Catalog: Antiques (494)

Fabulous figural silverplated shellfish server. Of the highest quality, this piece is formed as two mussel shells flanking an oyster shell, with a double strap handle reminiscent of seaweed. The bottom is marked with a "N & W" hallmark, along with the pattern number "424" and the registry number "333221" indicating a date of 1899.

Origin: England, 1899. Condition: virtually mint. Size: 11" x 11" x 5-1/4" high.

A nice Griffin, Smith & Hill majolica pitcher in the "Wild Rose" pattern. The bulbous sides are decorated with yellow wild rose blossoms and green foliage against a stippled ivory background. The base has a medium-blue basketweave pattern and the lip is finished in a reeded pattern in the same shade. The pitcher has an applied twig handle and a butterfly forms the pouring spout. The interior is pink.

Origin: America, ca. 1875. Condition: very good, no cracks, a few very small nicks on the upper rim (1/32" to 3/16"). Size: 4-1/2" tall.

Lacquer tobbaco or snuff box with faux tortoise finish and brass Maltese cross inlay on the lid.

Origin: England, ca. 1820. Condition: good; some crackling and scratching of lacquer surface; one 1/2" and one 1/8" flake on the bottom. Size: 3-1/2" diam.; 1-5/8" tall.

A very nice blue and white Chinese export porcelain plate in the Fitzhugh pattern. The central reserve is surrounded by a complimentary design in the four quadrants, all enclosed in a diapered border. The blue color is very intense and the porcelain body has a good, clear white color. The execution of the painted design suggests that the plate dates from the first quarter of the 19th century.

Origin: China, ca. 1810. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks. Size: 8-5/16” diameter.

Elegant pair of large sterling silver salad servers in Frank Whiting’s 1893 “Tyrolean” pattern. This is one of the simpler Victorian designs and works nicely with a wide variety of other patterns. The pieces are quite heavy. The backs are marked with Whiting’s second hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1930. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no monogram. Size: spoon, 9” long; fork, 9-3/16” long. Weight: 196.5 grams.

An elegant sterling silver trumpet vase with an opaque glass liner by either Jenkins or Armiger for F. Bucher & Sons. This silver is ornately decorated wthroses, forget-me-nots, wild roses, chamomiles and daises against a stippled background. Bucher was a retailer who stamped wares with his own mark, even though they were actually made by Jenkins, Armiger, Schofield or other leading Baltimore silversmiths of the day. The treatment of the chamomile blossoms and the use of cyma scrolls in the narrow borders are distinctly similar to Jenkins’ work, but the use of ferns amongst the foliage is more often seen in Armiger’s. The liner is opaque white glass with a translucent pink border at the undulating, flaring rim, and appears to be original. The base is marked “F. Bucher & Sons. Sterling”.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 10-3/8” tall. Silver Weight: 161.4 grams.

A superb late 19th century first standard (950/1000 pure) silver berry spoon with a shell-form gilt bowl. These spoons were originally intended for serving strawberries. The front of the handle is decorated with a twisting wreath of holly leaves and berries, and the back with a similar wreath of thistles. The bowl is beautifully worked in the shape of a scallop shell. Improvements in agriculture and railways made strawberries widely available to the wealthy classes in the 1870s. Special implements such as this were needed to compete the experience. Today, it could be used for any sort of desert or even hors d’oeuvres. The spoon is stamped with French silver marks and with an illegible maker’s mark. The quality of workmanship is easily on par with the great makers such as Odiot and Puiforcat.

• Origin: France, ca. 1880.
• Dimensions: 8-3/4” long.
• Condition: mint; gilding completely intact.
• Weight: 99.5 grams.

Stunning single-vase epergne in blue opaline glass. The deeply ruffled edges of the trumpet vase contrasts with the gentler ruffle of the lower bowl. The coloring is particularly nice.

Origin: probably France, possibly England, c. 1840. Condition: the very bottom of the trumpet is broken off, but when the trumpet is in place, the break is below the juncture with the lower bowl and no problems are visible (there is a remote possibility that this damage was in the making); otherwise excellent. Size: 8-3/4" tall; 7" diam.

Handsome gilt bronze figure of a reclining dog (some variety of hound) mounted as a paperweight on a butterscotch marble base. The statue retains its original gilt surface and has achieved a very pleasing patina. The marble base is richly colored with gray veining.

Origin: France, circa 1850. Condition: some flaking to bottom edges of marble base, no cracks, no damage to bronze figure. Size: 4-1/4" x 2-3/8" x 2-1/4" tall.

An elegant first standard (950/1000 pure silver) French silver tastevin in typical 18th century Burgundian style. Rather than with the typical "perles" and fluted "godrons", the bowl of this tastevin is decorated with repousse grape leaves and berries in the 18th century style. This treatment is sometimes seen in tastevins made by Parrod, but the particular decoration is different than any other we've seen. Similarly, the handle, in the form of two duck heads grasping an apple is a very exaggerated variation of the usual form seen on tastevins from Lyon. The base is fully hallmarked and has an unidentified silversmith's mark "M tête grec D".

Origin: France, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 3-3/16" diameter (excluding handle). Weight: 72.3 grams.

A very pretty early 20th century French silver tastevin in the style typical of Dijon in the Burgundy region of France. This style retains the usual convex base surrounded by a wreath of “perles”, but the gadrooning (“godrons”) along the side have been replaced with a decoration of very finely worked grape leaves and clusters of fruit. The handle, also in typical Burgundian style, represents two snakes with the heads of ducks grasping the forbidden apple between their beaks. Although the maker’s mark on the bottom is illegible, the quality of workmanship suggests that this tastevin may be have been made by Orfevres Parrod, one of the most important silversmiths in the region and a house particularly noted for its tastevins.

Origin: France, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no dings. Size: 2-5/16” diameter (excluding handle) x 13/16”. Weight: 33.4 grams.

An elegant second standard (800/1000 pure silver) French tastevin. Rather than the typical “perles,” "coupules," and fluted “godrons”, the bowl is decorated with repousse grape leaves and berries in the 18th century style. This treatment is sometimes seen in tastevins made by Marc Parrod, one of the most influential makers of tastevins in the early 20th century. The handle is in the traditional form of two entwined duck-headed snakes grasping an apple in their mouths, thought to represent the snake and apple from the Garden of Evil, thus reminding drinkers of temptation and sin. The tastevin is fully hallmarked and has an illegible maker’s mark, possibly Parrod's.

• Origin: France, ca. 1910
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail
• Dimensions: 3-5/16” x 4-1/4” x 15/16”
• Weight: 55.3 grams

An elegant second standard (800/1000 pour silver) French tastevin. Rather than the typical "perles" and fluted "godrons," the bowl is decorated with repousse grape leaves, berries and shells in the 18th century style. This treatment is sometimes seen in tastevins made by Parrod, one of the most influential makers of tastevins in the 19th and 20th centuries. The single snake handle, thought to represent the snake from the Garden of Eden reminding drinkers of temptation, has an unusually well-detailed head. The tastevin is fully hallmarked and has an illegible maker's mark, possibly Parrod's.

• Origin: France, ca. 1925
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail
• Dimensions: 3-1/4" x 4-1/4" x 15/15"
• Weight: 55.9 grams

An elegant second standard (800/1000 pure silver) French tastevin. Rather than the typical “perles” and fluted “godrons”, the bowl is decorated with repousse grape leaves and berries in the 18th century style. This treatment is sometimes seen in tastevins made by Parrod, one of the most influential makers of tastevins in the 19th and 20th centuries. The single snake handle, thought to represent the snake from the Garden of Eden, thus reminding drinkers of temptation, has an unusually well-detailed head. The tastevin is fully hallmarked and has an illegible maker’s mark, possibly Parrod’s.

• Origin: France, ca. 1925
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail
• Dimensions: 3-5/16” x 4-1/4” x 15/16”
• Weight: 58.8 grams

An elegant second standard (800/1000 pure silver) French tastevin. The bowl is engraved with repousse grape clusters and leaves in the 18th century style, but also with the more traditional raised “perles” and “coupules” seen in 19th century examples. The combination of the two is quite unusual. The handle is in the form of two snakes grasping an apple between their jaws—an element thought to stem from the Garden of Eden and intended to remind drinkers of temptation. The tastevin bears regional hallmarks for second standard silver and an unknown maker’s mark (J ancre de marine P). The pinpoint in the bottom of the bowl is a lathe-mark and suggests a date of the mid-19th century at the latest. The rim is engraved with the name of the original owner, “Ane [Antoine] Mouly-Chambon de Chas.”

• Origin: France, Burgundy region, ca 1840
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 3-1/8” x 4-1/4” x 1-5/32”
• Weight: 118.4 grams

A wonderful French first empire tole ware monteith, the sides hand painted with bouquets of colorful flowers against ivory-colored reserves flanked by gilt grapevine designs. The sides rise to handles cast in the form of swans’ heads--a feature very rarely seen. Verrieres are typically oval in shape, but this example is round. The bowl is unusually raised on four lion’s paw brass feet. As a whole, this is one of the more elegant and interesting early tole verrieres or monteiths we’ve seen.

Elegant glassware was a luxury and even the wealthy didn’t have enough to provide a fresh glass with each different wine course during a formal dinner. The monteith or verriere contained water, and the guests’ glasses could be hung from the notched rim to be rinsed in the communal bath. Sometimes, the vessel was filled with cold water and the glasses were simply hung there to be chilled before the service.

Origin: France, ca. 1800. Condition: excellent original paint with slight loss to one bouquet, the interior shows surface rust as expected; three of the notches seem to have been bent and then straightened out again, but this appears to have happened long ago and without any re-painting. Size: 9-1/4" x 12-5/8" at handles; 4-1/2" high (6-1/4" at handles).

Very rare heart shaped gilt bronze-mounted dresser tray with handmade lace insert. This is the only heart-shaped dresser tray I've ever seen. Marked on the bottom "France."

Origin: France, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, but could use some cleaning. Size: 10-3/4" x 8-1/2" x 1".

Extraordinary French bronze jewel box in the Louis XVI style. The lid has a bas-relief design illustrating a boating party preparing to pass below an aqueduct. A city rises in the distance, while the foreground is populated with very detailed trees and shrubs. The scene is draped in fabric, tied at the corners with ribbon and surmounted with a laurel wreath intertwined with a torch and staff, typical Louis XVI devices. The sides are decorated with beautifully detailed swags of roses. Boxes of this type were often souvenirs of the Grand Tour of Europe. They often depicted ancient carvings or sometimes popular artworks. The specific subject of this box is unknown.

Origin: France, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent, the interior lining is a replacement. Size: 4-1/2” x 3” x 2-3/4” high.