Charles II Silver Lace-Back Trefid Spoon

Thomas Issod, London, 1678

(T.Z above a pellet and below a crown)

Also with lace top to the terminal

7.5” Long / 1.4 oz.

 In Stock

TZ crowned over a pellet is attributed to Thomas Issod, from a mark registered in 1697 with TS and a Z below (see London Silver Spoonmakers, 1500-1697, Timothy Kent, p. 50, #61, for a discussion of the mark).  Lace-back trefids are much rarer than plain trefids – the earliest form of the modern spoon.  The earliest trefid recorded is 1662, becoming more common in the 1670’s, only being made until c1700. This spoon bears a lace back in very crisp condition, as well as a lace terminal and shaft to the front.

First Period Worcester Oblong Serving Dish

"Hundred Antiques" Pattern

England, c1772

Pseudo Chinese character marks verso

13.25” Long

SOLD

Somewhat scarce, this pattern depicts “Buddhist Emblems” and “Precious Objects”, and is presumably

copied from an unknown Chinese Qianlong original (a similar Qianlong original resides in the

Victoria & Albert Museum); introduced at Worcester c1768, made until 1785

Provenance: Zorensky Collection, illustrated Worcester Porcelain, The Zorensky Collection, p. 434. 

Charles I Silver Bodkin with Ear Spoon

England, c1630, unmarked

4.5" Long / .1 oz.

  SOLD

A bodkin is a needle-like tool that were used for pulling tape or ribbon through a series of loops.  17^th century clothing was often joined by such ribbons or leather straps.  Bodkins were personal, often carried on the person, and passed through the generations.

George II Cuban Mahogany Small Tripod Table

England, c1740 

 21” High, the dished top 11” Diameter

  In Stock

  The tripod table evolved from the rudimentary candlestands coming into England c1680.  About 1725, the first tables seen on a straight shaft above cabriole legs are seen.  Note the remains of the 17th century platform still discernible where the legs meet the standard.  A table of the same form is illustrated and discussed in British Antique Furniture, Andrews, Figure #890.

George II / III Double Series Opaque Twist Wine Glass with Knop

England, c1760

6.25” High

SOLD

Very early 18th century English drinking glasses were quite heavy.  As the glasses became internationally popular, a large tax was levied upon glass products by weight in 1746 - and additionally thereafter - usually to support a war.  Among the most beautiful results of glassmakers' attempts to make glass both lighter and more decorative was to lighten the stems by poking holes in them - first occurring as airtwist stems, and by 1760 as opaque, or cotton twist stems. Enamel (colored) stems also followed.  English lead glass cooled slowly, enabling the spirals to be turned with absolute precision. The most interesting of these glasses have stems with knops or differing sections, known as "composite stems".

George III Silver Pierced Pastry/Fish Server

Charles Aldridge & Henry Green

London, 1773

Of the very desirable triangular pierced and bright cut form

12.5" Long / 5.5 oz.

In Stock

The second half of the 18th century saw the introduction of a trowel-form pierced server, used at the time for both fish and pudding.  The workmanship on the early examples is rather extraordinary - with intricate foliate-cut designs to the triangular blade, further embellished with bright cutting.  They are now used for serving a great variety of foods - most particularly pastries.  These triangular forms are the most sought after of the fish serving pieces.

Pair of Kangxi Blue & White Deep Dishes

China, c1690

Each of barbed foliate form, with blooming prunus surrounded by lotus petal decorated rim

Each verso with a lotus flowerhead within concentric circles and prunus sprays

8.5" Diameter

SOLD

In 1662, Emperor Kangxi of the new Manchu Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty assumed the throne.  Despite the kilns being destroyed twice by the outgoing Ming Dynasty, his rule produced from 1682 to 1722 the finest blue and white ever produced, both technically and visually.  The ceramic became quite thin, with a glassy glaze, the blues even more like sapphires beneath it.  To protect his wares from continued Ming destruction, he introduced a marking we still see copied today - that of two concentric circles. These circles often contained a fantasy mark.  This pair features a lotus flowerhead fantasy mark, emblematic of purity in adversity, as the lotus emerges clean from muddy roots.

Yongzheng / Early Qianlong Ruby Ground Creamer

China, c1730-40

4" High

SOLD

"Ruby ground" Chinese export ware is infrequently seen.  It comprises an rich ruby red opaque glaze, usually

 around a painted reserve, and was produced predominantly during the Yongzheng and early Qianlong periods in

China (c1730-40). The above example also features the very desirable turquoise, and a scroll reserve on each side.

Chinese Export Qianlong Escallop Shell Dish

Qianlong, c1750-60, after a French or English form

4.25" Wide

In Stock

This escallop shell shaped porcelain dish is quite unusual, as it is a Chinese export copy of an English design in silver or soft paste porcelain design.  The Chinese infrequently copied English porcelain shapes, and when so, the origin must be determined by the ceramic content and painting, rather than the form.  Larger and somewhat different shell form dishes in famille verte, Imari palette, and blue & white existed from the Kangxi period.  Spurred dishes or this form were found in the Nanking Cargo of 1752.

George III Silver Sugar Tongs

     Left to Right:

George III Silver Tongs, Thomas Barker, London, 1810, Engraved "RJP", 6" Long, 1.8 oz.

George III Scottish Silver Tongs, Alex Graham & Co., Edinburgh, 1799, Engraved "MB", 5.5" Long, 1 oz.

George III Silver Tongs, Peter, Anne & William Bateman, London, 1804, Engraved "EH", 5.5" Long, 1.1 oz.

SOLD

U-form sugar tongs were introduced about 1770, for use with tea and coffee. 

They still make excellent service silver for small foods including pickles, tomatoes, lemons, and even ice.

George III Provincial Mahogany Bachelor's Chest

With Interior Writing Slide, England, c1765

Of well figured mahogany in original finish and with original feet and brasses

 30” High x 32” Wide x 17.5” Deep

 SOLD

As well as having the original finish, brasses, and feet, this marvelous small chest features a leather-covered slide to the top drawer that could well serve as a bedside chest with additional surface space, or a small desk with pull-up chair.  There is unusual triangular "piecing" to the veneer at ends of each drawer, indicating that is was veneered with the wood available in the region.  The coloration has faded to a rich nutty walnut brown.

Chinese Export Famille Rose & Grisaille Mandarin Deep Platter

With Chinese & European Figures

Qianlong, c1755

11-7/8" High x 14-7/8" Wide x 2-1/2" Deep

SOLD

William III / Queen Anne Walnut Side Chair

England, c1700-1710, with Iberian Influences

43" High x 20" Wide x 18" Deep

SOLD

This particular form of chair is somewhat rare and dated by construction. The stretcher and hipped

cabriole legs with squared knees reflect Iberian (Spanish & Portuguese) influence.  The vacant space

between the stuff-over seat and the back disappeared in England about 1710, with the cabriole leg

coming into England at about 1700.

William IV Silver Bottle Stopper

Henry Wilkinson & Co, Sheffield, 1831-1836,

Having 2 marks on the lower silver button

The finial a cast grape vine stem with leaves and grapes, the leaves finely stippled

2” High / .0665 oz.  

SOLD

This stopper, and the pair listed en suite below, are constructed with a long screw that threads through the cork of

choice, attaching to the base-marked silver buttons.  These stoppers are very rare, most dating much later in the

19th and 20th centuries. 

Pair of William IV Silver Bottle Stoppers

en suite with the above stopper

Henry Wilkinson & Co, Sheffield, c1837,

Having three marks on each lower button

Each finial a cast grape vine stem with leaves and grapes, the leaves finely stippled

2” High / .0665 oz.  

SOLD

Lowestoft Blue & White Patty or Tart Pan

England, c1765

3-5/8” Diameter x 1-1/4” High

In Stock

Patty and tart pans were made for potted meats and delicacies, being based on earlier Chinese export porcelain examples. They were available is several sizes, and made by several of the early British manufactories, including Lowestoft, Worcester and Caughley.  Glass makers also offered a version with a rolled-over edge.

Rare George III Silver Youth Fork

Thomas Barker, London, 1807-8

With upturned tip, the terminal engraved

T.W. Presented by his Aunt M.A.S.

6.25" Long / 1.1 oz.

SOLD

Smaller youth forks are infrequently found.  The personalized inscription makes this fork a

desirable addition to  any collection of Hanoverian or Old English Pattern silver flatware

 - both for use by a young person, or the service of small foods.

George III Mahogany Cylinder Desk

England, c1790

Provenance: Bearing Stamp for the Royal Household of William IV and "First LT"

42.5" High x 61" Wide x  22" Deep

SOLD

Chinese Export Silver-Shaped Blue & White Platter

Qianlong, c1760-70

13.5” Long x 9” Wide

 SOLD

George III Silver Cream Jugs

Early George III Silver Cream Jug, Samuel Meriton, London, 1761; 4" High / 3 oz.

George III Silver Cream Jug, Charles Chesterman, London, 1773; 4.5" High / 2.7 oz.

In Stock

First Period Worcester Porcelain Sparrow Beak Cream Jugs

With Chinese Figures, c1770-75, 3.25" High (left)

(an accompanying collector's tag with unconfirmed attribution to Richard Chaffers, c1760)

 SOLD

Conjurer Pattern, c1770, 3.25" High (right)

SOLD

Masonic Interest Glass Rummer with Lemon Squeezer Base

 Possibly Anglo-Irish, 19th Century

Finely engraved with a Bible with square and compass above a plumb, and a concave

 sun with face and a moon with seven stars above a trowel, between two obelisks

5 3/8” High, 3” Foot Width

SOLD

Qianlong Famille Rose and Blue & Covered Tea Canister

c1760 / 5" High

SOLD

Ref: For a similarly painted Derby coffee cup. c1765-70, see Watney Catalog I, lot #395, p.191  

17^th Century Ivory, Tortoiseshell & Ebony Collector's Cabinet

Northern Italy (probably), c1660-1690

on Late 18th Century English Stand, the case interior secondary woods of Spanish Cedar

42" High Overall

In Stock

Bow Porcelain Octagonal Plate

Two Quail (Partridge) Pattern

England, c1760

8 5/8" Diameter

 SOLD

Quails have graced porcelain for over 300 years, their spiritual history with mankind extending back several thousand

years.  To the Japanese and Chinese, quails represented courage, longevity and peace.  They were represented in

the 17th and18th centuries by the Chinese in blue and white, and in famille rose.  The Japanese depicted quails in the asymmetrical Kakiemon style of painting, which was quickly copied by Europe and England in the 18th century. 

This English Bow example is painted in the Japanese Kakiemon style.

George III Old Sheffield Plate Adjustable Dish Cross

England, c1780, Unmarked

with original central burner

 12" Long x 3.5" High

In Stock

Dish crosses were made primarily during the mid through late 18th century, being used

 for placement of hot dishes on sideboards.  They have sliding supports to fit a varying

array of shapes and sizes, making them suitable for a number of contemporary usages -

 including silver, ceramics, or even decorative objects that one might wish to elevate on a table.

William & Mary / William III Needlework Silk Tapestry

England, Late 17th Century with Early 18th Century Silk Border

Comprising two finely embroidered panels with a lion and fountain among foliate scrolls,

set on an early 18th century couched and lotus embroidered border

39.5" High x 40" Wide

SOLD

Richard Chaffers Molded Sauceboat

Liverpool, c1760

painted in underglaze blue with a Plantation type scene overpainted

in iron red, gilt and green, the interior with a richly decorated central medallion (below)

6.75” Long

  SOLD

Richard Chaffers is often hailed as the hero of Liverpool. Chaffers worked in Liverpool originally as an earthenware potter, making delft for the export trade. He began working in soaprock and bone ash porcelains about 1755. His whimsical painting, sometimes cartoonish, reflects more the nature and charm of delft than does the slick perfection of contemporary Worcester porcelains. The sauceboat above is rarer in palette than the usual blue and white or famille rose type of decoration, with a beautiful tapestry-like central medallion to the interior.

George III Mahogany Corner Chair

England, c1760-70, Possibly Provincial

Pair of Kangxi Blue & White Deep Dishes

China, c1690

Each of foliate form with lotus panels of prunus blooms and fruits, one with grasses surrounding a central roundel of a blooming prunus, the verso with a conch within concentric circles and further prunus sprays

8.5" Diameter

SOLD

In 1662, Emperor Kangxi of the new Manchu Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty assumed the throne.  Despite the kilns being destroyed twice by the outgoing Ming Dynasty, his rule produced from 1682 to 1722 the finest blue and white ever produced, both technically and visually.  The ceramic became quite thin, with a glassy glaze, the blues even more like sapphires beneath it.  To protect his wares from continued Ming destruction, he introduced a marking we still see copied today - that of two concentric circles. These circles often contained a fantasy mark.  The above has a conch fantasy mark - a symbol of the voice of Buddha, and the insignia of royalty.

Bow Porcelain Unusual Molded Leaf Dish

England, c1765-70

The verso with pseudo Oriental character marks

10.25" Long

In Stock

This is a rather unusual Bow leaf dish.  Although the ceramic, painting and firing are definitely Bow, the ceramic form appears to be of Chelsea, Meissen, Worcester inspiration. Although a form that did not originate with Bow, it is illustrated, perhaps less vigorously painted, in Bow Porcelain, Gabszewicz and Freeman, p.80, #116.

Now offering Town Talk Silver Polishing Cloths

10.00 each

These are softer, finer and easier to use than the mitts.  They were recommended to us by a collector who had used the same cloth for more than 10 years.  We still offer the Town Talk Foam and Silver Mitts, at 13.50 each.

Price Range of Items in The Catalog :  from 65.00