Catalog (971)

A charming miniature portrait, on natural wafer, of an attractive young woman decked out in the latest hairdo and height of fashion (well, for the time when the portrait was done). An excellent example of naïve portraiture.

The painting is in wonderful condition, with no issues. The period gilt wood frame has some expected and fairly unobtrusive wear but in person looks much better than it appears in the photo. Sight size of the painting is 3" by 2 1/2", with a framed size of 4 5/8" by 4 1/8...

A large and beautiful gin bari button showing lotus flowers against a purple background, the whole with a silver surround and backing. Uncommon scalloped shape. Excellent condition with no issues, and any apparent imperfections are due to reflections in the photo. The diameter is 1 1/4".

NOTES:
1. Buttons of this type, a pure Japanese creation, were primarily done in the late 19th century, and the subjects display the Japanese elegance and simplicity in depicting nature oriented themes,...

An unusual miniature portrait, done by firing enamel on glass. This combination of subject matter, style, medium, and technique is quite rare for this period and area. The sitter is a quite handsome man in a black coat with a white shirt, vest and tie. He is posed on a red chair in front of a drapery done in hues shading from red to orange. In the center left is a window view of hills, a river and two ships.

The frame is original, and bears the label of F.A. Wenderoth of Phila. Since Wenderot...

A wonderful example of a portrait miniature painted by Mrs. Moses B. Russell (nee Clarissa Peters). This work, done in watercolors on natural wafer, is of a blue-eyed woman wearing a black dress with a brooch centered at the lace-edged bodice. Her strong visage, looking directly into eyes of the viewer, is offset by a beautiful and soft multi-colored background. Housed in a cast foliate case with the reverse engraved "SAWC" and having a lock of hair in the glazed aperture.

The condition of the...

A watercolor miniature of an older gentleman, expertly painted, and signed at the lower right "AG 1800", by Alexander Gallaway. The blue-eyed subject, posed against a blue sky with wispy clouds, is wearing a blue jacket with brass buttons, a white shirt and vest, and a stock tied in a bow. The glazed reverse of the gilt brass case has fine hairwork consisting of interwoven plaits.

The condition of the case and painting is excellent, with no flaws. Sight size is 3" by 2 1/4", and the case size ...

A spectacular Nathaniel Rogers painting done in watercolor on organic wafer. I very rarely, if ever, describe or refer to an item as "the best", or the "finest example ever". However, there is no question that this painting represents Rogers at the peak of his ability, which indeed is quite high. Further, the vast majority of his paintings are only bust length, and do not depict the hands of the sitter, not any additional objects. Here we have the subject sitting with an arm draped over a chair,...

A superb Derby porcelain coffee can displaying a scene of two people on a hillside looking at a town in the distance. The scene is identified in blue script on the bottom as "Near Breadsall", Derbyshire" along with the pattern number 531 and the Derby crossed batons and crown mark. In addition to being a fine example of Derby painting, the ground color on this piece is a beautiful true yellow, one of the most difficult colors to produce and fire without issues, and thus one of the least common c...

This beautiful example of an 18th century English cordial features a round funnel bowl engraved with a flowering rose on a leafed stem with thorns. The stem is a double series opaque twist (dsot) composed of a multi-ply spiral band around a pair of heavy spiral threads. The foot is of the uncommon domed helmet form with a rough snapped pontil. Lead glass with good color, striations, and tooling marks.

Condition is flawless, with no chips, cracks, scratches, or restoration. The pinkish tone in ...

A wonderfully limed work of a young man, done by John Barry. The porcelain-complected sitter, with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes, is finely dressed in a white cravat, a green and cream striped vest and a silk-lined black coat.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no flaws (the white area on the left is light reflection), and is housed in its original gold bracelet slide case. The sight size is 1 1/2" by 1 1/4".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: John Barry, who lived in London and was activ...

This fine work, done in watercolor and bodycolor on organic material, was most probably done in Naples. The sitter is an attractive child looking directly at the viewer and holding a jumping jack toy of Pulcinella, a classical character that originated in commedia dell'arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry. The reverse of the portrait is also quite special, with its plaited hair, ivory plaque, golden hair work initials, metallic threads, and pearls.

The ...

A finely painted miniature portrait, done in watercolor on organic substrate, by Pierre Henri. Done against a blue background, the sitter, a nice looking young gent with blue eyes and hair en queue, is wearing a brown coat with yellow lining.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no bowing, cracks, paint loss, or restoration. Set in a frame with a glazed blue material reverse. The sight size is 1 3/4" by 1 1/4".

Pierre Henri (c 1760 - 1822) was born in Paris and often went by the...

An extremely powerful portrait attributed to Jeremiah Paul Jr., though it is possible that Benjamin Trott was the artist. In any case, due to the technique and strong features of the sitter, the painting has an immediate impact on the viewer and was done by a highly skilled artist.

The overall condition of the painting is excellent, as is the case, The size is 2 7/8" by 2 1/4". Please note that the first photo is an accurate depiction of the miniature, and the second photo, which has all man...

A strongly limned portrait miniature, on natural material, done by Augustus Fuller. The subject is a young lady with dotted white organza collar and fichu, a tall tortoiseshell comb, and ruby and diamond earrings.

Fuller did sign a number of his miniatures, but apparently always on the back. Since this example is presented in its never opened original frame, it is possible that it is a signed piece. Regardless, because of the technique and composition, there is no question that this was done ...

A heavily jeweled Austrian jewelry box lined in velvet; 4 3/4" by 3 1/4" by 3 1/4"

A superb and extremely rare bucket bowl wine goblet with an everted lip. The stem is an 8 sided molded pedestal type, also known as a Silesian stem. What makes it particularly uncommon is that it is not straight, but is wrythen molded, with the additional rarity of diamond molding at the shoulders. Completing the beauty of this piece is the single collar below the bowl, and the double collar above the large foot, which has a rough snapped pontil and an extremely wide fold.

The glass is in perf...

A nicely painted miniature portrait on organic wafer. The sitter is a young gentleman with blue eyes, attired in a white shirt, black tie, jacket and vest. The background is a pleasing shaded blue. Set in a gilt metal case with an unglazed aperture on the reverse.

The cased size of the painting is 2 1/2" by 2". The painting is in excellent condition, with no cracks, bowing, or restoration. The glass on the front has a scratch.

Biographical Note: William Lewis was born in Salem MA in 178...

This is an absolutely charming American folk art painting depicting an idyllic country scene. The work, done in oil on academy board, shows a woman with a sleeping child in the foreground, while in the central distance can be seen a group of building, above which are a richly colored sky and clouds. On the right is a small waterfall with a shepherd surrounded by sheep. The trees and foliage throughout the painting are limned in a whimsical folky style.

The sight size of the painting is 24" by...

An extremely fine example of a saltglaze plate with a scalloped rim and a molded, or embossed, border.

The diameter is 9 1/4" and the condition is excellent with no chips, cracks, or restoration. There are 3 very minor small brown spots on the front due to kiln impurities. It is very unusual to find them in this condition. The color of the paste might appear slightly different in the photos, but that is due to the lighting and reflection.

A beautiful display piece, or for the discrimi...