Catalog: Silver: Sterling: Hollowware

circa 1870, height of cup 3; diameter 3 5/8 inches, weight 8.07 Troy ounces, some minor insults above the applied round foot where Alice perhaps in need of more tea rapped her vessel upon the table (please see third photo) but very good overall condition.

Years ago, many folks had high enthusiasm over silver from the Golden State, but now we're going to find out the hard way whether or not anyone indeed still gives a rat's derrière.

top diameter 4 1/2; height 2 5/8 inches, weight 6.10 Troy ounces, no monogram, excellent condition.

Marked as shown in second enlargement.

(for lack of a better description we'll call it this) with finely detailed alternating satyr's heads and irises above an urn shaped vessel decorated with garlands of highly three-dimensional applied flowers, height 9 1/2 inches, weight 14.09 Troy ounces, monogrammed as shown, one extremely minor dent which will not show up in a photo but excellent overall condition.

Kerr, a famous Newark jewelry and silver manufacturer of the early twentieth century, was noted for excellence of design...

Let's take a moment to reflect upon why a dealer, or at least Yours Truly, chooses to add an item to inventory.

Over the years, I've examined many pieces of Martelé, and if you dear reader will forgive me for a bit of crudeness, most of them are "trashed." Specifically, the detail is severely worn away, leaving the beauty of the overall design still appreciable but no longer intact...

Paris circa 1920, no monogram, some extremely minor (and soft) dents but fine overall condition, no monogram, weight 82.6 Troy ounces, marked as shown in third and fourth photos.

This is a grand tea tray, fully two feet (exclusive of handles) by sixteen inches. I was tempted to include a foot, a baby or a small dog for scale, but judged the former to be in poor taste and could not furnish either of the latter. Buy it now, and watch the value increase as world order ceases to function!

craftsman Arthur Hartwell, height 3 1/4; diameter 7 1/4 inches, weight 14 Troy ounces, monogrammed on base as shown in fourth enlargement, some very minor scratches but excellent overall condition.

A similar example, held by the Art Institute of Chicago, is shown in Chickering, plate 52; page 111.

width 11 1/4; depth 6 inches, excellent original condition, no monogram, weight 23.4 Troy ounces (!), please see fifth enlargement for mark. The ink holder is a hand wrought gilt sterling (modern) replacement, which we think an improvement over the original which was glass.

A William C. Codman design, identical examples may be found in both the Jolie and Robert Shelton Collection, "Magnificent, Marvelous Martelé," pp. 498-9 and the MFA Boston, accession number 2001.804

craftsman Clinton Ogilvie, diameter 6; height 2 1/4 inches, weight 8.33 Troy ounces, monogrammed as shown in second enlargement.

What sets this item apart from other examples which have recently been on the market is, simply stated, condition. Not only are the floral decorations crisp and untouched by polishing wear, but their gentle background of chasing marks remains (see third photo), creating an effect of kumatage, as if the decorations were suspended in a pool of rippling water...

height 7 1/2 inches, width across handle 5 1/4 inches, weight 18 Troy ounces, capacity one quart, marked as shown in fourth enlargement. A classic, organic shape made famous by the Jensen Silversmithy (and featured on the dj of Janet Drucker's popular book), this design was conceived by Rohde in 1925, but did not enter production until 1930 because it was considered too radical.

This lovely example is entirely hand wrought, and dates from 1948...

height 5 1/2; length across handle 6 1/4 inches, weight 14.1 Troy ounces, the body richly chased with rose flowers, foliage and a band of acanthus leaves below, the realistically formed wrythen grapevine handle fastened together with silver tacks (see second enlargement), engraved "Minnie / June 2nd / 1875" in cartouche under spout, capacity one quart, fine condition.

If only we knew a bit more about Minnie, a good tale might be told, but alas we know nothing of this lass.

height 3; diameter 4 inches, weight 7.11 Troy ounces, excellent original condition, monogrammed as shown in second enlargement. A great design which makes use of both applied and repoussé'd decoration.

These come and go, but I don't think we've ever owned one where the chasing is so crisp and the original oxidation hasn't been at least partially removed by some overzealous owner...

Danvers, MA circa 1930, height 3 1/4; top diameter 2 5/8 inches, weight 5.75 Troy ounces, no monogram, some very light scratches but excellent overall condition.

Though his work is ardently sought by collectors, Porter's output was not always of consistent quality. His soldering was occasionally sloppy, and his hammer marks were at times random. Here, the seams are nearly invisible, and the art peen hammering (please see third enlargement) is laid out masterfully along the vertical axis...

unmarked but probably Scandinavian circa 1880, diameter 5 7/8 inches, enamel appears to be perfect and we've found no breaks in the silver. Add a zero on to our price and you still couldn't buy a new one of comparable quality...

height 6 inches, widest section of base 5 1/8 inches, superb color and condition, monogram "GVL" (?) script obverse. We've bought and sold many Gorham novelty items, but this is certainly among the best of its class...

In 1894, Nellie Sontag would have been a household name. With her brother Sir Mohawk, she was half of the famed trotter team which held the fastest time for their age class. The horses were immortalized in a print by Currier & Ives of John Cameron's painting, which we show here in our fourth enlargement...

dimensions 10 X 12 inches, excellent condition, no monogram, marked as shown in third enlargement. An easel style frame, it is backed by genuine 1950's era wood-grained plastic.

height 2 1/2; diameter 6 1/4 inches, a minor dent which is visible mainly from the underside (see 2nd and 3rd enlargements) but fine overall condition, no monogram, marked as shown, weight 9.09 Troy ounces.

For those who are not familiar with his work, Frederick Gyllenberg worked in Boston, MA during the first quarter of the twentieth century, and was one of the preeminent American Arts & Crafts era silversmiths...

height 1 7/8 and 2 1/4 inches respectively; gross Troy weight 5.1 ounces, no monogram, excellent condition although the ebony (or teak?) handle is a bit wobbly in place.

Porter was a highly talented silversmith, but his work is inconsistent and sometimes sloppy. These items showcase his skills at their best. The solder joints are subtle and superbly executed, the hammering is uniform and attractive, the piercings are symmetrical...