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Outstanding
Beehive Bowl
Deep Green Paint
.....sale pending
New England, ca. last quarter 18th century. Maple. Original very dry, rich warm green paint.
Lathe turned, with features that we seek in authentic early bowls: molded rim; prominent turned ridges on the outer wall centered by concentric tool marks; pronounced beautifully worn foot with smooth burnishing and soft feel from rubbing on surfaces for two+ centuries; chisel marks within the foot where the lathe-block was removed; and noticeably out of round with “potato chipping” from natural shrinkage across the grain as the wood dried.
Excellent condition, no cracks. Minor expected paint wear. About 13 7/8 inches x 13 1/8 diameter x 4 1/2 inches tall. .
Carved
Love Token
Bird Box
American, probably Northeastern, ca. late 19th century.
Hardwood with original paint and pigmented over-varnish. A clever swing-out drawer is concealed within the base, perhaps to store or even hide jewelry.
Most unusual. The maker carved a heart-shaped nest using layers of chip-carving, with a charming little bird perched on top.
The carver’s skill and thought are quite apparent. After careful carving, the entire was painted black, and while still wet the high points were revealed by rubbing the wet paint with a cloth. Once dried, red, yellow, and black embellishments were added to the bird, then the entire was generously over-varnished, giving the box a glazed appearance.
Superb condition. About 4 ½ x 5 inches x 3 ½ tall.
Beautiful
Hand-Carved
Painted Ladle
.....sale pending
Likely Northeast colonial, possibly Woodlands Indian, appears to be maple, early to mid-19th century, retaining its original vivid blue paint.
The handle is distinguished by a bold, stylized heart, while the underside of the shallow bowl is subtly “peaked” in a form sometimes described as “turtle back.” The bowl tapers gracefully. The chamfered edges and refined transitions reflect a confident and practiced hand.
Application was likely as a food ladle or grain scoop. Given the prominent heart, superb carving, and blue paint, it was probably made as a gift.
Condition is excellent, with only a minor old chip to the edge of the bowl.
Length about 8 inches; bowl about 4 1/3 x 4 ¾.
Provenance includes David Good; private Northeast collection.
Exceptional
Blacksmithed
Skewer Set
.....sale pending
Probably Northeast, Pennsylvania to New England, 18th century.
A superb survival, this hand-wrought iron skewer set was forged by a highly skilled blacksmith.
The backplate is beautifully shaped-the top finial emulating a flame. The arched holder is forward projecting, a clever and practical feature that allows the skewers to be easily removed and replaced, even when the backplate is mounted on a working hearth.
What further sets this example apart are the small details: the crisply formed diamond-shaped terminals of the arched supports and the finely drawn rattail skewers—elegant, deliberate touches seldom encountered on comparable sets.
Outstanding complex surface. Impressive scale of about 19¼ inches high from the top to the end of the longest skewer, by 6 inches wide. An essential implement in the 18th-century kitchen, skewers were used to secure meat, poultry, or fish while roasting over an open fire.
Primitive Wallbox
Rosehead Nails
.....sale pending
New England, 18th century. For those who love early primitives.
Original very dry light blue-white paint on pine. The simple thick-stock design with off-center lollipop back board is joined to a tapered well and base with large rosehead nails (with a few later tightening nails added). Worn surface, terrific patina to backboard and inner well.
May be hung or rests on a surface. About 15 inches tall x 6 1/2 wide x 5 deep.
RARE CARVED AND PAINTED FRAME
.....SOLD
Centre County, Pennsylvania,
ca. 1840.
Likely poplar, with original patinated, dry, very crackled painted and varnished surface with a hue of salmon trending toward bittersweet.
Remarkable carving!
The corner pinwheels stand so tall from the surface that they remind one of frosting on a cupcake. Each individual "herring-bone-like" channel is skillfully and carefully carved. Lapped-corner joints secured from behind by wooden pins.
Outside dimensions about 18 inches x 14 1/2. The view dimensions about 13 1/8 x 9 3/4. The inside rabbet (the maximum piece of art that it could take) is about 14 inches x 10 3/8. About 5/8 inches thick, and a full 1 1/2 inches thick at the corners including the pinwheel carvings. Excellent.
Stand-alone as a work of art, to present a top-shelf painting about the size of a Prior-Hamblin School portrait or fraktur, or could be fitted with period mirror glass.
Only the second example of this frame that I have ever seen.
MINIATURE Pair
Wedding Band
Hog Scraper
Candlesticks
.....SOLD
Probably Northeast, ca. early to mid-19th century. Tinned sheet iron and brass.
Scarce in this small size--just 4 3/4 inches tall.
The complex surfaces are a fusion of old black paint, environmental pitting, and light surface oxidization. Fitted with molded brass wedding bands, now darkly patinated.
Very well made and in superb structural condition retaining their hanging hooks and working candle-extraction traveler-tabs while resting flat and standing straight on stepped round bases. The candlesticks come with old candle stubs.
As fine a pair as one will find. From a superb Northeast collection.
A pair of identical sticks in form and size are shown in the Barry Cohen Collection, David Schorsch, page 89.
AMERICAN ORIGINALS
Important Early
Painted Basket
.....SOLD
New England, likely Nantucket or New Hampshire, ca. 1830.
Original red paint on white oak and pine, with iron tacks.
As described in AMERICAN BASKETS, A Folk Art Tradition: “This may be an early prototype of the later classic Nantucket lightship baskets. Few other basket-making traditions are known to have used the combination of white oak ribs, a wooden bottom and such sophisticated construction technique as are found in this example”.
Stunning in design and presence. Skillfully woodworked.
About 15 inch diameter x 10 tall not including the handle.
In a robust and beautiful state of preservation.
EXHIBITED: “AMERICAN BASKETS, A Folk Art Tradition”, David Schorsch, New York, October 16-November 16, 1988.
PUBLISHED: “AMERICAN BASKETS, A Folk Art Tradition”, David Schorsch, BACK COVER and no. 5.
PROVENANCE: Suzanne Courcier and Robert Wilkins, Austerlitz, NY; David Schorsch, New York, 1988; Collection of Ralph Esmerian, New York (reference AMERICAN RADIANCE, The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum); David Wheatcroft, Westboro, MA; New England private collection; David Schorsch and Eileen Smiles, Woodbury, CT, Don Olson, Rochester, NY. .
AMERICAN ORIGINALS
Paint Decorated
Spice Box
.....SOLD
Unusually
Small and Exceptional
Midwest to Northeast, often identified as Pennsylvania or Ohio, ca. 1820-1850. Original vinegar-paint decoration on what appears to be poplar, with integrally turned finial.
After a base coat of a light-yellow ochre dried, a dark-ochre vinegar paint was applied, and while still wet creatively patterned to reveal the contrasting base color.
Likely intended for sugar or spices.
Just 3 3/8 inches tall. No cracks, just minor imperfections. Has been in a top-shelf private collection for over 30 years, kept all this time as it is such a special little piece. .
Harper’s Ferry, VA
Folk Art Masterwork.
Historically Significant
.....SOLD
American, ca. 1860. Watercolor and ink on paper. Charmingly naive yet a sophisticated visual story. With its brilliant, softly blended colors, this prized example of American folk art combines real-life details with imaginative elements in a stylized painting of one of the country's most historically significant towns.
The work has classic traits of 19th-century American folk painting—flat perspective, crisp outlines, distinctive figures, and heightened decorative color choices, especially the deep blues, ochres, and brick reds. Natural elements like trees, hills, and rivers are represented with repetitive, ornamental shapes rather than realistic modeling.
There is much to see. For example, I am taken by the figures on the bridge, drawn with intriguing simplicity, uniformity, and bold color-contrast between the blues and blacks. They animate the architectural of the covered bridge while also providing a sense of scale and human presence…..The two men in the foreground seem to be reviewing a map or artwork, perhaps a self-portrait of the artist?
Harper’s Ferry:
Prelude to Civil War
Harper’s Ferry, located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, held profound national significance in the years leading up to the Civil War. Its federal armory made it a strategic target for abolitionist John Brown, who sought to ignite a widespread slave uprising. On July 3, 1859, Brown arrived in Harper’s Ferry with his sons, Oliver and Owen, and fellow activist Jeremiah Anderson. Their aim was to seize the U.S. arsenal and incite rebellion across the Southern states.
The raid commenced on October 16 and ended two days later, resulting in the deaths of several raiders. Brown himself was captured, tried, and executed—his actions and martyrdom intensifying the nation's regional tensions.
This event marked a pivotal moment in American history, not only for its impact but also for the way it was covered. It was among the first national crises reported widely through the newly established electrical telegraph. Journalists boarded the first train to Harper’s Ferry on the morning of October 17, and detailed coverage followed in major newspapers. Harper’s Weekly, published vivid engravings of the event, including the widely circulated “Harper’s Ferry – The Scene of the Late Insurrection” dated October 29, 1859, likely the inspiration for this painting.
Presented in a period painted frame, frame size about 23 1/16 inches x 17 ¼.