Catalog (971)

A striking and nicely painted oil on canvas pair of American portraits. The sitters (by family repute) are Hendrick Henry Lasher (1788 - 1843) and Hannah Sharp (1793 - 1851) of New York.

Painted in a straightforward, stark style, the artist has deftly used dark tones for the clothing the background, focusing the light and the viewer's attention on the faces.

Condition is very good, with no holes or large amounts of restoration. The paintings having been relined and the period frames touched ...

A watercolor miniature portrait done by Richard Morrell Staigg. The sitter is a nice-looking blue-eyed young man in a black coat and cravat, with a light blue vest. As is usual with Staigg, the painting is superbly limned. It is housed in one half of a leather case.

The condition is excellent, with no problems whatsoever. Sight size is 3 1/2" by 3".

An exceptional and rare Italian cut and voided velvet panel, probably Genovese, done in a dark green on a beige foundation. The motif features mythological animals and urns, all surrounded by foliate scrolls.

The condition is quite fine, even for a textile 250 years younger. The length is 64 1/2", with a width of 10 1/2".

A superb piece for display or use as an accent, and should appeal to collectors and decorators.

A fine 19th century miniature version of Gilbert Stuart's "Lansdowne" portrait, the iconic 1796 life size portrait of George Washington. The painting here is done in watercolor and gouache on organic wafer. From its origin until the present day many copies of the portrait have been made, but very few on ivory.

This 3 1/8" by 2 1/2" example is in excellent condition, with no issues. The 11" by 9 3/4" gilt over gesso frame is period and might be original.

NOTES: 1. The Lansdowne port...

A superb and beautiful Worcester porcelain Scratch Cross period (incised line on the underside of the base) sauce boat moulded with rococo panels and cartouches formed of scrolling motifs. Both sides have a Long Eliza figure in a landscape beside a pine tree, while the interior has precious objects and flower sprays.

This fine example is in overall excellent condition, with no cracks, paint loss or restoration, and with vibrant enamels. Any apparent discolorations in the photos are due to ligh...

A rare and wonderful American doll or child's bench, with a shaped crest rail over 3 spindles and a plank seat, with 6 turned legs. The crest rail and the seat are decorated with polychrome free-hand flowers. Those areas, and the splayed arms, spindles, and central leg also have gilt line borders or decorative motifs.

Because of the delicate nature of this form, and the fact that not that many were made, it is highly uncommon to find surviving examples in any condition, let alone one as beauti...

A fine and rare Dr. Wall First Period Worcester porcelain coffee can in the "Warbler" pattern. Painted in deep shades of blue, the can has a slightly flaring top and base, and a grooved handle. There is a workman's mark of "7" on the bottom.

Superb condition, with no cracks, chips, restoration or paint loss. This pattern is very often blurred, sometimes quite badly. This example has only a faint and small amount of blurring in areas. The height is 2 3/8" and the diameter is 2 1/8".

A beautiful set of twelve Bow porcelain knives, each decorated with flower sprays and a fuzzy caterpillar at the end of the handle.

Knives of this type and date can be found occasionally as singles, pairs, and rarely, as a set of 6. However, this is the first set of 12 that we have seen or encountered in 25 years. Further, many of these other knife handles were originally fitted with base metal knives, which were often replaced, with base metal, over the years. The set offered here had all th...

A very fine miniature of a young lady, done in watercolor on organic wafer. Signed lower right "Becker Px". The sitter is a wearing a gown with elaborate bows along the neckline and sleeves, and a pink sash. The glassless gilded wood frame is original to the painting.

There is a good amount of information on the back, some of which is missing or hard to make out. However, what can be determined is that this is a portrait of Julie von Haller, who was a member of the court of the Homburg Landg...

This charming cup, decorated with a fence, flowers, and rocks, is painted in vibrant and clear red, green, pink and a splash of yellow. Finely potted, the somewhat elongated form has an incurving lower section and a scroll handle with a thumb rest. The condition is excellent, with no problems at all. Height is 2 5/8" and the diameter is 2 1/8".

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.

A fine portrait miniature attributed to John Downman, although Charles Hayter is a secondary possibility. Simply attired in a white gown, and with powdered hair, the sitter is shown with a pensive and somewhat downcast expression. Presented in a gold frame, the glazed reverse having a plaited hair border and a hairwork wheat-sheaf with seed pearls on opalescent glass. The condition is excellent, and the overall size is 3" by 2 3/8".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: John Downman (1750 - 1824), born in W...

A wonderful Dr. Wall First Period antique English porcelain ovoid vase, painted in the Mandarin style with Chinese figures in interior scenes, within wide red and gilt borders. The pattern is called "The Telephone Box" when appearing on blue and white wares, where it is considerably more common. The style of painting, using elongated figures, originated in China and then was adapted for Dutch Delftware which then gave rise to the term "Long Eliza." The form originated in the 1750s.

This partic...

A fine and early Bow porcelain pickle dish with a serrated rim and short stalk, painted in shades of blue with bamboo and peonies issuing from rocks, all surrounded by a low fence. Workman's marks in blue on the underneath.

The condition of this gem, which was part of a private collection for over 15 years, is all that one could possibly hope for and rarely finds, with no flaws whatsoever, and vibrant colors. Any skips or dullness in the photos are due to reflections. The width is 4" and the ...

A nicely diminutive chest from South Paris, Maine, as determined by the distinctive grain painting with the triple yellow-green-yellow striping around all edges; all original, including the vibrant and untouched paint, hinges, and lock (even the keyhole cover is still present); some minor and unimportant paint wear to the lid; 30" long by 14 1/2" deep by 12 1/2" high

A beautiful pair of antique wine glasses of the light baluster form. Although these are smaller than the usual form for a Newcastle light baluster, the proportion of the pointed round funnel bowls to the stems suggests that they are, in fact, an uncommon pair of NLB's. The bowls have engraved foliate borders, each stem with a shoulder knop, a medial angular knop, and a basal true baluster knop. Gently domed folded feet with rough snapped pontils.

Good lead content, tooling marks, and striatio...

An extremely fine baluster wine glass of beautiful proportions and lead composition. The flared bell bowl with an air tear in its base sits atop a stem with a medial flattened ball knop. Strong domed with rough, snapped pontil. Height 6 inches, bowl diameter 2 1/2 inches, foot diameter 3 inches. Superb condition.

A wonderful and very desirable example of an 8-sided Lowestoft tea caddy, or canister. Painted with a flower bouquet and sprays beneath a border of flowerheads and foliate scrolls, the top having flowers and leaves.

The caddy is 3 1/2 inches tall and 3 inches in diameter, and is in superb condition, with no cracks, chips, or restoration. The only tiny blemish of any type is a 3/16" long glaze split at the top of the rim, clearly occurring during manufacture. Please note that what appear...

A beautifully executed oil on canvas painting by George Harland, a noted British artist. The scene depicts a man returning in a rowboat at dusk. It combines elements of luminism and impressionism, and was done when both of those styles were in fashion. Harland was a highly thought of painter and was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1907.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no impainting or restoration. The superb, elaborate yet elegant, frame, which has some very minor rest...

A superb and extremely large Chaffers Liverpool porcelain tankard with a slightly spreading base. Beautifully painted with a large bouquet of flowers on the side opposite the strapped handle, with 4 sprigs of different flowers placed, at a distance, at each of the four corners of the central painting, near where the handle joins the body of the piece.

The tankard is 5 5/8" tall, with a top diameter of 3 5/8" and a bottom diameter of 3 3/4". Condition is wonderful, with no cracks, chips, or res...

A fine Lowestoft patty pan, of the large size, painted in blue and white, the interior with a large central moth or butterfly, and floral sprigs. The exterior with flower sprigs. Crisp painting, and excellent condition with no issues. The diameter is 4 1/8", and the depth is 1 3/8". Painter's mark #3 on the base. Ex Kleinman collection.

Using watercolor on organic material, Francois Theodore Rochard painted this beautiful portrait of an attractive blue-eyed young woman with brown hair done ion sausage curls. The sitter, identified on a very old label on the rear of the frame, is Clara Stevens (?) age 18. She is posed against a wall with a climbing rose bush showing through a window to her left. Attired in a puffy-sleeved lace-edged white gown with a brooch below the bodice and a wide blue belt, she is also wearing a pink and bl...

A beautiful and very unusual bell shaped Chelsea cup featuring an angular scroll handle with flattened thumb rest and loose sprays of flowers and sprigs, the interior also with a flower spray. The bottom has the red anchor mark and the number 21.

The condition of this charming piece is excellent, with no chips, staining, paint loss, or restoration. There is a short in the making under glaze firing line just above the terminal at the bottom of the handle. This is only at the top, does not go a...

Signed "Inman 1842" along the right edge, this fine miniature portrait is purportedly of Theodore Roosevelt's grandmother. Painted with watercolors on organic material, it shows the sitter simply attired in a black dress with a lace collar, with the only other adornment being a brooch on that collar.

A later note on the back of the bronze frame states that the sitter is Mrs. Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt (nee Margaret Barnhill). Margaret was the mother of Theodore Roosevelt Sr., the grandmo...

A fine example of a four knopped double series opaque twist (DSOT) antique wine glass. The bell bowl is over a stem with a pair of spiral threads outside of a central gauze, and with an annular knop and three ball knops. Conical foot with rough, snapped pontil.

The vast majority of opaque twist glasses have straight stems, and the addition of even one knop adds substantially to the difficulty of making them, and to the value. Each additional knop increases these factors. Also, unlike many ...

A fine and early Worcester sweetmeat, the open shell curled over at one side, the undulating rim strongly shaded in green with a yellow inner border to the green. Painted in the Meissen style with a central flower spray surrounded by scattered smaller sprays.

Superb bright condition with no issues at all. The length is 4 3/4", the width 5 1/4", and the height 1 3/4".

NOTE: A similar dish, in a more common color, sparser painting, and with wear sold at the Bonham's sale in March, 2010.

A fine example of a Longton Hall porcelain tea bowl and saucer, hand painted in the "Windswept" pattern. The scene features an oriental type interpretation of tall trees, rocks, and foliage with a small flock of birds flying above.

Beautifully and thinly potted, the condition of both the bowl and saucer is excellent, with bright, clear colors and no issues at all. The saucer has a 4 1/2" diameter, while the bow has a 3" diameter and a height of 1 5/8". Each piece with a workman's mark on t...

A superb and elegant multiple spiral opaque twist wine glass, with four features contributing to the rarity of this glass. The first is the bowl, which is highly unusual and could best be described as ogee form with an extremely swollen upper portion. Second is the enamel portion itself, with a multiple spiral opaque twist (msot), a type encountered very infrequently. Third is the presence of a central knop, with any knop on an opaque twist being uncommon. Finally is the folded foot, occurring e...

A fine miniature portrait by Jeremiah Meyer, painted in watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter, an attractive woman with long brown hair, is simply presented in a teal gown, with no jewelry or other distractions from her natural beauty.

The painting has no cracks, chips, bowing, or restoration. The brass case is in fine condition with an unimportant dent in the back. The overall size is 1 7/8" by 1 5/8".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Born in Germany, and brought to England in 1749, Jeremiah Me...

An exceptional and uncommon William Reid porcelain coffee cup, with an oriental figure beside a table, flanked by a dragonfly and birds flying over a leafless tree, the whole painted in bright colors. The handle is of the angular loop type.

The condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, fading, paint loss, or restoration. Height is 2 3/8" with a diameter of 2 1/8".

NOTES: 1. Because the factory was in business for so short a period (1756-1761), and its output was quite limited, porcela...

A fine Georgian ratafia glass featuring an extremely narrow drawn trumpet bowl, the top half engraved with flowers and leaves, and the bottom half of the bowl with molded fluting. The stem is a double series opaque twist (DSOT) with a pair of spiral tapes outside of a loose central gauze. 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, bei...

A spectacular First Period Worcester porcelain dish decorated by James Giles. The dish is quite large, at 9 1/4" in diameter, and is molded with an undulating border, wide fluting running from the edges to the recessed central scalloped area. The overall form is that of a soup dish, but it appears to be overly large for that. That area is decorated with three beautiful butterflies around a central flower sprig. The entire plate is fulsomely decorated with sprigs and bunches of a variety of flowe...

A beautiful and striking pair of American folk art pastel still life paintings. The fruit is laid out on a green table, and wonderfully executed. The black background provides superb contrast and highlights the radiance of the apples, pears, grapes, peaches, etc.

The gilded over gesso frames are period and probably original. Sight size of each is 16 3/4" by 12 7/8", while the framed size is 21 1/4" by 17 3/4". The paintings have been laid down on stiffer paper and are not smeared, touched up, ...

A fine 17th century French tapestry table runner, with the motif weaving flowers and fruit throughout the piece. The overall condition is excellent, with no holes or tears. Carefully laid down on a linen backing. The length is 67" and the width is 13 3/4".

Acquired from a long time private collection, where it was used as a table display piece, but could certainly be used, in smaller segments, to make a number of exquisite pillows.

A beautiful and finely painted Chelsea dish of interesting shape, displaying butterflies, fruit, and foliage. The molded rim is decorated with puce and green. The reverse has a puce anchor mark.

The dish is 10 1/2" in length and 7 1/2" at its widest. Superb condition with no chips, cracks, or restoration. The paint is crisp and vibrant, without losses.

A beautiful, early, and rare Worcester coffee cup of bell shape with a fine wishbone handle, painted with a flower spray, roses and a butterfly, the reverse with a moth and ladybird amongst scattered sprigs. A similar cup was sold at the Bonham's auction of 3/7/07, lot 94.

The cup is in excellent condition, with bright colors and glaze, no cracks or staining. The height is 2 1/4".

An excellently painted miniature portrait of a gentleman, rendered by Thomas Richmond in watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter, with powdered hair, is attired in a black coat, matching waistcoat, and a frilled white shirt and stock.

Presented in a gilt metal frame, with printed interior scene on the reverse. The condition is excellent, with strong colors and no issues. Any white specks in the photo are dust motes. The overall size is 2 5/8" by 2".

It should be mentioned that Richmond sign...

A wonderful and special Worcester Barr Flight Barr campana vase with snake handles, beautifully painted with a scene marked on the base as "Ruins of Bayham Abbey Church." The reverse of the scene with a salmon ground and having detailed urn and foliage gilding. The rim of the body proper and the top of the supporting column with faux pearls. The bottom also inscribed with "Barr Flight & Barr Worcester Manufac' to Their Majesties."

The vase is 6" tall and 6" wide across the handles. Conditi...

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 large elaborate and beautiful patch mark Derby porcelain figure group of "Music" from the Muses series. Some sources refer to a very similar group as "Poetry". However, this particular group is somewhat different and is a rare variant.

The group shows a woman, holding a lyre, standing in front of a reeded column on top of which is a book and a sheet of music. Atop the base is a standing putto holding a music pipe in one hand and some type of instrument in the other. A second putto is seated ...

A beautifully worked quilt with the "Star of Bethlehem" design, surrounded by stuffed-work flowers and vines; 87" by 81". Excellent condition.

This banneret weather vane, found in upstate New York, is constructed of sheet and wrought iron, and has an incredible presence and visual impact. Featuring a flag with a central cut-out, scrollwork on either side of the flag, and an ornate three dimensional flower blossom at the end, it exemplifies the whimsy that one looks for in great items of folk art.

The vane has a wonderful weathered and rough brown surface, and is in overall excellent condition. It is 37 inches long, 15 inches ta...

A fine miniature, painted in watercolor on natural material, by George Place. The subject is a rather jowly hazel-eyed fellow in liturgical garb. Housed in its original gold plated case.

The painting is in excellent condition with no issues. The black or white specs in the photo are only in the photograph. Size of the cased painting is 2 3/8" by 2".

NOTE: George Place (c1760 - 1805) was born in Ireland and studied there under F.R. West. By 1791 he was living in London and exhibited at t...

A beautiful pair of miniature portraits, both signed Fuger, painted in watercolors on organic material. In addition, the elaborate frames are made out of this same natural material, something rarely, if ever, seen. The sitters, in 18th century attire, are a young gent and lady posed against a blue sky with foliage and hills behind them.

Notes on the backs of the frames provide the following information: "These miniatures were bought by Ellen Franklin in antique shop Bellagio Italy in 1929. ???...

A fine Dr. Wall Worcester sauce boat in the "Two-handled Sauceboat Landscape" pattern, with the oval body modelled with two shell shaped lips and applied with two double-scroll handles with thumb-rests. Exterior is embossed with garlands of leaves which form four circular reserves, each with an Oriental scene. The interior also displays a large Oriental scene. A workman's mark is on the underneath of the base.

Condition of this piece is excellent, especially for this particular form. The moldi...

Nothing less than superb would describe the quality of this c1835 American portrait miniature. The artist, as yet to be identified, even went so far as to show the shadow cast on the cheeks of the sitter by the lower rims of the glasses. The sight size is 2 7/8" by 2", with the size of the modern black painted wood frame being 5 1/2" by 5".

A large button, done in watercolor on organic material, with a glass cover and a copper rim with a steel back. The scene depicted is of a grand house and garden, identified along the lower edge as "Maison de Mdm Vanne".

The button is in excellent condition, though the back could use a bit of cleaning to remove some oxidation. The diameter is 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 sma...

A beautiful Chelsea finger bowl of bellied form, the rim with a brownish-red line, and the body and interior painted with various flowers. Red anchor mark.

This wonderful example of an uncommon form is in excellent condition, with no flaws or issues to speak of. 3" in height, 3 3/4" maximum diameter.

An uncommon and fine Chaffers saucer and teabowl in the "Two Men on an Island" pattern. A workman's mark of three dots is on the reverse on the saucer.

This finely potted blue and while porcelain is in superb condition, with no chips, cracks, staining, or restoration. Any apparent paint losses in the photos are due to reflections. The saucer is 4 7/8" in diameter and the cup has a 2 3/4" diameter at the rim and is 1 1/2" tall.

A very early Bow porcelain coffee cup with the "Cross-Legged Chinaman" pattern. Adding to the rarity of this cup, in addition to its age, is the crabstock handle.

he condition of the cup is excellent, with no cracks, chips, staining, or restoration. The height is 2 1/4" and the diameter is 2 1/8".

A beautifully done Pennsylvania Quaker sampler, featuring three sets of the alphabet, two bushes, an urn of flowers, birds and dogs, and the verse:

Let the most blessed be my guide
If it be his blessed will
Unto his vale into his fold
Up to his holy hill.

The sampler is signed Martha Graham Work Done in her 11th Year 182X. The last digit of the year was removed, as was often the case to hide the exact age of the maker.

Martha Graham was born in 1815, the daughter of Reverend Rober...

A rare Chaffers Liverpool porcelain hexagonal beaker, handpainted in blue and white. The design, taken from the Chinese, shows alternating panels of floral groups, with a trellised and floral diaper along the upper rim.

The condition of this piece is excellent, with no cracks or restoration. There is a tiny firing bite at the rim, and the bottom shows kiln bubbling common to this factory. The height is 3" and the diameter is 2 3/8". Retains the label of Winifred Williams, a well known and hig...

A lovely late 19th c tightly woven wool Tibetan prayer mat with Buddhist symbols, An excellent example from a private collection.

With clear colors and in wonderful condition, the rug measures 30" by 22".

A charming pair of portraits of a brother and sister, painted in watercolor on natural material.

The condition of both paintings is excellent, with no issues. The gold case is also without problems. Sight size is 2 1/8" by 1 3/4", and the overall size is 2 3/8" by 1 7/8".

This is a superbly rendered watercolor on paper attributed to Henry Walton. The name of the sitter, John Andrew Jenny, is written in pencil at the top of the painting, in penmanship not unlike Walton's.

Mr. Jenny is a nice-looking young man wearing a black coat, with highlights in gum arabic. The style of the coat and the cravat place this portrait in the 1841-1844 time period. This is consistent with Walton's development as an artist, when he began to paint the faces of his subjects with mod...

A fine antique English hollow stem wine glass with a domed and folded foot. Dating around the middle of the 18th century, few glasses of this type were made.

This example has a very strong presence, with a goodly sized round funnel bowl. Condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. Good tool marks, color, and striations, and of substantial weight. The height, at 6 3/4", is also greater than is usually found, adding to the desirability. The bowl diameter is 2 5/8" and the foot...

A fine pair of strongly painted miniature portraits done on natural wafer. Based on the technique and the area in which the sitters lived (Cincinnati), a strong attribution to Richard Verbrick can be made.

The woman is finely attired in a black puffy sleeved dress with lace at the collar and a wide black belt. Her jewelry includes a brooch at her neckline and earrings, with a tortoiseshell comb in her hair. The gent is wearing a black coat, white shirt, collar, and ascot.

The condition of th...

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 well painted c1800 - 1812 miniature of a British officer. The sitter is wearing the uniform of a major general, with a red tunic, blue lapels and collar, and gold epaulettes and buttons. The miniature is signed lower left, with a somewhat indecipherable calligraphic monogram of "RM"?. Presented in a gilt metal frame with a bevelled blue glass back. Excellent condition, with an overall size of 2 1/2" by 2"

A striking miniature portrait by Johann Christian Schoeller. The sitter is a girl child, dressed in purple, with a basket of flowers on her lap and posed in front of a window showing a landscape. Charming and colorful, this is an fine example of Schoeller's work. Presented in a period bronze frame, with an overall size of 3" by 2". The reverse has a label and a backing paper with the artist's name. Excellent condition.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Schoeller (1752 - 1851) was born in Alsace, traine...