Catalog (51)

An unusual and attractive pair of tall mirrors, each reverse painted with a basket of flowers suspended from a green and gold tassel, further decorated with swags of bellflowers suspended from green and gold ribbons. Encased in original carved mahogany frames with original wood backboards .

Excellent condition with no issues. The sight size of each is 23 1/2" by 11 3/8" and the overall size of each is 34" by 22".

A charming tinsel (foil) painting depicting a variety of flowers in an urn placed on a stone slab. Dating from the last half of the 19th century, the painted frame, worth a bit of money on its own, is likely earlier, with a wood backboard The painting is in fine condition, with only some very small minor speckles in the black background. The frame could use a little spiffing up. Sight size is 9 1/2" by 13 1/2", and the framed size is 13 1/4" by 17 1/8".

A fine American tinsel or foil painting depicting a wreath of flowers, with a bird, around a grouping of fruit and foliage. The wreath is on a variation of the relatively rare "snowflake" type of background. This technique appears to have been done primarily in the 1870's period. The frame and wooden backboard are original.

There is a crack in the glass at the top left, and a small piece of glass is missing. The frame is in good condition with a number of very small scattered flecks of paint ...

A bold and beautiful tinsel, or foil, painting, reverse painted on glass. The subject matter is a yellow and white urn, filled with a bountiful array of various flowers, done in a rainbow of colors. The period and probably original frame is of high quality mahogany, which is very rarely found on this type of work.

The painting is in overall excellent condition, and the frame itself has some scuffing and wear, which could easily be touched up. The sight size is 12" by 10 3/4", and the framed si...

A striking and extremely rare hooked rug featuring a peacock displaying its beautiful plumage. This is a very graphically strong depiction, striking in its design.

One of the factors that contributes greatly to the rarity is the use of silver metallic threads circling the "eyes" of the peacock's feathers. The color range in the rug is beautiful, with no jarring clashes. All dyes are natural, with no use of artificial coloring.

The condition is excellent, with virtually no worn spots, tear...

A beautifully limned tinsel, or foil, painting, reverse painted on glass. The subject matter is a white urn, filled with a an array of various flowers, including a large rose and a lily. The period and probably original frame is of high quality.

This good-sized painting is in overall excellent condition, as is the frame. The sight size is 14 5/8" by 12 3/8", and the framed size is 19 5/8" by 17 1/4".

NOTE: Foil paintings were done primarily in the second half of the 19th century, and ...

A charming hooked rug depicting a woman holding a flower and sitting in a chair beside a large kettle over an open fire. The wall behind her shows a painting and a window through which can be seen a church. Rugs of this size and this period showing an interior scene are quite uncommon.

The 21" by 17" rug is mounted in a museum approved manner on acid free board. The condition is excellent, with no issues.

Formerly owned by Ingrid Bergman and Alan Freed, this is a large and exceptional fine American tinsel or foil painting featuring a full wreath encircling an urn of flowers on a green base. Although the use of a wreath in a tinsel painting is not at all uncommon, this particular format is extremely rare, if not unique. The flowers are so densely packed as to make the execution of the painting quite difficult. Further, there are 6 birds amidst the flowers, and the lower area motif has switched fr...

A sweet tinsel (foil) painting of a large bouquet of flowers. The painting itself is in very good condition, with no chips, breaks, or image loss. The period or earlier gilded wood frame has normal expected wear. Period wood backboard. The sight size is 11 1/4" by 9 5/8", and the overall size is 12 3/4" by 11".

NOTE: Between September 12, 2012 and January 13, 2013 the American Folk Art Museum held an exhibit on this art form. The following is excerpted from the catalog of that exhibition: "T...

A wonderful folksy American mirror featuring an original paint decorated frame with a red ground and black stripes. All original, including the glass and the backboard. Excellent condition, and with overall measuments of 16 1/2" by 12 3/4".

A wonderful and amusing hooked rug depicting an aardvark. I have collected many rugs featuring animals but have never seen another with an aardvark. Well, at least I think this is someone's interpretation of an aardvark, or possibly a beaver, armadillo or pangolin. Whatever the craftsman was aiming for, one has to smile at this, and at the pinkish salmon background color surrounded by a scalloped teal border. Cotton yarn and with original burlap foundation.

The size is 43" by 30 1/2". The...

Another fine example from our personal collection of animal hooked rugs, this one featuring an elephant posed on grass with fruited tree branches descending from the top of the rug.

The rug has a felt border, easily detached if so desired. The condition is excellent, with good colors and some slight scattered wear to the border. The size is 40" by 30".

This is a superb example of the hooked rug pattern generally attributed to E.S. Frost & Company. Although Frost did have a lion pattern, it was substantially different and less complex than the Lion and Palm pattern designed by Ebenezer Ross, which is the one offered here. This particular rug is also done in a beautiful and uncommon combination of colors. Notice the striped motif along the bottom, mirroring a tiger or zebra pattern.

It measures approximately 61 1/2 inches by 33 inches, and i...

Two sided pine game board with strong graphics and vibrant colors, displaying an unusual variant of the common structure of parcheesi. A checkers board is on the reverse side.

All original paint, original metal corners, overall excellent condition with a minor scratch on one side, and a wood chip in the top right on the reverse side. 23" by 23"

A large, decorated, Navajo coil basket; 13 1/2" diameter, 4" tall Excellent condition with no flaws.

An exceptional American gameboard with a red wash and black painted decoration; compartments at each end for the game pieces; construction is pine with breadboarded ends and wrought nails; condition is excellent with all original surface; one small portion of a breadboarded end has been replaced at some point long ago; 30" by 17 3/4"

Boards of this type (non 8 x 8 squares) are often commonly and mistakenly called checkerboards. In reality, they are boards for the game of "draughts", which evol...

A reverse painted tinsel painting, unusual for its combination of geometric and floral elements, and for its forceful colors; period gilded frame; sight size 9 1/2" by 7 1/2"; framed size 12 1/2" by 10 5/8"

One of the largest and best tinsel paintings we have seen, depicting a large urn of various flowers, with other blooms scattered about; original frame; 28" by 24"

Most tinsel paintings have suffered a fair amount of paint lifting or loss, whereas this example only has a few spots of very minor age loss in a couple of small areas in the white background, making the overall condition excellent