Catalog (971)

This charming tea bowl is decorated with a Chinoiserie scene with three figures, one of them holding a bird. It dates from around 1775, and exemplifies the motifs that were so popular in that period. The interior has an iron-red border and sprig at the bottom of the bowl.

The bowl is 3 1/8" in diameter and 1 3/4" high. Condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, restorations, etc. There is some speckling, which is not at all uncommon, and the green in the robe of one of the figures fire...

A well done miniature portrait painting on natural organic material, with the sitter being Bishop William White. This piece was done based on the original work painted in enamel on copper by William Birch in 1830. This example kept very true to the original.

The painting is in excellent condition, as is its original velvet travel case, although the photo is not of the highest quality. Sight size is 1 3/8" by 1 1/8".

NOTE: William White (1748-1836) was the first bishop of the Protestant Episc...

A beautifully executed miniature folk art watercolor on paper portrait by J. H. Gillespie, housed in a metal locket with a black card backing.

Condition is excellent with no paint loss, tears, folds, foxing, or restoration. The piece is 2 3/4 inches by 2 3/8 inches.

NOTE: Gillespie was active on the East Coast of North America, Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia around the 1829-1838 time period. He painted miniature portraits and silhouettes very carefully, and with great attention to ...

A stunning pair of elaborately metal-worked brass candlesticks in superb condition with removable bobeches. 9 3/4" tall

This is a wonderful pair of Derby putti disguised as flower sellers, dating from the 1770 period. The figures are mirror images of each other, as true pairs should be. Each putti has a basket of flowers over one arm, while a single flower is held in the hand of the other arm. The height is 5 1/2", considerably larger than the usual putti. The bottoms display the patch marks typical of Derby during this period of manufacture.

The colors, which are bright, vibrant, unscratched and not at a...

An extremely fine NLB Newcastle light baluster wine glass with superb engraving of two clasped hands. Jacob Sang often used such a motif and the engraving is definitely of Sang quality, though, being unsigned, it is impossible to definitely attribute it to him. The pointed round funnel bowl sits atop a stem with a shoulder knop and a tear-filled medial inverted baluster knop. A basal knop is above the conical foot, which has a rough, snapped pontil.

In excellent condition, with no chips, crack...

A striking antique English porcelain coffee cup. Made at the Worcester factory during the Dr. Wall, or First Period, it is painted with the Pu Tai pattern in beautiful, bright enamels. It shows Pu-Tai, also known as the Laughing Buddha, seated, with two attendants. The cup has a slightly everted rim, a handle of the grooved loop type, and the interior border is gilded in addition to the iron red enamel.

The cup is 2 3/8" tall, with a top diameter of 2 1/8". Condition is superb, looking factor...

This is a rare and striking folk art example of a tinsel or foil painting. The vast majority of tinsel paintings are of flowers, but this one, as does item a1175, focuses instead on fruit. This particular gem shows a rose colored glass compote with plums, cherries, strawberries, pear, etc. Colors are deep and very vibrant, and include blues, purple, orange, yellow, greens, etc.

As mentioned in other listings, tinsel paintings of this type are almost a completely American form, becoming h...

A fine oil on canvas portrait of a young woman in a brown dress and blue lace trimmed hat, with a column and red drape behind her. Stylistically, this would be from the Philadelphia School. Sight size is 30" by 24 1/2" and the overall size is 35 1/4" by 30". The portrait is in its original gilded frame, which is in very fine shape, with the normal minor nicks. The stretcher also appears to be original. Overall, the painting is in excellent condition, but has has been relined, and has a small ...

A wonderful portrait miniature, painted on organic wafer, by Andre Larue, known as Mansion. The sitter is a beautiful young woman wearing an off the shoulder dress with lace trim and bows and holding a black shawl as she leans against a red pillow on red sofa. Displayed in a later, but very nice, wood frame with a bronze liner.

The condition of this stunning piece is superb, with no cracks, paint loss, bowing, or restoration. The sight size is 4 5/8" by 3 5/8", while the framed size is 6 7/8" ...

The title of this wonderful oil on canvas work by George Henry Story is "Daydreaming," and that beautifully conveys the feeling of the piece. A pretty young girl is sits on a ladderback chair with a pan of fruit she is peeling resting on her lap. At the right of the painting is a wooden cupboard displaying tableware. At the left the family bible and another book rest on a table which is covered with a flowered cloth. However, it is the window at the far left, and the gaze of the subject, pensive...

An absolutely charming and well painted portrait of Lady Clementina Villiers, done by George Lethbridge Saunders on natural wafer. Clementina, with blue eyes and golden-brown sausage curls, is posed in a classic white gown with a red shawl, holding a dove in her lap. The background features a blue sky and a tree.

Condition is excellent, with strong colors and no cracks, chips, paint loss, bowing, or restoration. The wood frame is also in excellent condition. Sight size is 3 1/2" by 2 7/8", wit...

A nicely executed American miniature painting, on natural organic material, of a good-looking young gentleman. Although unsigned, there is no question that this work was done by Newcombe. Presented in a period stamped brass frame.

Excellent condition with no issues at all. Sight size is 2" by 1 1/2", and the framed size is 3 3/4" by 3 1/4".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: George W. Newcombe (1799-1845) was born in England and was working in NYC by 1829. He was an Associate at the National Academy and e...

One of the best incised twist glasses you will find, superb in its simple elegance and craftsmanship. The hammered trumpet bowl leads into a stem with tight and beautifully fashioned twists. Conical foot with a rough, snapped pontil.

Wonderful color, tooling marks, and striations. No condition problems at all. Added to this is the unusual height of the glass, at 7 1/4". The bowl diameter is 2 1/2", and the foot diameter is 2 7/8".

A stunning multiple-spiral air twist (MSAT) English drinking glass, unusual because of the high domed foot. The glass has a bell bowl with a solid base.

Condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, or repairs. Good color, striations, and tooling marks. Snapped pontil.

The height of this beautiful and rare example is 6 1/2", with a bowl diameter of 2 11/16" and a foot diameter of 2 13/16".

A beautiful and unusual English double series opaque twist (dsot) wine goblet, the large ogee bowl with honeycomb molding above a stem containing a solid multi-ply spiral band outside of a pair of heavy spiral threads. A substantial conical foot with rough, snapped pontil.

This fine example has wonderful color, striations, and tooling marks, and is in excellent condition with no flaws. The height is 7 1/2", with a bowl diameter of 3 3/8" and a foot diameter of 3 3/5".

A beautifully painted miniature portrait on ivory, signed and dated lower left "Gerald S. Hayward 1882". The sitter is an attractive young woman wearing a diamond necklace and white gown. The background is white clouds against a blue sky. This, taken with the 1883 date of the painting contrasting with the engraved 1884 date on the reverse of the cast foliate case (along with the sitter's initials of F.L.A.) would be a strong indication that this is a mourning painting, done in the year prior to ...

A beautiful portrait, by Gervase Spencer, of a striking young woman, painted in enamels on copper. Signed and dated "GS 1759" on the lower right. The subject of the painting, with brown hair and blue eyes, is clearly wealthy, attired in a blue gown with lace trim, and accessorized with pearl earrings, a pearl encrusted hair barrette, a pearl choker, and a long pearl necklace centered by a pearl, onyx and gold brooch. The case for this miniature has a gold bezel, deep (5/16") gilt silver sides, a...

A superb miniature portrait painting by Giovanni Battista Gigola. The sitter, shown in 3/4 length, is a young man attired in a green coat with brass buttons, posed in front of a cloud filled blue sky. Unframed, and in superb condition, with no cracks, bowing, paint loss, or restoration. This fine example of Gigola's work measures 2 1/2" by 2".

Note: Giovanni Battista Gigola (1767 - 1841) is a highly esteemed Italian artist, best known for his miniature portraits on ivory. His works are in ...

A perfect example of a waisted bucket bowl wine glass, with superb proportions; the bowl sits atop a stem with a mercury twist (a wide, refractive air twist).

Lead glass with rough pontil, 5 7/8" tall, 2 1/8" bowl diameter, 2 1/2" foot diameter. No condition issues.

This fine miniature portrait was painted in watercolor on organic material by Henry Shumway. Depicting the attractive blue-eyed sitter in a white gown and adorned only with an earring, he chose to present her with a simple classical elegance.

The condition of the miniature is excellent, with no issues, as is the gilt metal case with a glazed aperture on the reverse. The case size is 3 1/8" by 2 5/8".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Henry Colton Shumway (1807, CT - 1884, NY) studied, probably with T...

A fine portrait miniature of a handsome gentleman painted on natural wafer by Henry Inman. The sitter is wearing a black jacket and stock, and a white waistcoat, shirt, and collar. Displayed in a cast foliate case with the reverse having a glazed aperture with a cast foliate surround and containing a lock of hair.

The painting is in excellent condition with no issues to note. The case is also in fine fettle, although the reverse could use a bit of cleaning. At some point mounts for a broo...

An American watercolor portrait miniature of a striking young man with brown hair and gray eyes. The sitter is wearing a black coat with brass buttons, a white vest, shirt, and cravat. Signed "Williams" at the lower right, the painting is in the original gilt pendant frame with a cast foliate rim. The reverse of the case has a glazed aperture holding plaited brown hair.

The overall size of the portrait is 2 5/8" by 2 1/4". The condition of the painting is excellent, with no cracks, chips, or ...

A very finely drawn miniature of an extremely handsome man, done en grisaille on organic material by H.M.S. Stuart.

The sitter is Sir Dugald Stuart, 2nd Baronet of Ardmaleish and Bute and the painting is signed, dated and inscribed on the reverse: "From a drawing on/Vellum of Sir Dugald/Stuart, father of the first Earl of Bute;/in the possession of/the Marquess of Bute/at Mount Stuart/by H M. S. Stuart/Decbr 1841".

Presented in a rectangular ebonized frame, both the painting and ...

A wonderful American folk art mourning portrait painting of a young child, done by Horace Bundy. Although unsigned by him, virtually all the characteristics that indicate such an attribution are present. In addition, an old label from an antiques dealer is on the back, along with a pencilled inscription about Bundy on the backing board.

The work, which is oil on canvas, simply displays a beautiful child, with grayish-hazel eyes, in a simple white gown, the whole wreathed in clouds in a painted...

A fine miniature portrait painting, done in watercolor on natural organic material, by Hugh Bridport. The sitter is a gentleman, purportedly John Trigg. On the reverse of the painting is a preliminary sketch of the subject, which Bridport is known to have done. Only a portion of the sketch is shown, as I did not want to peel back all the paper.

The condition of the miniature is excellent, with no flaws at all. It is housed, with a cover glass, in a red leather wallet-type case. Sight size is 2...

A striking oil on canvas rendering of Antietam Bridge done 24 years after the infamous Civil War battle. Signed at the lower right "J.A. Ashley 86". The reverse of the painting is titled by the artist "Antitam Bridge and Battleground 1882." Depicting an idyllic scene, so much in contrast with the horrific battle 20 years earlier, the painting shows grazing cows in the foreground, the stone bridge with covered wagons traversing it, and houses in the background.

The condition of the painting is ...

A historically important Christian Friedrich Zincke portrait miniature of Edward Walpole. The painting, done in enamel on copper, depicts Walpole in a powdered wig, and wearing a blue velvet jacket with a white shirt and lace jabot. As to be expected from Zincke, the painting is superbly done. It also displays some of the classic hallmarks of Zincke's works - the lips being painted different colors, the eyes rimmed with black daubs to represent eyelashes, and the sitter in a blue or brown velvet...

An extremely fine hallmarked 18K gold button featuring a watercolor painting on natural wafer, under glass. Black enamel surrounds the vignette. The scene is very charming, depicting two figures dressed in 18th c attire, appearing to be a man and woman. However, upon closer examination, one notices that the faces and body form are those of children. It seems that the artist was attempting to capture the first blush of young courtship, hence the shy downcast look of the maiden. A wonderful piece....

A scent bottle, enameled and gilded by James Giles, the most famous and important English decorator of glass and porcelain in the 18th century. The bottle was purchased immediately after its sale at Christies in the mid 1980's and has been in a private collection, unseen and not offered to anyone, until the present time.

The glass bottle is a translucent deep blue color (the third photo shows the bottle with a light source behind it), of flattened faceted form, with the original gold moun...

An important Newcastle light baluster (NLB) antique wine glass of John Paul Jones American Revolutionary War interest. Round funnel bowl with the stem having a rare configuration of a teared and cushioned inverted baluster knop above a multi-teared inverted baluster knop, and a basal knop. The glass is from 1760, but the engraving was done about 20 years later, to commemorate the important events described below. The foot is conical with a rough snapped pontil. Condition is excellent, with no ch...

A finely painted portrait miniature, on natural wafer, of a bespectacled officer of the 7th Bengal Native Infantry of the Honourable East India Company. Done in vibrant colors and wonderful; detail, the work can be strongly attributed to Raja Jivan Ram. Works from this period in this style by Indian artists are quite uncommon and highly collected. More specifically, very few works by Ram are in private hands.

The painting here is in overall excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, or bowing...

A beautiful and unusual cordial drinking glass, with a round funnel bowl, the lower half of which is fluted. The stem is of the double series opaque twist type, and is comprised of a 17-ply spiral band outside of a lace twist. What makes this a truly special glass is the domed helmet foot, and the overall proportions.

The glass is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. There is a small slight "ripple" on the underside of the foot, which occurred at the time of manufactu...

A fine portrait on natural material of a gentleman in an early 19th century officer's uniform. Within the locket is the remnant of the backing paper of the miniature, which was incorrectly and poorly removed. A portion of the name "Miller" can be seen. Prior to this removal, a previous owner had written down on a piece of paper what had been on the backing paper. This is shown in the third photo and gives a portion of the sitter's name as John L. Sc?h???, the name of the artist (Miller) and the ...

An extremely fine and rare friendship wine glass, or goblet, of Newcastle light baluster (NLB) type with its original cover, superbly engraved c1760 by Jacob Sang, the master engraver from Amsterdam. The flared round funnel bowl features a pair of clasped hands flanked by a pair of stylized cornucopiae and surmounted by a crown. Typical of Sang's work is the fine polished detail. The reverse is inscribed, in the unmistakable hand of Sang, with a poem written c1740 by Dirk Smits Gedichten of Rott...

A beautiful facet cut ale glass with gilded hops and barley, decorated by the famous and much desired craftsman, James Giles. The facet cutting extends from the base, through the stem and 1/3 up the bowl.

Standing 5 7/8 inches tall, with a bowl diameter of 2 3/8 inches, and a foot diameter of 2 1/2 inches, the glass is of 2 part construction and is in superb condition, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. The gilding, which is generally quite worn on glasses, is superb, with just some minima...