her best. The sitter is a very young woman with large and contemplative grayish-blue eyes and long brown hair with a jeweled ornament. She is dressed in the Grecian style in a blue gown with low decolletage topped with a draped diaphanous yellow scarf with a centered brooch. Adding a wonderful enhancement to the mythic feel of this charming work is the lyre held by the sitter.

The painting is in excelle...

A fine example of a plique-a-jour button, all of which are uncommon (see Note 1, below), featuring translucent greenish-blue enamel in a gold metal surround and cells. Excellent condition with no issues. The color of the enamel is actually deeper than shown in the main photo. The diameter is 13/16".

NOTES: 1. Plique-à-jour (French for "letting in daylight") is a vitreous enamelling technique where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonné, but with no backing in the final pr...

A miniature portrait painting by Abraham Parsell, done in his recognizable style with a multicolored background and the sitter having somewhat frizzy hair, posed with his arm on a chair. Housed in its original cast foliate frame with a glazed rear aperture. The original leather travel case comes with this piece, although it has separated at the hinge and held in place with a safety pin.

The painting is 2 3/4" by 2 1/4". Condition is excellent with no cracks, bowing, paint loss or restoration...

A charming example of Abraham Parsell's ability to capture the essential characteristic of a sitter and portray them in a wonderful naïve manner. In the miniature portrait presented here we have a young man with striking blue eyes and a mound of curly hair. He is attired in a dark brown jacket, black vest, and white tie and shirt.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no cracks, chips, bowing, fading, etc. There are some scattered black spots on the lower part of the jacket, quite ...

A beautiful Chaffers coffee can decorated with Chinese figures. Grooved loop handle. 2 1/2 inches tall, 2 3/8 inch diameter.

This is a rather large portrait miniature done in body color and watercolor on ivory. The signature on the lower right is "P(or T)ouktuz Sta??er". The signature and attire indicate the painting was probably done by an Eastern European or Russian artist. The subject of this 19th century work is an attractive young girl from a wealthy family, based on the expensive clothing (the fur coat, gloves, hat, and boots).

The condition of the painting is excellent, with some scattered black speck...

A beautiful French portrait miniature signed "Mie Bost" center right by Mélanie Bost. The sitter is a young girl in a white lace dress with blue ribbons at the shoulders, her hair parted down the center. Presented in a gold frame with a red glass over guilloche work surround, with small pearls to the exterior border. The reverse with a mother-of-pearl back and a gilt metal pin. Excellent condition with an overall size of 2" by 1 5/8" by 1/4" depth.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Melanie Bost (born ...

A very interesting and charming 1" enameled button showing a young woman with a basket of flowers looking at a butterfly that is about to alight on her hand. The scene is surrounded by an inner brass border. Between that border and the outer one are enameled sections with flowers. The condition is excellent with no problems.

A double series opaque twist goblet (DSOT) with a large bucket bowl; the stem contains a multi-ply spiral band surrounding a lace twist; conical foot with a rough snapped pontil

7 1/2" tall, 2 7/8" diameter bowl, 3 1/4" diameter

A nicely executed Dutch double series opaque twist drinking glass, made of soda metal, with elegant form. A bell bowl with a stem with a pair of solid multi-ply spiral bands outside of two heavy spiral threads. 6 1/2 inches tall, with a bowl diameter of 2 1/2 inches and a foot diameter of 2 15/16 inches.

A beautiful Georgian ratafia glass featuring an extremely narrow drawn trumpet bowl engraved with flowers and leaves. For the same glass see plate #336 in "Eighteenth Century English Drinking Glasses" by L.M. Bickerton, published by the Antique Collectors' Club.

Conical foot with rough pontil. The glass is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, cloudiness, or restoration. Good color, striations, and tooling marks. Wonderfully and elegantly proportioned, being quite tall at 7 5/8", and...

A nicely painted American portrait miniature on organic wafer. The fine looking gentleman is nicely set off against a background of blue on the left side and a light brown on the right. Condition is excellent with no cracks, bowing, or paint loss. The case size is 2 1/8" by 1 5/8".

A nicely painted and early miniature portrait of a man done in watercolor on natural organic material. The blue-eyed sitter is a nice-looking gentleman fashionably attired in a full, long wig, a blue loose fitting robe, and white ruffled shirt.

One of the interesting things about this piece is that the original gold case is of a type known as a "slide case". The top protuberance is attached to a small sheet of metal (in this case gold), and when a little knob is pushed, the sheet can slide com...

A beautifully executed miniature done by Benjamin Trott in watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter, ethereally painted against a light bluish and peach background, is an attractive blue eyed young lady wearing gold and ruby earrings and a pale peach gown with a ruffled neck and a blue sash.

Although it is clear, based on the style and artistic techniques, that the painting was done by Trott, a fragment of one of his business cards was also found in the case the miniature is housed in.

The c...

A beautiful lobed Chelsea porcelain plate, fulsomely decorated with a variety of flowers in a panoply of colors. The reverse with an anchor mark and three stilt marks.

Excellent condition with bright colors, no chips, cracks, or restoration. 8 1/4" diameter.

A wonderful miniature by Daniel Dickinson of a handsome gentleman. The sitter is dressed in the height of fashion for the time, wearing a blue jacket with velvet lapels. Note the broadness of the brush strokes and chiseled modeling of the face, both characteristics of Daniel's style, contrasting with his brother Anson's work.

The frame deserves special mention, being gilt silver with a 14K gold back and central plaque with "AM" initials. It is quite thick and weighs about 3 1/2 ounces. The...

An extremely rare and fine composite stem English Georgian marriage wine goblet with Dutch engraving.

The round funnel bowl features an oval cartouche with a pair of clasped hands, reaching out of clouds, in front of a blazing heart, all of this backed by rays of sunshine. The cartouche is surrounded by fulsomely engraved elaborate scrolls, foliage, and groups of flowers, all highlighted by superb polished details. The reverse of the glass is inscribed with 'T GOED SUCCES VAN 'T HOUWELYK.

...

An extremely nice tinsel, or foil, painting, showing a pearlescent urn overflowing with a wide variety of flowers, with a fallen rose bud at the base of the urn.

Housed in a period and probably original frame, measuring 17" by 13 1/4", the painting itself is 12" by 8 1/2". The condition of this gem is excellent.

Tinsel paintings of this type are almost a completely American form, becoming highly popular around 1870, and continuing into the mid 20th century. Earlier pieces, such as this on...

A beautifully painted miniature portrait, on natural organic material, with an attribution to Pauline Augustin. The sitter, a young gentleman of strong presence with brown eyes and long flowing brown hair, is attired in a black coat, with white stock, vest, and shirt. The photograph does not do any justice to the quality of this piece.

The sight size is 4 5/8" by 4" and the framed size is 7 1/4" by 6 5/8". The condition is excellent with no issues or flaws. Housed in a later burlwood and ebon...

A striking miniature portrait, done in watercolor on natural material, by George Place. The subject, set against a clouded and blue background, is a handsome gray haired officer of light dragoons, dressed in uniform.

The miniature is in superb condition, with no cracks, chips, warping, paint loss, or restoration. The case is also in excellent condition, with a fully glazed back over fabric. On the back glass, at the edge at 10:30 there is a small chip in the underside. The case size is 3" by...