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Thrilling Unique
Spoon Rack
Wall Box
.....sale pending
Maine, ca. mid-18th century, yet could well be earlier.
Untouched. Original bone-dry red, gray, and black paint on pine.
A remarkable one-of-a-kind survivor with a mix of primitive joinery (early nails, including rose heads with simple butted joinery) yet inventive folk-art carving showing how important this box was in its 18th century home.
The shaped backboard is centered by three deeply carved roundels (two six-point rosettes flanking a bold pinwheel) executed with the uncomplicated ornamentation typical of early upper New England. One can easily see and feel the tool marks of the maker.
Stirring scale of about 25 ½ inches tall x 14 wide x 6 deep. The modest means of the original owners shown by spaces for only a handful of spoons. The deep well probably held knives, candles, etc.
That it has survived is sufficient representation of condition to those who understand its desirability and rarity…..Ancient losses can be seen particularly in the lower right corner and behind at the shoulders and neck.
This is for the passionate collector who seeks special country early Americana and covets the visual and emotional character of an untouched ancient painted surface. It would be a highlight of a collection.
Provenance includes Hollis Brodrick who acquired it from an early Maine home; then private Northeast collections.
Exceedingly Rare
MINIATURE
Sea Chest
.....SOLD
New England, ca. 1820-1830.
A delightful tiny sea chest GEM, the form mirroring full-size sailor’s chests, retaining its original, richly oxidized blue paint with vibrant mustard-yellow features (and a bit of red). The lid is centered by a bold six-pointed star, a diamond escutcheon frames the keyhole, and carved wooden beckets are attached to the ends.
Tiny cut nails join the box and the attached canted moldings on the lid and base. Original hinges. Inside is an open till. The high-character surface is dry and well patinated. This little chest was clearly actually used, probably for holding small valuables. Excellent condition with minor expected wear and imperfections.
Just 6 1/4 inches long x 3 1/2 wide a 3 1/2 tall.
A little painted Americana treasure that one will likely never see the likes of again.
Provenance: For more than 50 years in the personal collection of Ted and Carole Hayward, Yankee Smuggler Antiques, Richmond, NH, a piece that they would never sell despite being frequently asked; Sandra Cutchin, Dover, NH; most recently in a fine Midwest collection. .
Superb MINIATURE
Lift-Top
Blanket Chest
Probably Coastal Massachusetts, ca. 1760-1790. Original dry Spanish brown paint on mixed soft woods, including pine and maybe basswood.
I liked this little chest from the moment I first saw it. It has a “presence” from being just the “right size” and vertical “lift”. It stands proudly on tall legs, formed in part by half-moon cutouts on the sides.
The lift-top has applied moldings; the drawer with original whale-bone pulls; joinery by dovetails (several in the front and large-single dovetails in the back). The interior of the drawer is lined with later paper, probably early 19th century, handwritten with bible passages. Note how bright and clean the protected interior and drawer bottom are.
In a strong state of preservation, with expected paint wear and abrasions yet so structurally crisp and straight. Hand-planed. Retains original undisturbed snipe hinges.
About 14 inches tall x 13 ½ wide x 7 ½ deep.
According to family history, this chest was made by a cousin to Founding Father, and second President, John Adams.
Provenance includes Nathan Liverant and Son; private New York State collection. ..
Sensational
10th Anniversary
Tin Basket
Bursting
with Velvet Fruit
.....sale pending
American, the basket ca. 1820-1860, the velvet fruit antique to vintage.
This basket is a superior example of a classic 19th century tenth anniversary gift.
The tenth, or "tin" anniversary, was one of great celebration. Whimsical gifts, made by professional tin smiths, were often presented to the married couple. Tin symbolized the durability and flexibility of a decade of marriage. It is elaborately designed in a Federal style, meticulously hand-made by a master tin-smith, retaining a rich dark patina. A finer example is unlikely to be found.
The charming assortment of beautiful velvet fruits are a delightful example of decorative and functional folk art. These fruits were very popular as both whimsical home decorations and practical sewing pin cushions. They were stuffed with sawdust, emery powder, or even horsehair to provide weight and pin-holding capability, while the soft velvet exterior added tactile appeal and visual charm. Such velvet fruit arrangements were commonly displayed in bowls, baskets, or on mantels.
The basket stands about 10 inches tall x 8 ½ diameter, in superb condition as are the fruits. Provenance: the basket twenty years ago from Judy Wilson, Wiscasset, Maine to a fine Midwestern collection; the fruit carefully selected since then.
Outstanding Collection
Of Carved
Wooden Busks
.....SOLD
18th century.
All probably sailor-made as tokens of affection for the wives or sweethearts they were returning to. In this period, corsets held a rigid, removable busk, often of wood or whale bone, inserted into a center-front pocket to create a straight and upright posture.
All richly hand-carved with care and affection.
Excellent condition, lengths ranging from 12 ½ inches to 13 ½. Acquired long ago by an exemplary Midwest collector.
LEFT TO RIGHT:
T*ND. Dated 1784: Profusely chip carved, highlighted with a large pierced heart at top and pinwheel just below. Engraved “T*ND. 1784” on reverse, the lettering with last name followed by first initials.
MARY HARLOW: Many carved elements including three hearts at the top and many pinwheels of varying size and shapes. Engraved “MARY HARLOW” on the reverse, no doubt for whom the busk was made.
RARE MIRRORED: Crisply carved with a large heart, pinwheels, and geometrics, centered by a rarely found diamond-shaped mirror, a real prize for the lady in this period making this similar to a fragment mirror. The reverse with graphite inscriptions including “Savanah A____s wife of David ___Fellows?”
A/S*M 1784Y: Fully chip carved, engraved “A/S*M 1784Y” on reverse, the lettering with last name followed by first initials.
TREE OF LIFE/RT1781: Rare theme in the pattern of a” tree of life” capped by a large heart with two more hearts and pinwheels below.. The back engraved “RT1781”.
THOMAS CHAMBERS
Dramatic Landscape with Mount Vesuvius
Ca. 1843–1860
. Oil on canvas.
Described as America's "first modern", Thomas Chambers (1808–1869) is well known for his highly imaginative paintings with a distinctive style characterized by broad areas of luminous, flat color, sharp contrasts of light and dark, and romantic exaggeration of natural forms, qualities that perfectly suited the tastes of his prosperous patrons in New York and New England.
This striking view of Mount Vesuvius is a museum-worthy example of Chambers’ work. The erupting volcano rises against a glowing sky, while richly detailed foreground flora and trees frame the exotic setting producing a scene of both visual drama and luxurious warmth.
Two related views of Vesuvius by Chambers are illustrated in Thomas Chambers: American Marine and Landscape Painter, 1808–1869 by Foster (pp. 66–67).
Paintings by Thomas Chambers are represented in major public collections, including the American Folk Art Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, Fenimore Art Museum, Indiana University Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, National Gallery of Art, New-York Historical Society, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, and the Shelburne Museum.
In excellent condition with very-minor touchup at the perimeter. New stretcher; cleaned and re-lined by Yost Conservation in 2015. The choice gilt frame is period, frame size 28 ¼ wide x 22 5/8 tall. Site size 23 1/8 x 17 ¾ inches.
Provenance includes the Kennedy Galleries, New York City; private New York City collection; Joan Brownstein American Folk Paintings; private Massachusetts collection.
A rare opportunity to acquire a particularly dramatic example of Chambers’ landscape painting.
Militia Canteen
Vivid BLUE Paint
War of 1812 Period
New England, cheesebox form, ca. late 18th century to 1825. Pine and ash.
A top-shelf militia canteen retaining striking original blue paint, boldly centered with the painted initials “P.R.C.”, reflecting the pride and identity of a volunteer militia company.
Research finds three possibilities for PRC:
1. Very active during the War of 1812, the (Maine) PORTLAND RIFLE CORPS was elite. They bought their own fancy uniforms and matching gear (like painted canteens) to stand out from the common militia.
2. PROVIDENCE RIFLE COMPANY used the term "Company" and "Corps" interchangeably for their (also elite) light infantry and rifle units. Providence (RI) was a major hub for militia activity, and many canteens from this region follow this exact cheesebox construction.
3. The PORTSMOUTH RIFLE COMPANY (NH) was under constant threat of British naval attack. Local "Rifle Companies" were formed to defend the coast. The initials match with the standard labeling as seen on New Hampshire volunteer units of that era.
About 6 3/8 inch diameter x 2 1/4 tall. OUTSTANDING condition. Provenance includes Sam Forsythe, Don Olson, private collections.
REMARKABLE
GAMEBOARD
.....RARE!!
Landscape Vignettes
Found in upstate New York and likely painted there, ca. 1870-1900.
Principally parcheesi with secondary chess.
This elaborately hand-painted gameboard shows influence from the Hudson River School, a 19th-century American art movement known for its romanticized portrayals of nature and featuring aspirational European motifs.
Each corner, and home-area, are small painted stories rather than stars or geometrics typically found in parcheesi boards. Clockwise from top left: A maiden in white by a stream, evoking purity and reflection/Three figures in a boat fending off a menacing beast-related to 19th century adventure stories /A rider beneath a palm-like tree, evoking the exotic and unexplored/A dramatic mountainous landscape. The central "HOME" may show the Hudson River, with a castle-like structure, a theme borrowed from European Romantic art to suggest history and grandeur. MORE.....
The
PUFFY SLEEVE ARTIST
Silhouette of a Lady
.....SOLD
Likely Massachusetts, possibly New Hampshire or Vermont, ca. 1830-1831.
Hollow-cut with woven-cloth backing, watercolor, and ink on paper. The lady with high lace collar and red ribbon, while holding a red-rose bouquet.
Profiles by the celebrated Puffy Sleeve Artist are attributed given characteristics including: the distinctive way their bodies are turned toward the front while their heads remain in profile; woman wear the fashionable dress of the period with exaggerated puffy sleeves; iconic tiny hands at their waists (woman’s left hand often grasping a book or other object (rose)); her hair comb (also the fashion for the period) being cut into the hollow work with her hair painted about it.
Based on the article, from the Magazine Antiques, July/August 2014 “UNMISTAKEN IDENTITY”, Michael & Suzanne Paine and Sam Herrup make the case that the Puffy Sleeve Artist was Ezra Wood, Buckland, Massachusetts. Works by the Puffy Sleeve Artist are among the most sought after silhouette portraits from the early 19th century.
In a period, not first, gilt frame, about 5 inches x 4. Good condition with expected toning and an old, non-image tear upper right.
Provenance includes Pam Boynton. From a private Northeast collection. .
Outstanding
Folk Art
Sidewinder
Paddlesteamer
Sailing Ship
.....sale pending
American, ca. 1840-1860. Oil on canvas.
A striking maritime folk art painting depicting a sidewinder under both steam and sail.
The artist captures the vessel with clarity and directness, cutting cleanly through a choppy green sea beneath a luminous sky. The American ensign flies proudly at the stern, with additional signal flags aloft. Note the eagle figurehead (sailors believed that the sharp eyes of the eagle would be constantly on the lookout for hazards).
Steam-powered sidewinder sailing ships first came into service about 1840. Initially, these ships were prone to mechanical failure, so early paddle wheelers were fitted with a full complement of masts, rigging, and sails due to captains’ mistrust of the new steam technology.
By 1860, they were reliable enough, and now significantly faster than sailing-ships, so the sailing apparatus, including spare sails, rope, and all things needed to sail were eliminated, creating space for passengers and their belongings, enabling much faster trans-Atlantic service for many more travelers. At the outbreak of the Civil War, it was found that the side paddlewheel could easily be disabled, so the paddlewheel in later ships moved behind the stern.
Terrific condition, with very minor in-painting and craquelure.
The chamfered black painted frame appears original (with a bit of frame repair on the lower edge). Overall frame size is 35 ¾ inches x 25 ¼.
Provenance includes private collections, Robert Thayer, Stephen-Douglas; Don Olson.
AMERICAN ORIGINALS
STRIKING RARE
INLAID
CHERRY
CANDLESTAND
.....SOLD
Attributed to
NATHAN LUMBARD
Massachusetts, Worcester County (Sturbridge).....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.
As per Clarke Pearce (The Language of Nathan Lumbard, Antiques and Fine Art, March 2018) “Around 1790, there was a major shift afoot in cabinet shops across greater Worcester County. Printed British pattern books like George Hepplewhite’s Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide carried many new design ideas deep into the agrarian hinterlands. A new generation of young, ambitious artisans embraced the Neoclassical style, changing forever the way the region’s cabinetmakers went about their business. By the late 1790s, cabinetmakers all over central Massachusetts were making furniture in the Neoclassical style with inlaid decoration”.
Further, as stated by Chipstone about Nathan Lumbard: “….superior craftsmanship, love of complex inlay and an impeccable sense of design and proportion”.
Excellent original condition with just a minor old repair at the outer edge of one top-lobe. Original dry surface.
Diminutive size of about 25 5/8 inches tall.
A similar candlestand attributed to Lombard, yet lacking the heart-corner inlays, sold at Sotheby’s, January, 1999, lot 755, selling for much more. Also see: Crafting Excellence. The Furniture of Nathan Lumbard and His Circle, Winterthur, Christine Jackson, Brock Jobe, Clark Pearce