Topics

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Antique Questions Forum / Need Help With Silver Mark

« on: December 06, 2023, 02:11:12 pm »

Hi gang,

Can you please assist with this silver mark? I believe it is likely Scandinavian and the C- clasp indicates it is an older piece. I believe BH may be the maker and I believe F6 is a date mark. I was told 13 1/3 was Scandinavian,  but I don't know what it means. The silver content is .927 and the piece measures 2.25" and appears to be a Norse shield in design, but I have not found another like it to compare it to.

Thanks for your help!

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Antique Questions Forum / The Magical Mystery Pig!!!!

« on: September 29, 2023, 07:27:49 pm »

So I bought a pig. OK, a boar. From what I have been able to find out so far, this appears to be a Javanese figural boar oil lamp. I think it was originally cast in bronze, then covered over in silver to stabilize it. This guy is huge. The size of a football! I have found two smaller versions from the 11th and maybe 15th century. I have no idea how old mine is. Here is where things get weird. There is this legend in Java about people who shapeshift into the form of a boar in order to steal from other villagers. When I tried to get information on this piece on an Indonesian antiques group, I was blocked and then banned with no explanation. Ok my pig may have bad juju origins, but I like him and no Javanese demon stuff has gone down at my house since I brought him home
 So, I turn to you guys for help. What did I buy?!!! The silver one is mine, the others are similar bronze examples.








 

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Antique Questions Forum / Tea Storage Chest

« on: February 10, 2023, 08:04:16 am »

I have a lot of questions about this one.

I picked this up on eBay and it is a wonderful chest for storing different types of tea, at least that was it's purpose that the seller stated! Indeed, there were some bits of old tea in it. But I cannot find another example like it anywhere. I have tried searching for similar storage chests- humidors, spice chests, tea ceremony chests and gaming chests, but they are all different. This is very clearly not a jewelry box, there is no place for a humidor's sponge, and the storage boxes are lined with painted-on tinning, which tells me it was intended for storing something perishable. I love the folding design and hidden drawers, every bit of the space is used for storage and it holds a lot of tea! It also does not strike me as being a one-off handmade original, it looks more like an item that many were made of.

I am also not 100% certain whether this is Japanese or Chinese. I am leaning toward Japanese for the following reasons: The architecture of the pagoda and bridges in the paintings most closely resemble Japanese architecture, and the boat sails in the paintings look like Japanese traditional boats, Chinese sails are more fan-like. The box is wood, the interior and bottom are lacquered.

The hardware has tiny individually slotted screws securing it, many of them with off-center slotted heads. The locking mechanism is an old, half-mortise lock, so based on the lock and hardware as well as the paintings, which look a bit "tourist-y" I'm dating it to pre-WWII about 1920s or 1930s. (Modern locks and mass-produced screws became common after that point).

And what is with the carved bird and monkey attack scene on the top?!! The closest image I can find to this is a Japanese painting of an eagle attacking a monkey at the Met. Asian art is full of depth and symbolism. Why would you have a bloody attack scene on the top of the top of a tea box, with nice peaceful imagery of scenery, birds and flowers on the interior?

I would appreciate any ideas and insight, especially similar examples. Here are the pictures:

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Antique Questions Forum / 200-Year-Old Japanese Hina Dolls

« on: December 31, 2022, 11:35:52 am »

After seeing a few of these I was intrigued,  after learning about them I was hooked. Describing these as "dolls" is really not accurate. They represent an imperial couple, and are designed to invite benevolent spirits to occupy their bodies and in turn provide protection for the little girls in the household. This tradition in Japan started with paper figures that were placed in boats and floated down a river, taking bad luck and disease away with them. They were never played with as toys. Over time, the figures becae more elaborate and became works of art that were handed down through generations. If you look uo Hina dolls or Hinamatsuri, the festival when the dolls are displayed, you can see som elaborate displays in Japan.

These two were made in about 1800 in the style in called Kokin-bina. The female of the imperial couple is called the me-bina, the male the o-bina. When I got them their wigs were long gone due to the iron in the old black dyes, so I made new ones out of silk fiber, as the originals would have been I made them removable, so as not to alter them from the original way they were. I gathered some tradional accessories and have really enjoyed them!

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Antique Questions Forum / 19th c Miniature Silver Furniture

« on: December 31, 2022, 09:39:22 am »

No questions on this, just sharing. I found this miniature set of silver doll furniture in a thrift store. It turns out that the fairy garden miniatures craze is nothing new. In the 19th century, women of means with time on their hands collected miniature silver furniture and set up little vignettes. These two sets sell for about $100+ each. I paid $25 for both so I did pretty well!

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Antique Questions Forum / Knife Box? Candle Box? Something Else?

« on: February 04, 2022, 07:46:53 pm »

I was recently given some 18th century pieces, and this was with them. I've seen similar wall boxes called candle boxes and knife boxes. This one has a steeper angle than most and no lid. It would not make sense for long tapers, it could hold stacked 4" candles, but why the angle? You could double the capacity without it. A knife box might make sense, storing them blade down, handles up.
It is very sturdy, made with 3/4" boards, held together with square nails and nice patina throughout. Any insite into age and purpose would be great.

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Antique Questions Forum / Mustard Jar Needs Pattern ID

« on: January 21, 2022, 10:36:33 pm »

I will be posting a lot of items, a friend's father passed and I was gifted quite a haul of 18th/early 19th century items from his dad's collection.

Up first is a mustard pot that has little remaining of its hallmark. I believe it is Staffordshire transferware. I found several very similar examples dating to the 1820s, but I cannot find this pattern. Can anyone ID this?

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Antique Questions Forum / Fell in Love... Again! (1815 Windsor Chair)

« on: November 27, 2021, 02:46:57 pm »

We kept talking about this chair after spotting it in an Asheville NC antique mall. Turns out I was plotting to buy it for my hubby and he was plotting to buy it for me, so we bought it for each other and saved even more with a 20% off Black Friday discount.

So the chair is well-built and rock solid. It looks like it had the original green paint stripped off in antiquity, as it has lots of great patina on the existing finish. The old pegs are protruding out from the wood shrinking over the years.  A few old slotted screws were added over the years. Everything on it looks done by hand, with the inconsistencies you would expect. I'm not a furniture expert, but hopefully wee did OK. Would love to hear your opinions on it.

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Antique Questions Forum / Here Come the Elephants!

« on: November 02, 2021, 06:21:33 am »

I picked up this neat little group of metal painted circus elephants marked only "England". They appear to have been part of a larger circus parade. I believe they date to the 1940's. Can anyone help ID them? I would love to see what the rest of the circus set was like if it exists. I bought them from a seller who had aquired a mixed bag of circus sets from different eras. I'm amazed that the little wooden and cloth "howdahs", headresses and "mahout" riders have survived. They are now parading across the cabinet in my office and I'm really enjoying them! Any help is greatly appreciated.

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Antique Questions Forum / Birthday Surprise

« on: October 02, 2021, 04:11:30 pm »

My wonderful husband waited for an opportunity when I was out to dash back to the antique store where I had been drooling over this cool old Chinese tea bin, bought it and hid it in the barn until my birthday. Then he covered my eyes, walked me to it and got a "*shriek!* my tea bin!!!!!" When I saw it! I found a seller on 1st Dibs who has three of them. One had the same address as mine written on the back, so I was able to make it out- 1630 14th St. NW Washington DC. Looking it up online, it's an old storefront, which is now a body shop. I can't decipher the name on the back, but will look at some old DC city directories to see if I can figure it out. The 1st Dibs seller had a second one with a DC address, which was the old Bliss estate, which is now a museum. So I've got some fun research to do, including translating the Chinese writing. The 1st Dibs seller has these priced at over $2,000!!! (My mom splurged and paid $450 for mine, so I think we did ok!)

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Antique Questions Forum / Japanese Bone Zushi Shrine

« on: September 18, 2021, 09:37:55 am »

I learned some interesting things when I bought this little carved bone shrine. It is Japanese, dates 1890 -1910ish, and is called a Zushi shrine. These are designed to travel with their owners. Inside the small alcove would be a seated, meditative mini statue of Buddha, carved similarly to the shrine. Somewhere along the way, Buddha got separated from my shrine. Otherwise, it's in great shape. Fortunately, the little mini carved bone "pocket" Buddhas are still around . I found one that is a good fit with the style of shrine and had the meditative pose I saw in similar Zushi shrines. This one had been turned into a pendant for tourists in the 1940s by bending metal strips around it, but not drilling a hole like some. I think it will be pretty easy to remove Buddha from his jewelry mounting and then the shrine will be as it once was.

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Antique Questions Forum / ID / Age of Pressed Glass Tumbler or Vase

« on: August 15, 2021, 08:35:29 pm »

Hey glass folks, I could use your help on this one. I picked up this pressed glass tumbler (or vase?) In an antique mall this weekend. I'd like to know about the age, pattern and if it was intended to be a tumbler or a vase. The impressed pattern gives it a really nice grip surface. It is heavy and the bottom has three molded fins on the interior of the glass. It is 6-1/2" tall and 3-1/2" in diameter across the top lip.
I'm guessing 1910-ish by the pattern and the feel of the glass. With a good washing, t will make a great beer or tall cocktail glass, even if it was a vase in its past life!

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Antique Questions Forum / Going to See this Chair Tomorrow... Any thoughts?

« on: April 03, 2021, 07:23:24 pm »

I have an appointment to go see this chair tomorrow. Furniture is not one of my strong points, so I would love to hear from any of you with your feelings on the age, style etc.

To me it looks to be handmade, the seat is a large thick slab and I see a lot of variation on the legs. The decorative turnings on the legs match those on the back, I want to say homemade mid to late 1800s? I bought an 1850s plantation desk with a very tall upper cabinet, and a high-backed chair like this would look great with it.

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Antique Questions Forum / How Old is that SINGHA in the Window?

« on: January 27, 2021, 09:08:01 pm »

Update: This is not a foo dog, but a Singha, a lion-like creature in Thai folklore, which is a protector, signifying strength, leadership, endurance and other strong attributes. This singha may have been on a gate or temple.

So I got a good deal on a foo dog, a pretty big foo dog in fact! it's over 15" tall, 9" wide and was purchased at an antique store in Thailand.  All I know is that it is covered with layers of multicolored paint and appears to have been some type of architectural element. Maybe a gate or corner of a roof? Any info would be very helpful.

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Antique Questions Forum / Is this little creamer guy a Palmer Cox Brownie?

« on: December 12, 2020, 03:11:18 pm »

I picked up this little creamer guy in an antique store for next to nothing. I thought he might be one of the Cox Palmer Brownie characters. I've been looking at old illustrations and novelty items, and I've been unable to find one exactly like this. The difficulty is that there seem to be a lot of "one-off" characters that were created as needed. Palmer Cox was an early mass marketer and sold his brownies to all kinds of manufacturers. They were on toys, tea sets, dinnerware, illustrations, you name it. Just about anything would sell if it had a brownie image on it. Almost all of the brownie ceramicware was unmarked, as this is.

This guy really seems to have the Palmer Cox look. So far I can't find another like him, Palmer Cox or otherwise. He is made of very light, thin ceramic, like a delicate tea cup. I'm kind of amazed he has survived.

What do you guys think? I was unable to even find a collector group that I could show him to.