Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art (543)

A fine pottery dark blue and white Staffordshire platter, transfer printed in the "Birds and Fruit" pattern. Unmarked except for an impressed "12" on the reverse, but attributed to John Hall & Sons, Burslem, England.

The central scene features two birds amidst a panoply of fruit, including pears, strawberries, blackberries, grapes, etc. The cavetto and wide rim has a border of flowers and foliage...

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...

A fine example of early American folk art. Generally classed as fraktur type, paintings such as these were done by children, and were often, as this one was, painted on a page from a ledger or notebook. This particular piece is a charming depiction of an eagle, and is housed in a period frame with good surface.

The painting is in very good condition, with good color, and no tears or creases...

A fine example of early American folk art. Generally classed as fraktur type, paintings such as these were done by children, and were often, as this one was, painted on a page from a ledger or notebook. This particular piece is a charming depiction of a horse, and is housed in a period frame with a wonder crusty surface.

The painting is in very good condition, with good color, and no tears or creases...

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...

A wonderful Barr Flight Barr Worcester porcelain coffee can painted by Thomas Baxter or William Doe, the two Worcester decorators who did the finest feather painting. This beautiful example features 4 glorious feathers, a gilded Greek key border, and a gilded ring handle. The bottom is marked with an impressed crown above "BFB".

The condition of this little gem is superb, looking fresh from the factory with absolutely no issues. The height is 2 3/8" with a diameter of 2 1/2"

An elegant and finely proportioned antique English toasting wine glass with a drawn flared trumpet bowl atop a plain stem and conical foot. Lead metal with a rough snapped pontil. A beautiful and graceful glass, and quite uncommon in lead.

7 1/4 inches tall, 2 3/4 inch bowl diameter, 2 7/8 inch foot diameter. No condition issues.

A charming example of Abraham Parsell's ability to capture the essential characteristic of a sitter and portray them in a wonderful naïve manner. In the miniature portrait presented here we have a young man with striking blue eyes and a mound of curly hair. He is attired in a dark brown jacket, black vest, and white tie and shirt.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no cracks, chips, bowing, fading, etc...

A superb Derby porcelain coffee can displaying a scene of two people on a hillside looking at a town in the distance. The scene is identified in blue script on the bottom as "Near Breadsall", Derbyshire" along with the pattern number 531 and the Derby crossed batons and crown mark...

A naïve portrait of a young man holding a book, done in watercolor, ink, and pencil. Although unsigned, every characteristic of J.A. Davis' work is present, from the materials used to the composition, to the painting technique. Similar to lot 834 at the Sotheby's 1/25/15 auction and to lots 119 and 120 at the Skinner 11/2/18 sale. .

Excellent condition with no tears, folds, or restoration...

A beautiful lobed Chelsea porcelain plate, fulsomely decorated with a variety of flowers in a panoply of colors. The reverse with an anchor mark and three stilt marks.

Excellent condition with bright colors, no chips, cracks, or restoration. 8 1/4" diameter.

A pair of extremely large antique English drinking glasses, each with a bucket bowl on a plain stem. Glasses of this size in this form are quite uncommon, and it is very unusual to find a pair. Good color, striations, and tooling marks. Rough snapped pontil.

Their condition is excellent, with no problems whatsoever. A museum label remains on the foot of one of the glasses. The height is 8", with bowl and foot diameters of 3 3/4".

A beautiful and unusual English double series opaque twist (dsot) wine goblet, the large ogee bowl with honeycomb molding above a stem containing a solid multi-ply spiral band outside of a pair of heavy spiral threads. A substantial conical foot with rough, snapped pontil.

This fine example has wonderful color, striations, and tooling marks, and is in excellent condition with no flaws. The height is 7 1/2", with a bowl diameter of 3 3/8" and a foot diameter of 3 3/5".

A First Period Dr. Wall Worcester teabowl, of octagonal form, with a slightly everted rim, printed in outline and delicately hand coloured with the "Red Bull" pattern, the borders with half flowerheads alternating with green diaper panels. This is the rare early version of this pattern when Worcester first started using printed patterns. The pattern is based on a Chinese famille rose design from the Yongzheng period and appears circa 1754-56...

A fine Dr. Wall (First Period) Worcester pickle leaf dish in the "Pickle Leaf Vine" pattern, showing flowers and vines within a feuil-de-choix border, and with a workman's mark on the reverse. Excellent condition with no cracks, chips, paint loss, or restoration. The white areas at places along the edge are light reflections. Length 3 1/4", and width 3 1/2".

A beautiful Georgian ratafia glass featuring an extremely narrow drawn trumpet bowl engraved with flowers and leaves. For the same glass see plate #336 in "Eighteenth Century English Drinking Glasses" by L.M. Bickerton, published by the Antique Collectors' Club.

Conical foot with rough pontil. The glass is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, cloudiness, or restoration. Good color, striations, and tooling marks...

A well proportioned baluster glass featuring a trumpet bowl raised on a drawn stem with a large annular medial knop. A virtually identical glass is classified in Bickerton's "Eighteenth Century English Drinking Glasses" as a heavy baluster. Conical folded foot with a rough snapped pontil.

Excellent condition with no chips, cracks, hazing, or restoration. The height is 6 1/2", with a bowl diameter of 2 5/8" and a foot diameter of 2 3/4". Ex collection of Tony Stout.

One of the best incised twist glasses you will find, superb in its simple elegance and craftsmanship. The hammered trumpet bowl leads into a stem with tight and beautifully fashioned twists. Conical foot with a rough, snapped pontil.

Wonderful color, tooling marks, and striations. No condition problems at all. Added to this is the unusual height of the glass, at 7 1/4". The bowl diameter is 2 1/2", and the foot diameter is 2 7/8".

A fine pan-topped square bucket bowl glass engraved with a fruiting vine having polished grapes, raised on a stem containing a multi-spiral air twist. Conical foot with polished pontil. Condition is excellent with no flaws...

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 naïve folk portrait profile of a gentleman, signed on the reverse by the artist Samuel Rowell. In the same hand is the location of Amesbury, Mass, and the name of the sitter, Moses Henderson.

The painting is on card, done in watercolor with gum arabic highlights, and is in the original gilded wood frame. An additional piece of glass has been put on the back to protect the written information.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no folds, tears, or staining. There is a v...

An elegant and beautiful English ratafia DSOT (double series opaque twist) glass. Ratafia glasses are quite uncommon, and this is a particularly fine example. The elongated conical bowl is has molded flutes in the lower three quarters and leads into a stem with a 14-ply spiral band outside of a pair of spiral tapes.

This glass is in perfect condition with no chips, cracks, or restoration. The proportions are excellent, with a height of 6 7/8 inches, a bowl diameter of 1 9/16 inches, and a f...

A superb Dr. Wall First Period Worcester porcelain tea canister of oval and fluted "French" shape. This beautiful example is decorated below the neck with a border of deep blue edged with foliate gilding. the body divided into 3 sections by green columns enhanced with a dot design and edged with gilding. Each of the body sections having pendant floral sprays, with the bottom portion of the canister having a wide gilt-edged green border. In contrast to the great majority of surviving tea canister...

A fine and rare Bow porcelain coffee cup and saucer painted with the "Dragon Chasing (the Flaming) Pearl (of Wisdom). The interior of the cup also shows the dragon, while the exterior of the saucer is painted with clouds. One of the ways to distinguish this early Bow version is the arrow shaped tongue emanating from the mouth of the dragon. The pieces are very finely potted, and each has a workman's number 13 on the bottom. The handle of the cup is of the crabstock or twig form.

The condition ...

This beautiful example of an 18th century English cordial features a round funnel bowl engraved with a flowering rose on a leafed stem with thorns. The stem is a double series opaque twist (dsot) composed of a multi-ply spiral band around a pair of heavy spiral threads. The foot is of the uncommon domed helmet form with a rough snapped pontil. Lead glass with good color, striations, and tooling marks.

Condition is flawless, with no chips, cracks, scratches, or restoration. The pinkish tone in ...

A fine and uncommon toastmaster's baluster type glass featuring a deceptive waisted bucket bowl above a collar. The stem has a medial swelling knop and a basal knop. A wide foot with a rough snapped pontil gives this glass a wonderful stateliness. Great color, striations, and tool marks, with a real heft to the weight. For a virtually identical example see Bickerton, the 1987 edition, item #187. Also, Bonhams 11/20/19 sale, lot 99, had a shorter example with a less developed bowl that sold for $...

An extremely rare firing glass of drawn trumpet form. The bowl is engraved "The Friendly Hunt". The condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, restoration or other problems. Lead glass with good color, striations, and tool marks. The height is 3 1/2", with a bowl diameter of 2 1/8" and a foot diameter of 2 1/4".

The Victoria and Albert Museum has a virtually identical piece, their catalog number C.2571925, and described the engraving as most likely referencing a Jacobite hunting club.

A fine and very uncommon opalescent stem double series opaque twist (DSOT) Georgian wine glass. The round funnel bowl is engraved with leaves and a budding rose on one side, and a shrub on the other. The stem has a pair of 11 ply spiral bands outside of a central corkscrew. Conical foot with rough, snapped pontil.

There are no condition issues or flaws in this glass. The height is 6 1/4", with a bowl diameter of 2" and a foot diameter of 3".

NOTE: The opalescent color is produced by i...

A large and exceptional example of fine American tinsel or foil painting featuring a pair of pheasants on branches, surrounded by a wreath of flowers. The scene has the rare "snowflake" type of background. Although tinsel painting was at its height in America from 1850 to 1890 the snowflake technique appears to have been done primarily in the 1870's period.

The sight size is 19 5/8" by 15 3/4", with a framed size of 23 1/4" by 19 1/4". The condition is excellent, with no cracks or breaks, nor...

As mentioned for other similar items on the site, 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. This particular plate was made by Riley, and is indicated as such with an impressed mark on the back. Being able to identify the maker does increase the value to some extent. Also, green-edged wares are considerably less common than blue.

Thi...

A striking oil on canvas rendering of Antietam Bridge done 24 years after the infamous Civil War battle. Signed at the lower right "J.A. Ashley 86". The reverse of the painting is titled by the artist "Antitam Bridge and Battleground 1882." Depicting an idyllic scene, so much in contrast with the horrific battle 20 years earlier, the painting shows grazing cows in the foreground, the stone bridge with covered wagons traversing it, and houses in the background.

The condition of the painting is ...

A beautiful and profusely engraved air twist Georgian drinking glass, the bell bowl depicting a woman holding a branch and a cornucopia, with packages and maritime instruments cascading from it, the figure flanked by trees. The two line inscription below the rim "devrede stort op aarde weer, de koopman schap en konsten neer" translates as "When peace is upon the earth commerce and the arts will blossom." The stem contains a multiple-spiral air twist and has a medial swelled knop. The foot is of ...

A fine baluster wine glass with a solid base funnel bowl atop a stem with a teared acorn knop and a basal knop. Acorn knops are one of the least common formations in baluster glasses. The glass has a conical folded foot with a rough, snapped pontil.

The condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. There is a small enclosed pot stone at the rim, of no particular importance. This is shown, greatly enlarged, in the second photo. The height of the glass is 5 1/4", with a bowl dia...

A tall and beautiful antique English ale glass with a DSOT stem. The elongated ogee bowl is engraved below the rim with meandering branches of barley and hops. Midway down the bowl is a finely engraved bee. The stem contains a double series opaque twist comprised of a multi-ply band outside of a pair of spiral tapes. Conical foot with a rough, snapped pontil.

The glass is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. Good color, tool marks, and striations. The height is 8 1/4"...

A spectacular and rare 18th century Chelsea porcelain teabowl and saucer, each piece very finely and thinly potted and fulsomely painted with exotic birds and insects in landscapes, with a thin reddish-brown edge to the rims. The interior of the bowl has a flower sprig. Examples of this pattern are almost unheard of, and because of the superb technique, the painting was very probably done by Jeffrey Hamet O'Neal or William Duvivier. I cannot stress enough how striking these pieces are, and how ...

A wonderful example of this well-known and highly collected historical Staffordshire scene. This plate is 6 3/4" in diameter, with the impressed Clews mark on the reverse. The condition is superb, with deep color, high clarity, sparkling glaze, and no chips, cracks, scratches, or restoration. It is as fine an example as one could hope for.

The full title of the scene is "Landing of Gen. Lafayette at Castle Garden New York 16 August, 1824", and was produced for the American market to commemorat...

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 fine Derby porcelain dish painted by Zachariah Boreman, marked on the reverse with a blue crowned "D" and pattern number 343. The kidney-shaped dish has a beautiful soft green wide border with a gilded edge. The white ground within the green border has elaborate drape and swag gilding on the outside edge, and gilded foliage surrounding the kidney shaped cartouche in the center. The cartouche has a scene identified on the reverse as Solfatara, Italy. This central painting displays mountains, s...

A beautiful and elegant Dr. Wall First Period Worcester tankard, or mug, painted with the "Walk in the Garden" pattern, showing a "Long Eliza" figure holding a basket and a ruyi sceptre, the boy at her side with a speared bird, and birds in the branches of a fine tree on the reverse. The inside of the footrim has a workman's mark which appears to be IH or JH.

The mug is of quite a goodly size, being 4 3/4" in height. The condition is remarkable, looking factory fresh with crisp painting and n...

Superb antique English porcelain plates from the Worcester Flight, Barr and Barr factory. Placed on a gilded "seaweed" background, the central roundels depict exotic birds, beautifully painted by Charles Stinton, a well-known and highly acclaimed painter of birds.

One of the plates has the impressed crown and FBB mark, and the other has that mark and the red printed mark. Condition is mint, with no flaws of any kind, including all the gilding. The diameter of each plate is 8 3/4".

NOTES: 1. ...

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 large Saxon (German) hunting glass with a thistle bowl, beautifully engraved with a castle, a mounted horseman, 4 dogs, and two geese and with a facet cut lower section. The stem is facet cut with a large facet cut stepped angular knop. Folded foot.

Despite what it might seem in the poor photos, the glass is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, clouding, or restoration. The height is 8 1/4", with a bowl diameter of 3 1/8" and a foot diameter of 3 5/8".

The group of small porcelain items known as "toys" is composed of scent bottles, bonbonnieres, etuis, and seals. These were produced from the early years of Chelsea through to the Chelsea-Derby period. (The most comprehensive work on these items is "The Chelsea Porcelain Toys", by G.E. Bryant, published in 1925.)

Seals were carried by members of the upper class and used to imprint a uniquely identifiable mark in the wax used to sign or secure documents or letters. They were generally 7/8" t...

A fine example from the Quadrupeds Series, manufactured, primarily for the American market, by John Hall between 1802 and 1832. This particular piece depicts the pronghorn antelope, with a beaver, otter, coyote, and raccoon in the cartouches at the edge of the plate. Marked on the reverse a printed "Hall Quadrupeds".

The plate is 8" in diameter and is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, or restoration, and having the desirable deep blue ripple glaze.

En suite with p1108.

A wonderful Bow porcelain factory tea bowl painted in the "Jumping Boy" pattern. Although this pattern is occasionally found on Chaffers porcelain, and is not common, it appears to occur even much less frequently on Bow porcelain pieces. The potting is extremely thin and light. The painting, done in shades of dark and lighter blues, is extremely well done, and features a seated Oriental woman holding a sprig of flowers. To her left is the jumping boy, suspended in mid-air with a Chinese emblem a...

A beautiful Newcastle Light Baluster wine glass. Superbly Dutch engraved, as the best of these are, with the coat of arms of the province of Holland, the pointed round funnel bowl is on a stem with a teared baluster knop above a central annulated knop above a teared inverted baluster knop. Folded conical foot with a rough, snapped pontil.

The glass stands 7" tall, with a bowl diameter of 2 15/16" and a foot diameter of 3". Good color and tool marks, in excellent condition with no chips, cracks...

A beautiful and highly desirable Dr. Wall Worcester salt in the form of a scallop shell, the interior painted with an agitated bird amidst foliage with red berries, the rim shaded with pink, and the whole supported on a raised trefoil base applied with a variety of shells, seaweed, and coral in vibrant colors. The underside of the rim of the base marked with an impressed "T" for John Toulouse.

The overall condition is excellent, with a small, very tight, hardly visible hairline, about 3/4" whi...

A fine Chelsea porcelain finger bowl stand,with the red anchor mark and stilt marks on the reverse. Beautifully and softly painted with flowers and insects in the Meissen style. 6" in diameter and in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, or restoration.

An elaborate large German wine goblet, the round funnel bowl cut and etched with two winged figures clasping hands over an orb. The inscription on the reverse of the glass reads, in Old German: "unser freundschaft sol bestehn bis wir mit der welt vergehn", which translates to "our friendship shall remain until we leave this world". The beautifully cut stem is of the teared inverted baluster type. Folded foot with rough snapped pontil.

The glass is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks,...

An important Newcastle light baluster (NLB) antique wine glass of John Paul Jones American Revolutionary War interest. Round funnel bowl with the stem having a rare configuration of a teared and cushioned inverted baluster knop above a multi-teared inverted baluster knop, and a basal knop. The glass is from 1760, but the engraving was done about 20 years later, to commemorate the important events described below. The foot is conical with a rough snapped pontil. Condition is excellent, with no ch...

An elegant and rare Newcastle light baluster (NLB) antique English trick wine glass, with a round funnel bowl set on a tall stem with a shoulder annular knop above a knop, above a large, teared medial knop, finishing with a ball basal knop. Conical foot with rough snapped pontil.

The bowl is Dutch engraved with a band of leaves and flowerheads, with a sprig below. The "trick" to this glass is that it is a dribble glass, with holes in the center of three of the flowerheads. An unsuspecting gues...

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...

A rare and fine early English Derby porcelain miniature tea bowl and saucer, painted with roses and other flower sprigs, the rims of both in puce. Overall excellent condition, with good colors and paint integrity, no cracks or restoration, and only a tiny chip to the footrim of the bowl. The height of the bowl is 1", with a top diameter of 1 5/8". The saucer is 2 1/2" in diameter.

A lovely and rare Chaffers Liverpool porcelain miniature tea bowl, hand painted with three sprigs of flowers, the interior with a pair of leaves, the rim painted with a puce color. Condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. The enameling is vibrant with no loss. Apparent losses in some spots are due to lighting in the photos, and are not present in person. The height is 1" and the top diameter is 1 5/8".

A beautifully painted William Reid coffee cup with a large floral group and several smaller ones. Loop handle. The paste and glaze combination gives this cup a very distinct greenish gray appearance, not seen in other factories. It is difficult to capture the color properly in photos, but the first one shown in this listing comes closest to the actual color.

This piece is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, or restoration. It is 2 3/8" tall, with a diameter of 2 1/16" at the top.

This is a charming example of a Champion's Bristol coffee cup, of fluted form, decorated with swags of flowers and leaves. Marked on the bottom with a blue "X" and "17" painter's number. Certainly the marks add to the value of this as opposed to it being just an attributed example.

Excellent condition with no chips, cracks, or restoration. Bright colors with no losses. A not uncommon 1/4" glaze separation in the bowl interior, shown in the fifth picture at around 7 o'clock, and a minute flea...

The Chelsea porcelain toy offered here is a magnificent 3 3/4 inch tall scent bottle in the form of a flower vendor dressed in a white apron, a blue bodice enhanced with a red ribbon, a yellow lined purple flowered jacket, and a turquoise skirt. She is holding an elongated basket of greenery in her right hand, and a large basket of flowers cradled in her left arm. Her hat is adorned with various types of fruit, as is the stopper of the bottle. The concave base has a gilt floral sprig within a de...

A beautiful and elegant Derby covered chocolate cup and saucer. Decorated in cobalt blue, gilding, and heavily painted white dots to simulate pearls. Both the cup and saucer are marked with the puce crown and batons, which indicates a very desirable Derby period. Also, both are marked with an puce "8", indicating that the gilder was William Longden, and a blue "5", showing that the painter was Juno.

Superb condition with no chips, cracks, or restoration. Colors are bright and unscratched, and ...

A nice Georgian antique wine glass with a round funnel bowl. The stem is a single series opaque twist comprised of a pair of spiral gauzes. Single series twists are much less common than double series twists. Conical foot with snapped pontil.

The glass is in excellent condition, with no problems, displaying good color, striations, and tool marks. It is 6 1/4" tall, with a bowl diameter of 2 3/16" and a foot diameter of 2 3/4".

Note: Because of the extreme closeups of the photos, and the non-...

A very fine English wine glass with an elongated waisted bucket bowl. The stem features an uncommon single series air twist (SSAT) comprised of a pair of multi-strand spiral cables. Conical foot with snapped pontil. Good tooling marks, color, and striations.

The impression and proportions of this glass are beautiful, with it standing tall at 6 3/4", with a bowl diameter of 2 1/4" and a foot diameter of 2 1/2". Excellent condition with no cracks, chips, or repairs.

Note: Because of the extre...