Catalog (971)

An extremely fine pair of American folk art mourning pictures. The paintings are watercolor and gouache (to highlight skin areas) on heavy stock or card. The oval format work shows a sad woman holding a hat with a dog at her feet. In the background are what appear to be a number of monuments. The round format shows two young girls with a dove in a cage and two others they have just set free. The doves symbolically represent the release of the spirit or soul. The atmosphere that the artist impart...

This striking and well executed miniature watercolor painting, on natural organic material, depicts a blue-eyed handsome young gentleman. He is wearing a black coat and tie, white shirt with a stickpin, and is sporting a fashionable hairstyle for the times.

The sight size of the painting is 2 1/2" by 2". It is housed in its original cast brass locket which is 2 5/8" by 2 1/8", and, in the engine turned back, has a glazed aperture containing a woven plait of hair. Below this aperture is e...

A charming folk art, watercolor on paper, portrait of a very pretty young woman. She is wearing a mourning band on each arm, and is sitting quietly on a chair, with the sheet music of "The Julia Polka" on her lap. Since the painting is titled, in pencil along the lower margin, "Julia ???", the most likely explanation is that this is Julia, mourning for the loved one who probably wrote the song for her. Rather than sadness, however, the painting conveys a feeling of pensiveness and serenity.

Th...

A folky miniature portrait painting of a young man. With his stylish hairdo, high collar, and patterned vest, and pin, the gentleman exemplifies a dandy of the time. The blue hues in the background provide a striking contrast to the relatively monochromatic tones of the sitter.

The miniature is 2 3/8" by 1 3/4" and is housed in its original 2 1/2" by 2" brass case, which also has a lock of hair in the rear aperture. Condition is excellent, with no cracks, bowing, or paint flaking.

A very fine American portrait miniature painting, on natural organic material, of a young man attired in the latest fashion of his period, wearing a brown vest and velvet collar coat.

The miniature is 2 inches by 1 1/2 inches sight size and the deep purple velvet-lined thermoplastic case it is in is 3 inches by 2 1/2 inches. The piece is in superb condition, with no cracks, chips, bowing, or inpainting. The case, with its gilt brass liner, has only a tiny nick at one point on the edge and is ...

A charming miniature portrait, on natural organic material, of a child, signed Mercier for Mlle Hyacinthe Mercier.

The painting is in excellent condition, and is housed in its original silver and embossed tortoise shell frame. The shell portion has two unimportant splits, visible at 6 and 9 o'clock in the photo. Sight size of this little gem is 1 7/8 inches by 1 1/2 inches, while the frame size is 3 3/8 inches by 3 inches.

Mlle Hyacinth Mercier worked as a miniaturist in Paris, living at 27...

A simple but elegant brandy warmer with beaded lid and base rims, the thumb rest on the lid molded as a scallop shell, the angled handle of aged wood with a nice patina.

The piece is 3 3/8" tall, and 2 7/8" wide, 5 1/8" wide including the handle. Excellent condition.

A beautiful set of 6 Art Nouveau studs or buttons, each with a bas relief image of a woman playing a lyre. They bear the hallmarks for Birmingham sterling silver, 1907, and the maker's initials, "R & W". Accompanying the buttons are the sterling silver cross pins that go through the rear loop. All these are housed in the original leather case with velvet lining.

The buttons are 5/8" in diameter, and in excellent condition. There is one cross pin missing. The yellowish cast in the close-up is d...

A fine miniature portrait painting, on natural organic material, done by John Alexander McDougall. The sitter is a distinguished gentleman dressed fashionably in a ruffled blue shirt, light blue vest, and black coat.

The miniature is in excellent condition, with no problems or restoration. The brass case is also without flaws. The photo of the back does appear to have blemishes, but these are label residues. Sight size is 3 1/4" by 2 1/2" .

MacDougall was born in New Jersey in 1810, and pri...

A rare crusie lamp with hanger, dating from the 1st quarter of the 19th century or earlier. The bowls of these lamps were filled with fish oil or mutton fat with wicks of peeled rushes. Crusie lamps were the precursors to Betty lamps and were generally made of iron or tin. To find one made of brass, and with its original hanger, is extremely uncommon.

The condition of the lamp and hanger is quite good, with normal evidence of wear. There is a 1/2" by 3/16" piece broken out of the very end of ...

An unusual pair of large iron shears with a wonderful surface. Excellent condition and movement. 16 inches long by 5 inches wide.

A wonderful American folk art portrait of a Methodist minister painted by Ammi Phillips (1788–1865). The distinguished gentleman is sitting at a table, with his hand holding a pair of spectacles and resting on a Methodist hymnal. The finely rendered depiction of the large dominating figure with dark clothing emphasizes the gravitas of the sitter.

The painting is 32 5/8 inches by 27 1/4 inches sight size, and 37 7/8 inches by 32 3/4 inches framed size. The painting is in overall excellent co...

A fine and charming watercolor on paper portrait of a mother and daughter, the daughter with a book and an apple. Sight size is 5 3/4 inches by 4 1/4 inches, while the framed size is 9 5/8 inches by 8 inches.

The portrait is in excellent condition, although the photos exaggerate some very minor toning. The bird's eye maple frame, which is not new and might be original, is also in excellent condition.

A beautiful and striking tall pair of brass push-up pulpit candlesticks with dish bases. Made in England, c1820. These elegant sticks have sets of scribed lines at intervals along the column, and wonderfully crafted joinings.

Excellent condition, with fully working slides. 17 1/2 inches tall, and a base diameter of 6 5/8 inches.

An English 18th century porcelain pickle dish made at the Limehouse Manufactory, in perfect condition. This exceptionally rare piece is molded in the form of a scallop shell, and is painted in underglaze blue, based on a K'ang Hsi pattern, with a Chinese vase containing two feathers. The vase is in front of a partially unrolled scroll, with an insect to the right and three flocks of birds in the distance. The border has three feathers entwined with ribbons, while the reverse has two branches of ...

A Samuel Gilbody of Liverpool porcelain small mug or coffee can with a flattened round loop handle and a flat unglazed base. Painted in famille rose colors with stylized peonies and a prunus bough issuing from a jardiniere. There are sacred Chinese scrolls and a larger peony spray to the right. The interior of the rim has a diaper border with prunus blossoms.

A similar mug was sold during the Watney Collection auctions, and the pattern is also illustrated in the Gilbody section in "Liverpool ...

An 18th century beautiful and uncommon Dr. Wall Worcester coffee cup of fluted French shape with a classical urn, swags, grapes and other fruit hand painted on it. The colors are vibrant, and the condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. The gilding is also in wonderful shape, with only a few scattered traces of loss on the rim, visible only under magnification. The cup is 2 5/8 inches tall, with a diameter of 2 3/8 inches.

A nice English double series opaque twist (DSOT) wine glass, c 1765. This glass features a flared bucket bowl over a stem containing a 12 ply spiral band ouside of a pair of spiral tapes. The conical foot has a rough, snapped pontil.

The height is 6 1/2 inches, the bowl diameter is 2 3/4 inches, and the foot diameter is 3 1/16 inches. No repairs or condition problems.