Catalog (971)

A striking antique English porcelain coffee cup. Made at the Worcester factory during the Dr. Wall, or First Period, it is painted with the Pu Tai pattern in beautiful, bright enamels. It shows Pu-Tai, also known as the Laughing Buddha, seated, with two attendants. The cup has a slightly everted rim, a handle of the grooved loop type, and the interior border is gilded in addition to the iron red enamel.

The cup is 2 3/8" tall, with a top diameter of 2 1/8". Condition is superb, looking factor...

An extremely fine NLB Newcastle light baluster wine glass with superb engraving of two clasped hands. Jacob Sang often used such a motif and the engraving is definitely of Sang quality, though, being unsigned, it is impossible to definitely attribute it to him. The pointed round funnel bowl sits atop a stem with a shoulder knop and a tear-filled medial inverted baluster knop. A basal knop is above the conical foot, which has a rough, snapped pontil.

In excellent condition, with no chips, crack...

This is a wonderful pair of Derby putti disguised as flower sellers, dating from the 1770 period. The figures are mirror images of each other, as true pairs should be. Each putti has a basket of flowers over one arm, while a single flower is held in the hand of the other arm. The height is 5 1/2", considerably larger than the usual putti. The bottoms display the patch marks typical of Derby during this period of manufacture.

The colors, which are bright, vibrant, unscratched and not at a...

A stunning pair of elaborately metal-worked brass candlesticks in superb condition with removable bobeches. 9 3/4" tall

A beautifully executed miniature folk art watercolor on paper portrait by J. H. Gillespie, housed in a metal locket with a black card backing.

Condition is excellent with no paint loss, tears, folds, foxing, or restoration. The piece is 2 3/4 inches by 2 3/8 inches.

NOTE: Gillespie was active on the East Coast of North America, Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia around the 1829-1838 time period. He painted miniature portraits and silhouettes very carefully, and with great attention to ...

A well done miniature portrait painting on natural organic material, with the sitter being Bishop William White. This piece was done based on the original work painted in enamel on copper by William Birch in 1830. This example kept very true to the original.

The painting is in excellent condition, as is its original velvet travel case, although the photo is not of the highest quality. Sight size is 1 3/8" by 1 1/8".

NOTE: William White (1748-1836) was the first bishop of the Protestant Episc...

This charming tea bowl is decorated with a Chinoiserie scene with three figures, one of them holding a bird. It dates from around 1775, and exemplifies the motifs that were so popular in that period. The interior has an iron-red border and sprig at the bottom of the bowl.

The bowl is 3 1/8" in diameter and 1 3/4" high. Condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, restorations, etc. There is some speckling, which is not at all uncommon, and the green in the robe of one of the figures fire...

This is an extremely fine early 19th century balustroid wine glass made in the 18th century style. It is lead glass, and has a large funnel bowl which sits atop a triple ring collar, below which is a center section of an unusual and uncommon cylinder knop, followed by two angular knops. It has a conical folded foot with a rough, snapped pontil.

The glass is in perfect condition, with no restoration, and displays good tooling marks and striations throughout. The height is 6 1/8", the bowl ...

A fine little dish in what is often called Leeds feather edge. Accurately speaking, this is not a true Leeds feather edge piece, but is an English pearlware pickle leaf dish with blue edge decoration. The terms Leeds and feather edge are, unfortunately, generally misused to describe any piece of pottery with a decorated edge. What can be said about this piece is that it is of a beautiful form, with a delicate tracery of veins in its naturalistic modeling, and, contrary to virtually all dish...

A wonderful PA or New England document box inlaid with various woods and elaborately painted with stars, squares, circles, etc. All original, including surface; truly minor nicks and wear; 12" by 7" by 4 1/4".

This actual box is illustrated in the book "19th Century Wooden Boxes", by Arene Burgess

An interesting pair of miniature portraits, painted on organic wafer. Framed in a slightly different manner, there is no question these were done by the same artist at the same time.

Fairchild is an obscure artist, with very few, if any, signed works. This attribution is based on the similarity in technique to an example in a book by Bolton, and information that the pair came from a couple living in CT who are purportedly descendants of the artist.

No condition issues to speak of, with...

An elegant and beautiful lead Jacobite toasting glass engraved by "Engraver B" in Seddon's book. The drawn trumpet bowl has a 6 petal rose, an open rose bud to its left, and a closed rose bud to its right.

Over the years there have been various interpretations of these symbols, and even now it can be argued that the rose represents either the Crown of England or James, the Old Pretender. The open bud can represent The Old Pretender, or Prince Charles, or Prince Henry, while the closed bud can...

The most common type of air twist found in mid-18th century English glasses is the multiple spiral air twist (MSAT). Double series air twists are occasionally found, but triple series twists are incredibly rare, with very few still in existence. This particular example has an ogee bowl leading into a stem with a central air core surrounded by a two ply heavy thread which is in turn surrounded by a three ply heavy thread. Because of the complexity of this, the third photo is a very large close...

A nice miniature painting done, in watercolor on natural material, by Ebenezer Mack. The sitter is dressed in a black jacket, and a white vest, shirt, and stock. Housed in its original gold case.

Although all of Mack's works are quite naïvely rendered, this example is even more primitive than most, indicating that it was done quite early in his career, probably in the 1785 time frame. His works are very rare, and he did not sign his paintings. His works have a similarity in some cases to tho...

A rare Worcester coffee cup with a slightly flaring rim, a grooved loop handle, and incurving toward the base. Painted in the famille verte palette and displaying chrysanthemums growing from a large triangular rock in a landscape which also features other flowers. This wonderful piece has a panelled green diaper border and a red flower sprig on the inside base.

An identical cup sold as lot 586, Watney II, Bonham's 5/10/2000 for 4500 pounds ($6893) including premium. As far as has been de...

An exceedingly rare beaded purse with multicolored glass beads on a leather base, and with beaded and wood toggle closures. This early purse might be unique because of its age and that the date is actually worked into the decoration as part of the phrase "Gift of a Friend 1632". The interior of the purse is of a very soft, fine leather, probably deerskin or lambskin.

Especially considering its age the purse is in excellent and exceptional condition, with all the beadwork present. One of the ...

A beautiful and extremely rare cider, or cyder, glass, featuring an elongated funnel bowl with very fine engraving of the word "cyder" and a fruiting bough with apples and leaves. The stem is surmounted with a double collar and contains a single series air twist (SSAT) with a 5 ply band. The form of this glass, combined with the rarity of any true cider glass, make this a highly desirable specimen.

The glass stands a goodly 6 7/8" tall, with a bowl diameter of 2 1/2" and a foot diameter of 2 1...

A fine portrait miniature painted by William Lewis. The sitter is an attractive gentleman in a black coat, white vest, stock, and shirt, the latter highlighted with a stick pin containing three rubies. It should be noted that the technique and facial structure of this painting is at a higher level than Lewis' works display (see Note 2 below).

Excellent condition with no issues. Sight size is 2 3/8" by 1 7/8", and the later frame is 2 5/8" by 2 1/4".

BIOPGRAPHICAL NOTES: 1. William Lew...

A truly spectacular example of early Roman glass, being a sea-green bowl of shallow rounded form with a smooth edge and 28 exterior pronounced ribs converging at the bottom. A wheel cut triple band circles the lower flattened section of the bowl.

The diameter at the top rim is 6 1/8", and the height is 1 3/8". The condition of the bowl is superb, with no chips, cracks, or restoration and displaying a wonderful iridescence. I have shown a number of photos below in different lighting and angles...

A truly striking reverse-painted game board featuring a rainbow of colors and a highly unusual mottled border. In pristine condition, and housed in its original wood frame.

22" by 22" by 1 1/2" high.

An extremely fine miniature portrait by John Henry Brown, done in watercolors on natural material. One of the best examples of his skill, showing an attractive woman, beautifully painted. Adding to the importance of this piece is that Brown used a trompe l'oeil technique in painting what appears to be matting around the portrait. Signed "J Brown Pinxt" lower left along the curved line of the matte. Inside the case was a piece of paper with information about the sitter: "Mary E. Mathias Lancas...

A German goblet from the Potsdam area, of potash glass. The overly large funnel bowl, profusely engraved with flowers and leaves, sits atop a merise which in turn sits atop a huge teared and notched baluster knop. The merise is of triangular form which might be due to cutting to symmetrize a chip.

Excellent overall condition. 7 1/8" tall, 4 3/8" diameter bowl, 5" diameter foot.

A beautifully painted miniature by Enrichetta Koelman, nee Narducci. Done in watercolor on organic material, it depicts a nice looking gentleman attired in a brown coat and black tie. It is carefully signed along the left edge "1850 Enrichetta Koelman f(ecit)". The painting is mounted in a 14k or 18k gold surround with a wide filigreed depth at the sides, a pin on the reverse, and a mother-of-pearl backing.

The condition is excellent, with no flaws. The size is 2" by 1 1/2" The depth is 1/8"....

A beautiful Bohemian wine glass with panelled sides, a bowl wonderfully engraved with a woman seated in a garden, a facet cut stem, and elongated rondels cut into the folded foot; 5 7/8" tall, 2 1/2" diameter bowl, 2 7/8" diameter foot

A fine and beautiful balustroid type ale or large wine glass, of lead metal. The pointed round funnel bowl, which has close wrythening, flares slightly, making it almost a bell bowl, and sits atop a stem with a wrythened flattened shoulder knop and a wrythened basal knop. The stem also has close wrythening. Such a stem is often referred to as rib-twisted.

The glass is in superb condition, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. It is 5 3/4" tall, and has a 2 1/2" diameter bowl, and a 2 1/2" di...

An elegant and superbly proportioned antique English toasting wine glass with a a drawn flared trumpet bowl atop a plain stem and conical foot; rough pontil. A beautiful, tall, and graceful glass, and quite uncommon in lead, as this one is.

7 1/8 inches tall, 2 5/8 inch bowl diameter, 3 1/8 inch foot diameter. No condition issues.

A fine miniature portrait painting done in watercolor on organic material. The young boy, wearing a black hat, white coat, and coral sash, is posed against a background of a blue sky and a tree. The artist has cleverly painted the tree branch to arc over the boy's head, creating a natural framing effect and drawing the eye to the center of the work.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no flaws, and is housed in its original silver case, which measures 1 7/8" by 1 5/8".

A nicely proportioned lead wine glass, the ogee bowl with rib molding above a double series opaque twist (DSOT) stem comprised of two spiral threads around a central gauze; conical foot with rough snapped pontil. Perfect condition.

6 1/8" tall, 1 7/8" bowl diameter, 2 11/16" foot diameter

A superb double series opaque twist 5 ring Lynn glass with a 4 ply gauze surrounded by a lace tape. Conical foot with rough pontil. Supposedly, this has a minute foot chip, but I have not been able to find it, despite very careful examination.

5 5/8" tall, 2" diameter bowl, 2 3/4" diameter foot

A beautifully formed double series opaque twist (DSOT) firing glass of dram size. The ogee bowl with basal fluting surmounts a stem containing 4 spiral threads outside of an inner gauze. The extremely thick foot has a crescent shaped bubble in it which is totally internal and does not break the top or bottom surface.

The glass is 4 3/8 inches tall, with a bowl diameter of 2 inches and a foot diameter of 2 5/8 inches. Rough, snapped pontil. Excellent condition with no chips, polishing, or repa...

A nicely painted portrait of a woman in white, including her lace edged gown, lace edged scarf, and turban. The artist clearly used a monochromatic palette to convey a sense of simplicity and serenity in the sitter, identified on the reverse as a Mrs. Hobbs, or Hobby.

Painted with watercolors on organic wafer, the miniature is housed iin a later case which is gold over silver (vermeil), and has hallmarks indicating it is sterling silver made in London with the maker's mark of JHP. Fine condi...

A fine antique baluster drinking glass of the type often referred to known as being "Kit-cat" glass. The form is a drawn trumpet bowl with a medial inverted baluster knop in the plain stem. The foot is folded with a rough, snapped pontil.

The height of the glass is 6 5/8", with a bowl diameter of 2 5/8" and a foot diameter of 2 7/8". The condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, haze, or restoration.

NOTES: 1. Though this form is quite often called a "Kit-cat" (or Kit-Kat), and accep...

A fine and unusual antique English drinking glass of Jacobite significance. The round funnel bowl is beautifully engraved with a rose, a bud to the right, a butterfly, and foliage. The stem is of the double series air twist type, quite uncommon because of the configuration of a pair of mercury corkscrews outside of a central cable. Conical foot with a rough snapped pontil. Lead metal with good color, striations, and tooling marks.

The condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, or restorat...

A rare and early English heavy baluster wine glass of beautiful proportions and stance. It has a trumpet bowl with a markedly solid base containing a tear over an angular teared knop, and a basal knop over a domed and folded foot. The height is 6 inches and there are no flaws or restorations. This is a superb early glass of dark metal and heavy weight.

A beautiful green English balustroid wine glass with a hollow stem. The cup bowl is over a shoulder cylinder knop which sits atop an egg knop. The stem is finished off with a true baluster knop above a high domed foot.

The glass is of lead metal, is 6 1/16 inches tall, with a bowl diameter of 2 5/16 inches and a foot diameter of 2 13/16 inches. Perfect condition with no restorations.

Note: Glasses of this type were primarily sold as export to the continental market in the 1760 - 1770 period.

A beautifully proportioned and rare English glass cordial. The small bucket bowl on a long stem with a single series opaque twist comprised of 4 fine spiral gauzes, all above a high domed (helmet) foot. 6 3/8 inches in height, bowl diameter 1 3/4 inches, foot diameter 2 1/2 inches.