Vintage Waterford Crystal Coffee Tankard - Mug Here we have a lovely Vintage Waterford Crystal Coffee Tankard - Mug with white Waterford Stamp. The work measures 3.75  More »

Vintage Waterford Crystal Coffee Tankard - Mug Here we have a lovely Vintage Waterford Crystal Coffee Tankard - Mug with white Waterford Stamp. The work measures 3.75 Inches tall and 3.75 inches diameter, from a NOW RETIRED limited Production. There is a FLAW in the area of the Inside - NOT a crack but a imperfection where the handle was applies and in good condition made in Ireland! Sold with the flaw and with NO RETURN The beginnings of glass making in Ireland are lost in the mists of time but there is sufficient archaeological evidence to show that, from the early Iron Age, glass was regarded with respect. Indeed, medieval documents can prove glass making existed in Ireland back in the middle 13th century. However, the Waterford Crystal story started to blossom in 1783 when two brothers, George and William Penrose, founded their crystal manufacturing business in the busy port of Waterford. They were important developers and the city’s principal exporters. The development, they told the Irish Parliament, cost £10,000 — a great deal of money in the 18th century. They employed 50 to 70 people, led by a fellow Quaker, John Hill, from Stourbridge in England, and succeeded in producing crystal with a purity of color unmatched in Ireland or England. Merchant ships sailed regularly from the port of Waterford with cargoes of crystal bound for Spain, the West Indies, New York, New England and Newfoundland. But less than 100 years later the initial company failed due to lack of capital and excessive taxation. In what seems a remarkably short time, Waterford Crystal acquired an unequaled reputation that has transcended the intervening centuries. Another century passed before the enterprise was revived. In 1947, while Europe was still in ruins after the second World War, a small glass factory was set up in Waterford just 1½ miles from the site of the original glass factory. Waterford Crystal today has very strong links with its illustrious predecessor. There is today the same dedication to the purity of color, to the same design inspiration and to the same pursuit of highest quality levels possible. The traditional cutting patterns made famous by the artisans of Waterford became the design basis for the growing product range of the new company. Waterford Crystal, today, is the leading brand of premium crystal. Its products — superb handcrafted crystal stemware, gift ware and lighting ware — are designed and manufactured to the highest standards.   « Less

Tiffany Studio Single Desk Blotter in the Diamond & Square Pattern Here we have a single Desk Blotter in the Diamond & Rectangle Pattern Signed "Tiffany Studios, New York"  More »

Tiffany Studio Single Desk Blotter in the Diamond & Square Pattern Here we have a single Desk Blotter in the Diamond & Rectangle Pattern Signed "Tiffany Studios, New York" , marked with the number 1796. Single ONE from a Pair of "Blotter End" and measure 19.24" long and are 2.24” wide. The Blotter is what seems to be brass on the back and Bronze on the top with a nice patina. This would be great as a framed designed work as well as a single Blotter on the top of a Desk Blotter. This Single Blotter is in very good condition with no visible sign of damage with touches of Verde Green to the patina. The Buyer will be delighted with their purchase.   « Less

Early 20 Century Meissen Pin Tray We have an Early 20 Century Meissen Floral Cabinet Plate with the blue cross swords, of second quality and no strike marks in the  More »

Early 20 Century Meissen Pin Tray We have an Early 20 Century Meissen Floral Cabinet Plate with the blue cross swords, of second quality and no strike marks in the trademark. (See pix) This treasure measures 4 inches square and 0.50 inches deep and signed with the cross swords with one strike mark. There are no signs of damage or repair. Meissen porcelain or Meissen china is the first European hard-paste porcelain that was developed from 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death that October, Johann Friedrich Böttger, continued his work and brought porcelain to the market, and he has often been credited with the invention. The production of porcelain at Meissen, near Dresden, started in 1710 and attracted artists and artisans to establish one of the most famous porcelain manufacturers, still in business today as Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH. Its signature logo, the crossed swords, was introduced in 1720 to protect its production; the mark of the crossed swords is one of the oldest trademarks in existence. It dominated the style of European porcelain until 1756. At the beginning the Meissen manufactory was owned by the King of Saxony; by 1830 it came to belong to the State of Saxony. After World War II, most of the equipment was sent to the Soviet Union as part of war reparations. However, already by 1946, the workers using traditional methods and the kilns that had not been dismantled were able to resume production. The company became a Soviet Joint Stock Company in Germany. Almost all of the production was sent to the Soviet Union, a crucial step that kept the artisan community alive. After the establishment of the German Democratic Republic, the company was handed over to German ownership in 1950 and became a people-owned company.Meissen Porzellan turned out to be one of the few profitable companies in the economically troubled East German system, earning much needed foreign currency. After the German reunification in 1990, the company was restored to the State of Saxony which is the sole owner. While its products are expensive, the high quality and artistic value make Meissen porcelain very desirable by collectors and connoisseurs. The rarity and expense of Meissen porcelain meant that originally it could only be bought by the upper classes. Meissen took orders from the elites of Russia, France, England and other European countries. The European wealthy accumulated vast collections and when a wealthy class emerged in the United States people like the Vanderbilts started their own collections. Many of these collections then found their way into the world’s great museums.   « Less

Wedgwood Jasperware “Double Cameo; John Adams and the First Lady” Framed Josiah Wedgwood Jasperware “Double Cameo; John Adams and the First Lady”  More »

Wedgwood Jasperware “Double Cameo; John Adams and the First Lady” Framed Josiah Wedgwood Jasperware “Double Cameo; John Adams and the First Lady” Medallion; 2.25 inches tall and 1.75 inches wide mounted in a lovely Wedgwood frame and mounted or framed in a gold ornate frame; very impressive, frames size at 10.5 by 11.50. In good condition with no chips or cracks, circa 1978. Produced by Wedgwood (stamped as such) for the Franklin Mint for the Presidents of the United states, from George Washington to the President Jimmy Carter, in a limited production. Josiah Wedgwood (July 12, 1730 — January 3, 1795, born Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent) was an English potter, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. He was a member of the Darwin — Wedgwood family, most famously including his grandson, Charles Darwin. Born the thirteenth and youngest child of Thomas Wedgwood III and Mary Wedgwood (née Stringer; d. 1766), Josiah was raised within a family of English Dissenters. He survived a childhood bout of smallpox to serve as an apprentice potter under his eldest brother Thomas Wedgwood IV. Smallpox left Josiah with a permanently weakened knee, which made him unable to work the foot pedal of a potter’s wheel. As a result, he concentrated from an early age on designing pottery rather than making it. In his early twenties, Wedgwood began working with the most renowned English pottery-maker of his day, T. Whieldon. There he began experimenting with a wide variety of pottery techniques, an experimentation that coincided with the burgeoning early industrial city of Manchester, which was nearby. Inspired, Wedgwood leased the Ivy Works in his home town of Burslem and set to work. Over the course of the next decade, his experimentation (and a considerable injection of capital from his marriage to a richly endowed distant cousin, Sarah Wedgwood) transformed the sleepy artisan works into the first true pottery factory.   « Less

Wedgwood (4) “Double Cameo; Truman, Wilson, Eisenhower & Roosevelt and The First Ladies” Josiah Wedgwood Jasperware “Double Cameo; President Ford ,  More »

Wedgwood (4) “Double Cameo; Truman, Wilson, Eisenhower & Roosevelt and The First Ladies” Josiah Wedgwood Jasperware “Double Cameo; President Ford , Nixon and Carter and The First Ladies” Medallion; 2.25 inches tall and 1.75 inches wide mounted in a lovely Wedgwood frame and mounted or framed in a gold ornate frame; very impressive, frames size at 10.5 by 11.50. In good condition with no chips or cracks, circa 1978. Produced by Wedgwood (stamped as such) for the Franklin Mint for the Presidents of the United states, from George Washington to the President Jimmy Carter, in a limited production. Josiah Wedgwood (July 12, 1730 — January 3, 1795, born Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent) was an English potter, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. He was a member of the Darwin — Wedgwood family, most famously including his grandson, Charles Darwin. Born the thirteenth and youngest child of Thomas Wedgwood III and Mary Wedgwood (née Stringer; d. 1766), Josiah was raised within a family of English Dissenters. He survived a childhood bout of smallpox to serve as an apprentice potter under his eldest brother Thomas Wedgwood IV. Smallpox left Josiah with a permanently weakened knee, which made him unable to work the foot pedal of a potter’s wheel. As a result, he concentrated from an early age on designing pottery rather than making it. In his early twenties, Wedgwood began working with the most renowned English pottery-maker of his day, T. Whieldon. There he began experimenting with a wide variety of pottery techniques, an experimentation that coincided with the burgeoning early industrial city of Manchester, which was nearby. Inspired, Wedgwood leased the Ivy Works in his home town of Burslem and set to work. Over the course of the next decade, his experimentation (and a considerable injection of capital from his marriage to a richly endowed distant cousin, Sarah Wedgwood) transformed the sleepy artisan works into the first true pottery factory.   « Less

Wedgwood (3) “Double Cameo; President Ford, Nixon and Carter and the First Ladies" Josiah Wedgwood Jasperware “Double Cameo; President Ford, Nixon and Carter  More »

Wedgwood (3) “Double Cameo; President Ford, Nixon and Carter and the First Ladies" Josiah Wedgwood Jasperware “Double Cameo; President Ford, Nixon and Carter and The First Ladies” Medallion; 2.25 inches tall and 1.75 inches wide mounted in a lovely Wedgwood frame and mounted or framed in a gold ornate frame; very impressive, frames size at 10.5 by 11.50. In good condition with no chips or cracks, circa 1978. Produced by Wedgwood (stamped as such) for the Franklin Mint for the Presidents of the United states, from George Washington to the President Jimmy Carter, in a limited production. Josiah Wedgwood (July 12, 1730 — January 3, 1795, born Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent) was an English potter, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. He was a member of the Darwin — Wedgwood family, most famously including his grandson, Charles Darwin. Born the thirteenth and youngest child of Thomas Wedgwood III and Mary Wedgwood (née Stringer; d. 1766), Josiah was raised within a family of English Dissenters. He survived a childhood bout of smallpox to serve as an apprentice potter under his eldest brother Thomas Wedgwood IV. Smallpox left Josiah with a permanently weakened knee, which made him unable to work the foot pedal of a potter’s wheel. As a result, he concentrated from an early age on designing pottery rather than making it. In his early twenties, Wedgwood began working with the most renowned English pottery-maker of his day, T. Whieldon. There he began experimenting with a wide variety of pottery techniques, an experimentation that coincided with the burgeoning early industrial city of Manchester, which was nearby. Inspired, Wedgwood leased the Ivy Works in his home town of Burslem and set to work. Over the course of the next decade, his experimentation (and a considerable injection of capital from his marriage to a richly endowed distant cousin, Sarah Wedgwood) transformed the sleepy artisan works into the first true pottery factory.   « Less

Red & Gold "Samson-Chelsea Regency Bowl" Samson began his career by making service and set piece replacements in the late 1830’s. In 1845 he opened the ceramics  More »

Red & Gold "Samson-Chelsea Regency Bowl" Samson began his career by making service and set piece replacements in the late 1830’s. In 1845 he opened the ceramics firm Samson, Edmé et Cie at 7, Rue Vendôme (later Rue Béranger) in Paris, with the intention of supplying reproductions of ceramics on display in museums and private collections. The factory was moved to Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis in 1864 by Samson’s son, Emile Samson (1837—1913). The firm either drew inspiration from other factories, or directly copied their pieces. Designs from the factories of Meissen, Serves, Chelsea, and Derby were among the reproductions Samson, Edmé et Cie produced, along with designs copied from and all the major factories of England, France and Germany. During the eighteenth century, the market for fine china was considerable and Sampson’s firm reproduced ceramics in a breadth of styles including the faience and majolica types of Italian pottery, Persian style dishes, Hispano-Moresque pottery (a blending of Islamic and European motifs, produced during the 13th to 15th centuries), plates in the Fitz Hugh pattern, as well as plates designed by his fellow Frenchmen, Bernard Palissy. Another frequent style copied by the Samson firm was the famille rose and famille verte styles produced in China between 1720 and 1790. Imari wares, named for the Japanese port where a type of richly decorated porcelain made at Arita was shipped, were also copied by Samson. What a great find! By the famous Paris firm of Samson & Company. ,Red & Gold " Samson-Chelsea Regency Bowl measuring 2.75 high and 6.25 inches diameter . Signed on the bottom as marked and in good condition. This is a very outstanding and wonderful work that will give the discerning collector many years of enjoyment.   « Less

Antique Oval Floral Limoges Center Bowl Here we have a rare and Vintage Antique Oval Floral Limoges Center Bowl and no longer made. This lovely bowl is 11 inches long, 7.5  More »

Antique Oval Floral Limoges Center Bowl Here we have a rare and Vintage Antique Oval Floral Limoges Center Bowl and no longer made. This lovely bowl is 11 inches long, 7.5 inches wide and 4 inches deep, signed on the bottom as shown. Limoges Porcelain designates hard-paste porcelain produced by factories near the city of Limoges, France beginning in the late 1700s, but does not refer to a particular manufacturer. Limoges had been the site of a minor industry producing plain faience earthenwares since the 1730s. The manufacturing of hard-paste porcelain at Limoges was established by Turgot in 1771 following the discovery of local supplies of kaolin and a material similar to petuntse in the economically distressed area at Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, near Limoges. The ingredients were used for the production of hard-paste porcelain similar to Chinese porcelain. The materials were quarried commencing in 1768. The manufacture was placed under the patronage of the comte d’Artois, brother of Louis XVI and the manufactory was later purchased by the King in 1784, apparently with the idea of producing hard-paste bodies for decoration at Sèvres, a venture that did not work out. Limoges had been the site of a minor industry producing plain faience earthenwares since the 1730s. The manufacturing of hard-paste porcelain at Limoges was established by Turgot in 1771 following the discovery of local supplies of kaolin and a material similar to petuntse in the economically distressed area at Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, near Limoges. The ingredients were used for the production of hard-paste porcelain similar to Chinese porcelain. The materials were quarried commencing in 1768. The manufacture was placed under the patronage of the comte d’Artois, brother of Louis XVI and the manufactory was later purchased by the King in 1784, apparently with the idea of producing hard-paste bodies for decoration at Sèvres, a venture that did not work out. After the Revolution a number of private factories were established at Limoges, the chief of which was, and remains, Haviland & Co., and remains, Haviland & Co.   « Less

Charming Bavaria Oval Chinese Dragon Pin Tray Here is a charming painted Charming " Bavaria Oval Chinese Dragon Pin Tray " and measure 5 inches long and 3 inches wide.  More »

Charming Bavaria Oval Chinese Dragon Pin Tray Here is a charming painted Charming " Bavaria Oval Chinese Dragon Pin Tray " and measure 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. Great item and in good condition. Much confusion exists concerning the relationship between the names “Dresden” and “Meissen,” which are often used interchangeably. This misunderstanding dates to the earliest years of porcelain production in Europe. The secret of hard paste porcelain, previously the exclusive knowledge of the Chinese and Japanese exporters, was actually discovered under the commission of Augustus the Strong in the city of Dresden. The first porcelain-producing factory, however, was begun fifteen miles away in the city of Meissen, in 1710. However, as Dresden was a vital cultural and economic center of Saxony, most Meissen china was sold there. As a result, much Meissen china and figurines, characterized by the blue cross-swords stamp, were mistakenly referred to as “Dresden.” Modern day collectors, however, distinguish Meissen from the china produced by decorators in the city of Dresden beginning in the 19th century, which generally bear a blue crown stamp or other related mark. While the work of Dresden decorators often rivaled that produced in Meissen, no actual porcelain was produced in Dresden. That aspect of the process, at least, remained the exclusive pride of Meissen factories. Dresden china is often described as “rococo revival” style. Rococo comes from the French word “rocaille” meaning rock work or grotto work, and refers to the artificial grottoes used in French gardens that were decorated with irregularly shaped stones and seashells. Originally popular during the renaissance, rococo experienced a revival during the 19th century, touching virtually all aspects of interior design. Dresden decorators were the first and most successful to employ this style on dinnerware, characterized by elaborate fanciful design and a profusion of foliage, flowers, fruits, shells and scrolls.   « Less

A wonderful antique lantern, suitable for either interior or exterior use, and dating from the 1930’s. This pendant light begins with an elegant leaf-and-dart canopy,  More »

A wonderful antique lantern, suitable for either interior or exterior use, and dating from the 1930’s. This pendant light begins with an elegant leaf-and-dart canopy, descending in a chain to a loop finial atop a hexagonal roof. The roof is ornamented with stars separated by torsade detail. The six panels of the lantern are separated by rope borders, and a stylized fleur-de-lis below. The lantern features a textured amber glass. This light fixture is in excellent condition; it has been professionally rewired and comes with all the necessary attachments for modern installation. The glass is also in excellent condition with no cracks or breaks, just the expected fleabites around the edges. The lantern body is 10” wide and 11-1/2” tall, and the fixture is 26” long overall. NC1149-RW   « Less