Catalog (971)

A beautifully painted c1810 miniature of an attractive woman, attributed to Thomas Hargreaves. Clearly well off, and  wearing a white lace bonnet and collar, a black dress, and a chatelaine, the sitter is posed on a red sofa in front of a dusky pale orange drapery. The skill of the artist is evident, even to how he carefully painted the dress material so that it is obvious that the fabric is silk.

Watercolor on organic wafer, the condition is excellent, with a sight size of  3 3/8" by 2...

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 nicely painted miniature portrait, on natural organic material, of a pretty young woman in a blue dress with a white fichu. Condition of the painting is excellent, with no problems. The glass in the rear aperture of the case is cracked. Overall size is 2 3/4" by 2 1/4".

An ornate and huge Bohemian antique glass goblet of baluster form. The round funnel bowl is cut all over with hexagons, the top row of which forms round arches. The elaborately worked stem contains two flattened knops, each cut with roundels, and a truncated inverted baluster knop cut with hexagons mirroring the bowl. A total of about 12 merises surround the knops.

This rare glass is in perfect condition, and stands an extremely tall 9 5/8 inches high, with a bowl diameter of 3 5/8 inches, and...

An uncommon and fantastic button featuring an interior 18th c scene painted on fabric, after an engraving by Jean-Francois Janinet from a painting by Nicolas Lavreince titled Ha, le joli petit chien". Brass surround and back. Excellent condition with no issues at all. Very large with a 1 3/4" diameter.

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 ...

A choice antique wine glass example of a cordial glass with a pointed round funnel bowl atop a stem with a double series opaque twist (DSOT) composed of a multi-ply spiral band surrounding a pair of heavy spiral threads; the proportions of this glass are exceptional, with the bowl being quite small; conical foot with rough, snapped pontil. The foot has an extremely tiny bruise on the underside edge, which is not visible from the top and only can be seen if you look very closely when the glass is...

A totally charming miniature painting of a child, done in watercolor on natural material, and housed in an elaborately molded 15K gold case and surround. The cute sitter is in a white gown and posed against a cloud-filled blue sky, with foliage and a tree to the right. The reverse of the case is glazed, with a lock of hair in the aperture, and a pin so that the miniature can be worn as a brooch.

The condition of this lovely example is excellent. Sight size is 2 1/4" by 2 1/8" and the case size...

A beautiful Longton Hall bowl, decorated with polychrome flowers, most likely done by the Trembly Rose painter. Very fine condition with fresh colors, no cracks, paint loss, or restoration. The diameter is 4 3/8" and the height is 2".

A finely painted watercolor portrait of a good looking gentleman wearing a black jacket and a white shirt, stock and collar. The talented artist specifically painted the entire piece in shades of white, black, and gray. Note the way he used white highlighting on the left collar and shoulder of the sitter to give a sense of depth to the piece.

The back of this work deserves special mention as it is composed of a backing of metal guilloche. (Guilloche is a decorative technique in which a very pr...

A superb in-period Kangxi scalloped dish with two Long Eliza figures and a Jumping Boy figure in the central scene. Immediately surrounding that scene the cavetto is divided into compartments, each with a flower head motif. Surrounding that are further compartments, each containing a different stylized botanical speciman. The reverse of the dish with a full Kangxi mark in the center Surrounding that, in raised compartments, are floral depictions, and outside that a border of various symbols.

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A beautiful and striking gold bangle bracelet having a black enamel ground. The raised central dome has 8 emeralds surrounding a higher area topped with a gold 8 leaved flower with a diamond.

Marked 14K gold, and with fine workmanship, the bracelet is in excellent condition. The inside of the bangle measures 2 1/2" by 1 5/8".

An elegant and beautiful English ratafia DSOT (double series opaque twist) glass. Ratafia glasses are quite uncommon, and this is fine and exceptionally tall example. The elongated narrow conical bowl is above a double series opaque twist stem with a pair of three-ply spiral bands outside of a pair of corkscrew tapes.

The glass is in perfect condition with no chips, cracks, or restoration. The proportions are excellent, with a height of 7 1/2 inches, a bowl diameter of 1.7 inches, and a g...

Meet Captain William Hathaway, of Brooklyn NY, who passed away in 1834, according to the original section of his obituary, which was found inside the case of the miniature. Please note the gold anchor centered on his ruffled shirt.

The painting is finely done, with no condition issues. Any apparent flaws are due to my poor photographic skills. The in-person brightness is about midway between the first two photos. The cast foliate frame is also in excellent condition, measuring 2 3/8" by 2...

A miniature of a beautiful young child who unfortunately passed away in 1798. The theme here is blue and white: in the clouds, in Harriet's eyes, and the ribbon in her hair. In contrast to that are the small areas where red makes its appearance: in the necklace, the child's lips and cheeks, and, to a lesser extent, in her hair.

The reverse of the case is engraved "Harriet Franklyn/B. 9 Oct 1795 D. 31 August 1798/Daughter of/Richard Franklyn/One of the Moneyers/of H. Mint, of Oxgate/Will...

A superb and beautiful Zwischengold wine glass with a slightly flared conical bowl with a solid base. The bowl sits atop a stem with a shoulder merise over a cushion knop, below which is an inverted baluster section above a basal knop. The bowl has a gold and red medallion pressed within 2 layers of glass. The glass is 5 3/4 inches tall, with a bowl diameter of 3 1/8 inches and a foot diameter of 3 1/16 inches.

Zwischengold is a technique where thin layers of gold foil are trapped in a double ...

A wonderful pair of miniature portraits of two young near identical twin boys, painted on organic material. Although it might often be a decent bet that any attractive English portraits of young children done in this time period were by William Egley (joking, sort of) I cannot, in good conscience, make that attribution, so the artist will, at least for now, remain unidentified.

Possibly Scottish, and in excellent condition, each portrait has a sight size of 1 7/8" by 1 1/2". They are mou...

A fine example of an Abraham Parsell watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter, with brown hair and hazel eyes, is dressed in a black coat and cravat and a white shirt with gold stickpin. The background is done in the multi-color style typical of Parsell's work, as is the sketch on the reverse of the wafer.

The 2 3/8" by 2" sight size miniature is housed in a cast foliate case with a glazed lens on the reverse. The condition of the painting is fine, with no cracks, chips, restoration, or bowing....

A powerful watercolor on wafer miniature, where the artist decided to show the sitter staring head-on and almost directly at the viewer. The unusual crisscross tie is used to further enhance the strength and immediacy of the handsome subject.

The simple gilt metal case is 2 3/8" by 2", and is in excellent condition, with a missing cover glass to the aperture on the reverse, which is of no import.