Catalog (971)

A truly spectacular portrait miniature executed in watercolor on natural wafer. This is, by quite a few years, one of the earliest known pieces by Samuel Cotes. The painting is signed "SC" and dated "1756" at the center left. The sitter, clearly a nobleman, is seated in a chair as he plays a mandolin. It appears, from his expression and eyes, that the music is transporting him to some remembered or imagined place.

The condition of the painting is excellent. with no chips, cracks, paint loss or...

A beautiful English creamware plate decorated with violet swags with green trim along the rim of the plate and the edges of the swags. Aside from being of unusual structure, the violet color is rare, and the presence of a second color extremely rare.

This type ware is often mistakenly referred to as Leeds and featheredge. In reality, many factories other than Leeds made items of this nature, and the type edge here is more properly called a molded edge.

The condition of the plate is excell...

A superb enamel on copper miniature portrait by Jean Andre Rouquet. The sitter, wearing a powdered wig and a blue velvet jacket and waistcoat, displays a fine English gravitas.

The miniature is presented under glass in a high karat (15K or higher) gold case, the reverse of which is engraved with a half flowerhead above what appears to be the initials BEE. Below this is an engraved bee.

The condition of the miniature is excellent, with bright colors, no paint loss or cracks, and no restorat...

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...

A watercolor on organic natural wafer of a somewhat older woman wearing a blue jacket with fur edging, a pearl choker, and a rust colored cap with lace. The unusual characteristics of the piece are the hand decorated paper surround and that the painting is in a frame that slides into a close fitting leather case.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no issues, while the case has exterior wear but is structurally sound. Sight size is 2: by 1 5/8", and the case is 2 7/8" by 2 1/8"

Painted by Samuel Shelley, this is a beautifully limned portrait miniature of a British officer. The epaulette being on the left shoulder, instead of on the more usual right, indicates that the sitter was in a cavalry regiment of the British army. That, taken with other characteristics of the uniform show him to be with the heavy dragoons. The white facings and silver buttons allow the identification to be narrowed down to the 3rd Irish Horse Regiment which, in 1788, became the 6th Dragoon Guar...

A rare and beautiful sweetmeat with a double ogee bowl with an everted rim. The bowl is atop a set of 3 merises, below which is an opalescent stem with a double series opaque twist (dsot) composed of a 17 ply spiral band around a lace twist. At the bottom of the stem is a nicely domed and folded foot.

The glass is in overall excellent condition with no chips, cracks, or restoration. There is a tiny 1/16" inclusion in the side of the bowl, not at all uncommon and truly of no importance. Excel...

A superb miniature portrait, done en grisaille on organic substrate, by Samuel Andrews. The sitter is an attractive woman with an elaborate wig and hair style, and wearing a cap and gold earrings. The painting is wonderfully executed, and with such skill that there is a three dimensional effect. The photos do not at all due it justice.

The painting is beautifully presented, surrounded by a gilt metal bezel, outside of which is a plait of hair, the whole in a red leather travel case. The condi...

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...

A striking miniature portrait, done in watercolor on natural material, by George Place. The subject, set against a clouded and blue background, is a handsome gray haired officer of light dragoons, dressed in uniform.

The miniature is in superb condition, with no cracks, chips, warping, paint loss, or restoration. The case is also in excellent condition, with a fully glazed back over fabric. On the back glass, at the edge at 10:30 there is a small chip in the underside. The case size is 3" by...

An unusually large and beautiful wine glass or small goblet with a deep and crisp honeycomb molded ogee bowl. The stem features an uncommon multiple spiral air twist (MSAT) corkscrew cable. Conical foot with a rough, snapped pontil.

Superb condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or other problems. 6 3/4" tall, 2 1/2" bowl diameter, 3" foot diameter.

A rare and fine multi-spiral opaque twist (MSOT) antique English wine glass or small goblet. The large round funnel bowl sits above a stem with a very tight and beautiful enamel twist. The stem is further complemented with shoulder and basal knops, a very unusual combination.

The glass is 6 11/16 inches tall, with a bowl diameter of 3 1/16 inches and a foot diameter of 3 5/16 inches. Rough, snapped pontil. No chips, repairs, or condition problems. Good color, tool marks, and striations.

A finely painted miniature portrait, done in watercolor on organic substrate, by Pierre Henri. Done against a blue background, the sitter, a nice looking young gent with blue eyes and hair en queue, is wearing a brown coat with yellow lining.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no bowing, cracks, paint loss, or restoration. Set in a frame with a glazed blue material reverse. The sight size is 1 3/4" by 1 1/4".

Pierre Henri (c 1760 - 1822) was born in Paris and often went by the...

A rare deceptive toastmaster's baluster form wine glass with a heavy walled conical bowl above three collars and a teared inverted baluster stem. Folded conical foot with a rough pontil.

Excellent condition with no issues, and having fine color, striations, and tooling marks. 5 1/8" in height, with a bowl diameter of 2 1/2" and a foot diameter of 2 3/4".

A fine and rare Chelsea porcelain figure of winter. The subject is an older man, obviously in distress, wearing only a wrap, and standing beside a brazier. This is a classical representation of "Winter", part of the Seasons group.

Beautifully modelled, painted, and glazed, the condition is excellent, with only a small invisible professional restoration to the thumb area. The height is 4 1/2".

A fine miniature portrait on natural wafer, done en grisaille in watercolor and ink against a blue background. The sitter, an older woman wearing a lace cap and fichu, is beautifully limned in profile, an uncommon approach. Housed in a gold plated metal frame with fabric on the reverse.

There are no condition problems with the painting, which measures 2 1/2" in diameter.

PROVENANCE: The well-known Dr. Leo Catzenstein Collection, and thence to his descendants.

A beautiful composite stem English wine glass with a tulip bowl above a stem with a multi-spiral air twist over a teared inverted baluster knop above a plain section. The glass has a domed foot with rough pontil.

The form itself is quite uncommon and when found is almost always with a pointed round funnel bowl or round funnel bowl, and of somewhat shorter height. For a glass of that type see Bickerton p. 193, fig 555. The combination of the tulip bowl and a height of 6 7/8" in this example ...

A nice example of a miniature portrait, painted by Nathaniel Hancock on organic material. The sitter is a woman in a blue gown with a lace edged bodice. The gold case has chamfered glass on the front, and the reverse identifies the sitter as "Ridgely 1791."

The condition of this little gem is very fine, with no flaws to speak of. There was some minimal clean-up of a few painting drips in the background. Overall size is 1 3/4" by 1 1/2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Information about Hancock is rel...