Catalog (971)

A nicely painted and early miniature portrait of a man done in watercolor on natural organic material. The blue-eyed sitter is a nice-looking gentleman fashionably attired in a full, long wig, a blue loose fitting robe, and white ruffled shirt.

One of the interesting things about this piece is that the original gold case is of a type known as a "slide case". The top protuberance is attached to a small sheet of metal (in this case gold), and when a little knob is pushed, the sheet can slide com...

A finely limned miniature portrait painting by Andrew Plimer. The sitter, a beautiful young woman with dark hair and blue eyes, is wearing a high-necked white dress, a pearl necklace and a pearl barette. She is posed against a cloud filled blue sky. The glazed elaborate reverse has a lock of dark brown hair set with a gilt crescent moon, and a blue enamel plaque set with the initials "GP" picked out with pearls, all against foil backed opalescent glass.

The case is in very good condition, wit...

A striking miniature portrait painting on organic material, finely painted by John Ramage. The sitter, a gentleman elegantly attired in the height of late 18th century fashion, is wearing a white shirt with a ruffled white cravat and a brick-red coat over a brown-striped vest.

The condition of the painting is superb, with no flaws whatsoever, as is that of the later case. Sight size is 1 5/8" by 1 1/4", and the case size is 1 3/4" by 1 1/2". The case has the original pin on the back for use a...

A fine baluster wine glass with a solid base funnel bowl atop a stem with a teared acorn knop and a basal knop. Acorn knops are one of the least common formations in baluster glasses. The glass has a conical folded foot with a rough, snapped pontil.

The condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. There is a small enclosed pot stone at the rim, of no particular importance. This is shown, greatly enlarged, in the second photo. The height of the glass is 5 1/4", with a bowl dia...

A beautiful and profusely engraved air twist Georgian drinking glass, the bell bowl depicting a woman holding a branch and a cornucopia, with packages and maritime instruments cascading from it, the figure flanked by trees. The two line inscription below the rim "devrede stort op aarde weer, de koopman schap en konsten neer" translates as "When peace is upon the earth commerce and the arts will blossom." The stem contains a multiple-spiral air twist and has a medial swelled knop. The foot is of ...

A superb enamel on copper portrait miniature by Jean Andre Rouquet. The sitter, dressed in an embroidered red jacket, ia a royal personage, evidenced by the ermine trimmed robe or cloak on his lap.

The condition of the miniature is excellent, with bright colors, no cracks, and no restoration. The duller areas along the edges are due to the way the light reflects off the curved edges. The early 19th century ormolu frame also is in fine condition. Sight size of the painting is 2 1/4" by 1 7/8", ...

A fine example of American folk art, painted by John Brewster Jr. on natural organic material. The sitter is a gentleman with light red hair and blue eyes. He is attired in a black coat, white vest, white ruffled shirt, and white silk cravat. The miniature is in its original case, the reverse with a glazed window containing a plait of hair atop which is a gold initial.

The condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, bowing, paint loss, or restoration. The case is also in excellent condition...

A fine and very uncommon opalescent stem double series opaque twist (DSOT) Georgian wine glass. The round funnel bowl is engraved with leaves and a budding rose on one side, and a shrub on the other. The stem has a pair of 11 ply spiral bands outside of a central corkscrew. Conical foot with rough, snapped pontil.

There are no condition issues or flaws in this glass. The height is 6 1/4", with a bowl diameter of 2" and a foot diameter of 3".

NOTE: The opalescent color is produced by i...

An extremely rare firing glass of drawn trumpet form. The bowl is engraved "The Friendly Hunt". The condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, restoration or other problems. Lead glass with good color, striations, and tool marks. The height is 3 1/2", with a bowl diameter of 2 1/8" and a foot diameter of 2 1/4".

The Victoria and Albert Museum has a virtually identical piece, their catalog number C.2571925, and described the engraving as most likely referencing a Jacobite hunting club.

A fine and uncommon toastmaster's baluster type glass featuring a deceptive waisted bucket bowl above a collar. The stem has a medial swelling knop and a basal knop. A wide foot with a rough snapped pontil gives this glass a wonderful stateliness. Great color, striations, and tool marks, with a real heft to the weight. For a virtually identical example see Bickerton, the 1987 edition, item #187. Also, Bonhams 11/20/19 sale, lot 99, had a shorter example with a less developed bowl that sold for $...

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 fine and rare Bow porcelain coffee cup and saucer painted with the "Dragon Chasing (the Flaming) Pearl (of Wisdom). The interior of the cup also shows the dragon, while the exterior of the saucer is painted with clouds. One of the ways to distinguish this early Bow version is the arrow shaped tongue emanating from the mouth of the dragon. The pieces are very finely potted, and each has a workman's number 13 on the bottom. The handle of the cup is of the crabstock or twig form.

The condition ...

A watercolor on natural material done by Nathaniel Plimer. The sitter is a somewhat older woman, with a pensive and somewhat sad mien about her. Set against a background with gradations of blue, she is simply dressed in a white gown and bonnet, accented with a pendant medallion on a black ribbon, and a gray belt.

The painting and the original bronze frame are in excellent condition with no flaws or restoration. Sight size of the miniature is 2 3/4" by 2 1/4", with an overall size of 3 3/4" by ...

A watercolor on organic wafer, painted by John Smart, and initialed lower left, along with the date of 1797. The sitter is a young woman with brown curls and eyes. She is attired in a green and blue feathered cap, a white gown with lace on the collar, and a green sash.

The brushwork is impeccable, the texture and blush of the skin, the details of the eyes, the clarity of each hair, and the overall luminescence of this painting are stunning. Even when compared to the vast majority of Sma...

A superb Dr. Wall First Period Worcester porcelain tea canister of oval and fluted "French" shape. This beautiful example is decorated below the neck with a border of deep blue edged with foliate gilding. the body divided into 3 sections by green columns enhanced with a dot design and edged with gilding. Each of the body sections having pendant floral sprays, with the bottom portion of the canister having a wide gilt-edged green border. In contrast to the great majority of surviving tea canister...

A wonderful English watercolor miniature on natural wafer, painted by Ozias Humphry. The gentleman depicted is clearly of the upper class, dressed in a dusty rose colored jacket with a lace collar, a style worn in England specifically in the 1765 to 1770 period. The case, which is probably original and of gold, comes with a 28" long gold chain attached through the bale, and is also most likely to be original.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no flaws to speak of, and no restora...

A beautifully painted portrait miniature by William Naish, done in watercolor on natural wafer. The sitter is a nice-looking gentleman with brown eyes and powdered hair with a pigtail. He is attired in a blue jacket, a white ruffled shirt, an elaborately tied white scarf, all highlighted with a slash of brilliant red. The case is copper, of very high quality, of the type with side pins holding together the front and back. The reverse of the case has a glazed aperture containing a plait of hair.

A very fine bust-length depiction done in watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter, a nice looking young gentleman, is attired in a blue waistcoat, a tan and red pin-striped vest, and a white cravat. The painting is signed "Peat" at the left edge, and an old inscribed label attached verso identifies sitter as "Lord Halifax II". This attribution of the sitter must be incorrect as the dating of any Halifax lords is inconsistent and much later than when the painting was done.Housed under glass in a...