ANTIQUES FOR SALE
FLOATING
Exuberant
Folk Art Painting
America
ca. 1840-1860.
Oil on canvas.
Discover a captivating still life that bridges time and imagination. Painted during the period of American Fancy, this painting is a window into a realm where art bursts forth in vivid hues and playful patterns, igniting the senses.
I see luscious fruits floating in warm tropical waters (note the bubbles). At the heart of this artistic journey stands a then scarce symbol of luxury and hospitality: the pineapple. In a departure from conventional still life compositions, this painting embraces innovation, placing its fruity subjects floating on the water, rather than confining them to traditional urns or baskets.
The intrigue deepens......
Soulful Fragment-Size Carved Looking Glass
.....sale pending
Probably New England, ca. 18th century, inscribed 'MN/1790'
on the reverse.
White pine, in a very high state of originality, untouched, with very thin silvered glass, the silvering now well worn, and rich patina over the entire. The patina may be a combination of Spanish brown paint and natural patination, hard to determine for sure. The high points beautifully worn. Carved crest and base elevate it further. About 8 inches tall x 4 ½ wide. Provenance includes Ron and Penny Dionne, Elliott and Grace Snyder, and distinguished private collections. .
Striking Rare Inlaid Cherry Candlestand
Attributed to
NATHAN LUMBARD Worcester County, MA
ca. 1800.
Cherrywood, with serpentine-shaped top of figured cherrywood, with striped-inlaid hearts at the corners and centered by an inlaid pinwheel. The column features a deeply carved spiral fluted urn, supported by a tripod base with distinctive spurred knees.....
Paint Decorated Sliding Lid Candlebox
with Rich Color and Terrific Surface
.....SOLD
New England, 19th century. Original paint on what appears to be basswood. Deep warm-red ground with mustard and black line decoration. Look at that surface!....marked craquelure. Joinery by square dovetails and cut nails.
About 9 ¾ inches long x 6 wide x 4 tall. Very robustly made.
AMMI PHILLIPS
Portrait of ELIZABETH MYGANS (Betsy)
.....SOLD
Saugerties, New York, ca. 1834......As described by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: “In the 1830’s, Phillips was the most successful portraitist on the New York-Connecticut border, painting the local gentry with boldness and withering honesty. This portrait of a young woman from Saugerties, New York, is typical of Phillip’s work of this period—the sitter leans forward in her chair, the black-and-white color scheme is enlivened by the red-and-yellow book, and the ribbons and folds of her translucent, lace-trimmed bonnet complement her elaborate hair style. However, Elizabeth Mygans seems to have charmed the painter, for her portrait is more pleasing than most”.
Smuggler Running Horse Weathervane in Terrific Mustard Paint .....SOLD
New England, ca. last quarter 19th century.
RETAINS THE ORIGINAL YELLOW-MUSTARD PAINTED SURFACE on copper.
Smoothly burnished verdigris where weathering has worn away the paint. Shows no sign of ever having been gilded. To my eye the rarity and quality of the painted surface elevates this vane well above gilt examples.
Smuggler was a champion stallion winning the great race for the US championships in Medford, MA in 1874 in front of 40,000 spectators. Smuggler’s popularity inspired weathervanes in his likeness.
OAL length about 31 ½ inches. Fine original condition including copper tubing.
.
Rare Tiny Ojibwa Manitou-Effigy Medicine Bowl
with Dramatic
Castellated Peaks
.....SOLD
Great Lakes, ca. early to mid 19th century.
The beautiful line quality of this bowl with its high peaked and notched effigy castellated peaks make it a dramatic and superior example. The tiny palm-size is surprising and riveting.....
EXCEPTIONAL Early Fish Weathervane.
Likely J. W. Fiske New York City, ca. 1870. Form. Surface.
Copper, with a complex weathered surface that has taken on a beautiful verdigris color while retaining a good amount of gilding and sizing. As weathervanes were of critical importance for centuries to foretell changes in weather, they also become an important American sculptural art form. The best examples, like this scarce full-bodied fish, have appealing sculptural design AND retain an authentic surface that reflects the environmental conditions that led to the aesthetic.
Note the balance of top and bottom fins, the graceful flowing lines of the body into the flared and corrugated tail, the repousse eyes, and that dramatic mouth, rimmed with copper molding, that is downswept against the flat bottom jaw. The presence is strong and confident.
About 31 1/2 inches long x 13 tall (including stand) x 5 deep. Superb condition; just a few filled or open bullet holes and minor imperfections. See: The Art of the Weathervane, Steve Miller, page 79 for a similar example.
Scarce Pewter-Framed Silhouettes
Hollow-cut silhouettes attributed to Justin Salisbury, from Vermont, active circa 1825-1835 who worked in the Connecticut River Valley including Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
The pewter frames, a unique American form, are attributed to well-known pewtersmith Richard Lee Jr. Each about 3 ¼ inches diameter.
OFFERED INDIVIDUALLY OR TOGETHER.
RIGHT FACING: James Pol___Jr. Born Oct 24, 1810, died Feb 26, 1841.
LEFT FACING: ’Silvanus Sherwin Jr age 20 taken FEB. 14th 1829 in Newfane” inscription probably in artists hand. This profile embellished with ink and graphite.
Justin Salsbury is discussed in “Meet Your Neighbors , New England Portrait Painters & Society, 1790-1850", OSV,,pg 93-94., fig. 30, 31, 32.
Private Connecticut collection.