Homemade folk-art group of cardboard figures representing what I’m pretty certain is a US Navy platoon, circa 1890s. Watercolor and pencil on cardboard, attached to wooden feet with iron tacks. Arms are not only individually jointed onto torsos with fine copper wire, but the fingers of each hand are also articulated. Each figure has an […]
A Venetian or Murano glass vase in the shape of a classical wide-mouthed amphora and in executed in the “scavo” technique. Based on the form and playful use of contrasting colored glass, I think this can be safely attributed to the Moretti factory. Translating to “dug up,” the technique – a mid-20th century invention – […]
Blown Empoli clear green “Verde” glass vase in the form of a Venetian renaissance glass beaker. Applied studded band and folded foot. While a classical form and overall fineness usually indicates an early 20th-century manufacture date, this piece was probably made in the 1950s. The number of these fine pieces from that period is relatively […]
While the legs of this miniature chair were rendered with not much more than a series of intersecting straight cuts, the rest is sensitively articulated in soft and organic curves. In early red paint with expected abrasions at corners.
Double-sided checkerboard in bittersweet and black paint. The front of the board is carefully laid out with borders and corner blocks while the back/underside is framed with stretcher boards. Both sides make clever use of unpainted pine as a third color and both differ in the way they use the paint. The playing field of […]
Early 20th century, monochromatic gold parcheesi board. The board’s bold graphic remains seemingly unbroken until a viewer/player is physically close. It’s then that all of the delineations of the game become visible in the form of lightly embossed and pencil-traced lines. Close observation reveals that some fields and squares seem to have received a second […]
Fantastic antique interlocking wooden puzzle cube. Although the wood is most certainly scrap (this is possibly “tramp” made), I would assume that it’s scale – too large for one hand but comfortable in two – is carefully calculated. A trophy for triumphing over such a menacingly complex adversary needs to be large and conspicuous, after […]
Italian portoro marble specimen sphere on a matching, turned pedestal. While the contrast of brilliant gold and white veining against a backdrop of black is what made the stone so sought after, this specimen’s veining tends more toward swirling mossy brown. This marble species is one that’s assigned grades using both the amount and color […]
“Drunkard’s Path” pieced quilt in patterned double pink and green fabrics. First quarter of the twentieth century. Heavy batting. Found in coastal Connecticut.
Lovely miniature William and Mary style chest missing its original (likely) bun feet.