In Israel, as in other ancient nations, it was customary to dedicate persons or objects to sacred use by anointing them with oil. Thus Samuel anointed Saul king, as Moses had  More »

In Israel, as in other ancient nations, it was customary to dedicate persons or objects to sacred use by anointing them with oil. Thus Samuel anointed Saul king, as Moses had hallowed the tabernacle and Aaron the high priest before, and Abraham had sanctified Isaac. This simple yet charming vessel exudes an energy of the ages, glowing from within its surface, richly patinated by the fingerprints of history. Such a vessel would have been a necessity in the ancient world to contain and transport precious oils and unguents for ritual or daily usage. Although its original contents have long disappeared, the energy of those vanished lives is still contained within this vessel. This jug was once a vital, indispensable part of everyday life in the ancient world. Today, it is even more valuable to our modern lives, not as a container, but as a symbol of the past. This jug holds history inside, it reminds us of the lives, the joys and struggles, the triumphs and defeats, of those who came before us. Whose hands might have held it so long ago we can only guess, yet the connection is a direct one between our age and theirs   « Less

Height-42 1/2", Width-48", Pencil inlaid mahogany mirror with broken arch top, the finish is crazed a little circa 1940s.

Height-42 1/2", Width-48", Pencil inlaid mahogany mirror with broken arch top, the finish is crazed a little circa 1940s.   « Less

Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, such beads  More »

Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, such beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coated with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red, yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. In the art of Ancient Egypt, we see lovely women adorned with such jewels. To wear these beads today is to follow in the royal tradition of Nefertiti, Tutankhamen and Cleopatra. - (FJ.4562)   « Less

Height-41", Width-49", Heavily carved mahogany French carved mirror circa 1940s.

Height-41", Width-49", Heavily carved mahogany French carved mirror circa 1940s.   « Less

Height-33 3/4", Width-43 5/8", Flint Horner mahogany rectangular mirror with beaded gold trim circa 1940s.

Height-33 3/4", Width-43 5/8", Flint Horner mahogany rectangular mirror with beaded gold trim circa 1940s.   « Less

Origin: Egypt (Sinai) Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was  More »

Origin: Egypt (Sinai) Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Medium: Faience Most Ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, such beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coated with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red, yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. In the art of Ancient Egypt, we see lovely women adorned with such jewels. To wear these beads today is to follow in the royal tradition of Nefertiti, Tutankhamen and Cleopatra. - (FJ.4563)   « Less

Height-41", Width-24 3/8", Mahogany mirror with arched top with medallion in the center circa 1940s.

Height-41", Width-24 3/8", Mahogany mirror with arched top with medallion in the center circa 1940s.   « Less

In the Israel of Biblical times, this vessel might have held ointments or perhaps an offering of wine or oil. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we  More »

In the Israel of Biblical times, this vessel might have held ointments or perhaps an offering of wine or oil. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, the centuries melt away and the imagination sets out on a journey of discovery. - (SP.295)   « Less

Height-37 1/8", Width-25", Cute barley twist flame mahogany mirror with carved medallion top circa 1940s.

Height-37 1/8", Width-25", Cute barley twist flame mahogany mirror with carved medallion top circa 1940s.   « Less

In Israel, as in other ancient nations, it was customary to dedicate persons or objects to sacred use by anointing them with oil. Thus Samuel anointed Saul king, as Moses had  More »

In Israel, as in other ancient nations, it was customary to dedicate persons or objects to sacred use by anointing them with oil. Thus Samuel anointed Saul king, as Moses had hallowed the tabernacle and Aaron the high priest before, and Abraham had sanctified Isaac. This simple yet charming vessel exudes an energy of the ages, glowing from within its surface, richly patinated by the fingerprints of history. Such a vessel would have been a necessity in the ancient world to contain and transport precious oils and unguents for ritual or daily usage. Although its original contents have long disappeared, the energy of those vanished lives is still contained within this vessel. This jug was once a vital, indispensable part of everyday life in the ancient world. Today, it is even more valuable to our modern lives, not as a container, but as a symbol of the past. This jug holds history inside, it reminds us of the lives, the joys and struggles, the triumphs and defeats, of those who came before us. Whose hands might have held it so long ago we can only guess, yet the connection is a direct one between our age and theirs.The functional simplicity of this vessel lends it a timeless elegance that appeals to contemporary tastes as much as it surely did to ancient ones. Even after the passage of millennia, the design of such a vessel could hardly be improved upon. What did it once contain, we wonder, and who poured from its spout? Did those ancient people stop, as we do, to admire the grace of the vessel as they held it in their hands? We feel in its presence a direct bond with those long-forgotten individuals. - (SP.296)   « Less