Classical sterling silver compote. Made by John Wendt for Ball, Black in New York, ca 1870. Round and curved bowl mounted to open support comprising three leafing oak shoots with acorns inset with cast figure of standing boy holding a ball in each hand with one arm raised. Domed foot. Reeding and beading.

A fashionable centerpiece evocative of youth and growth. The figure suggests the influence of the Dancing Faun, the ancient statue in the Uffizi in Florence that was a grand tour icon. The fr...

Rare Japonesque mixed metal tray. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1878. Square with curved sides and straight edges. Two birds soar and glide. One is viewed from below and the other from above (that is, from bird’s eye). An original and jokey design incorporating the exotic flattened Japanese perspective. Feathers are gold, and beaks, eyes, and wispy, dangly talons are copper. Crescent frame engraved with calligraphy-style presentation dated 1879. Ground hand hammered. Corner leaf-and-sc...

American Victorian sterling silver shaving mug, ca 1880. Curved and waisted with pierced top bowl and second projecting bowl for brush. Frond and flower repousse. Cast scroll handle has same motif. Marked “Black, Starr & Frost / New-York / Sterling”. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 3 7/8 x W 5 3/4 x D 3 in. Weight: 8 troy ounces. #BZ558

George V sterling silver ice bucket. Made by Charles & Richard Comyns in London in 1925. Urn with curved bottom and raised and inset foot. Leaf-wrapped s-scroll side handles with cherub cap in form of chubby-cheeked, curly haired boy. Cover raised with reeded and overhanging rim and leaf bud finial. Engraved Indo-Persian decoration with turbaned swordsmen amidst vegetation and birds. Ye Olde English porringer adapted to the exigencies of Roaring Twenties barware. Fully marked. Excellent conditio...

Edwardian Classical sterling silver urn. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Curved and tapering bowl with leaf flange on domed foot; leaf-capped, wrapped, and mounted high-looping side handles. Chased leafing-scroll border with pendant flowers. Mouth rim wavy with applied leaves. Foot rim has applied swags and leaves. Gilded inside and out. Turn-of-the-century sumptuousness. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, pattern no. 14368B and director’s letter C (1902-7) and volume (7 1/2 pts). Very...

Victorian sterling silver ewer. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1897. Ovoid bowl with helmet mouth and base knop on raised foot mounted to square base on corner ball supports. Chased ornament in form of leafing scrollwork and flowers; two languid mermaids with serpentine tails frame scrolled cartouche engraved with interlaced script monogram. Beneath mouth is a horned satyr blowing leafing scrolls, surrounded by same. Reeded borders applied with wreaths. Foot sides have open wreaths. Exuberant G...

Large sterling silver scallop shell. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1947. Traditional form with dense and tiered flutes and 2 ball supports. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, date code, and no. 40617. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 3/4 x W 9 1/4 x D 9 1/8 in. Weight: 17 troy ounces. #BY793

Set of 4 Victorian sterling silver place card holders. Made by Saunders and Shepherd in Chester in 1899. Each: A rifle is propped against a shilling coin dated 1899, the year war broke out in South Africa between the British and Dutch colonial settlements. The rifle is the famous Lee-Metford, which was by then a tad old fashioned, but still considered reliable by British as well as Dutch troops, who made use of captured specimens. Open lunette base with vertical support. Fully marked including d...

Edwardian sterling silver and enamel place card holders. Made by Sampson Mordan & Co. in Chester, 1905-13. Each: Two flat discs mounted to flat circular base. Front disc smaller and enameled scene with leaping, writhing fish, the hook and line barely visible. One has engraved 2-letter block monogram (ER). A second has same in script. Fully marked including 1905, 1912, and 1913 date letters as well as retailer’s stamps “Finnigan’s Manchester” (2) and “Wilson & Gill / 139 Regent St Londo...

Victorian sterling silver baby cup. Made by Robert Harper in London in 1871. Baluster bowl on raised foot; wrapped and bracketed double-scroll handle with graduated beading. Chased and engraved scene from Robinson Crusoe: In the foreground stands the hero in the baggy garb of a marooned islander. He holds a long gun with more survival tools—including a hatchet—slipped under his belt. He points to a group of people in the distance. The beneficiary of his observation is Friday, the captive ind...

Pair of George III sterling silver tureens. Made by William Pitts in London in 1785. Each: Ovoid body with upturned ends on oval foot; high looping tapering and leaf-mounted end handles. Cover raised with leaf-capped vasiform finial in pointille and pendant flower surround as well as engraved armorial. Beading. Elegant Georgian Neoclassicism. Fully marked. Very good condition.

Overall dimensions: H 6 x W 9 3/4 x D 4 1/2 in. Total weight: 42.4 troy ounces. #BY312

Pair of Edwardian Modern sterling silver candlesticks. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1905. Ovoid with faceted upward tapering haft on raised foot. Socket tapering with detachable bobeche. Dramatic ribbing on socket and foot. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, date symbol, and no. A4298. Very good condition with a few pings on shaft and foot.

Dimensions: H 10 3/8 x W 4 7/8 x D 3 5/8 in. Weighted. #BY106

Victorian sterling silver baby cup. Made by Gorham in Providence, ca 1890. Straight and gently upward tapering sides and scroll-bracket handle. Applied cast oval medallions that depict not austere Roman patricians and their virtuous helpmates but sailor-suited boys and kitty-clutching girls. A sweet rejuvenation of the influential Medallion pattern. Gilt-washed interior. Fully marked including maker’s stamp and no. A7822. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 2 5/8 x W 4 1/8 x D 2 3/4 in. Heav...

George V sterling silver covered urn. Made by Mappin & Webb in Sheffield in 1917. Oval bowl mounted to lobed knop on domed foot. Cover double-domed with acorn finial. Leaf-wrapped and mounted scroll bracket side handles with cast leaf-and-berry ornament. Bowl rim has dense flower rondel border. Bold and fluid leaf-and-dart borders embossed on bowl bottom and foot top. Smaller and more controlled version of same on cover. Striking and traditional Neoclassicism in supersized proportions. Enough ro...

Set of 4 Edwardian sterling silver place card holders. Made by Sampson Mordan & Co. Ltd. in Chester, 1904-6. Each: Two flat discs mounted to flat and circular base. Front disc smaller and enameled with fox loping through forest. In leather-bound case with fitted velvet and silk lining; lining has gilt retailer’s stamp (Arnold & Lewis, Manchester). Fully marked including date letters 1904 (3) and 1906 (1), and design nos. 402227 (2) and 429790 (2). Very good condition with strong color.

Dimen...

Edwardian cut-glass water pitcher with sterling silver collar. Curved body with cut geometric and plant ornament and faceted c-scroll handle. Collar has band of volute scrolls with flowers and leaves. Fully marked including stamp for Adelphi, a New York maker active ca 1890-1915. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 8 1/2 x W 7 1/2 x D 4 1/2 in. #BR112

Victorian sterling silver baby cup. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Straight sides and banded scroll-bracket handle. Low-relief base ornament with stylized flower heads and beading. Acid-etched depiction of Goosey Gander, an English nursery rhyme that has been subject to various religious and moral interpretations. Shown here a sassy New Woman brandishing a crook and a nattily dressed and bespectacled goose. Gilt-washed interior. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, pattern no. 4254, and d...

German sterling silver lady’s shoe. Imported to England by Theodor Hartman in 1902. Shoe has pointy upturned elf toe and open bands. Exterior decorated with scrolls, flowers, and tassel in low relief. Heel plain. German hallmark and English import marks with London city stamp and date letter. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 4 1/8 x W 2 7/8 x D 9 in. Weight: 8.3 troy ounces. #BH552