Antiques & Acquisitions

Elegant French Art Deco liqueur set, produced by the historic Verrerie et Cristallerie d'Arques (under G. Durand & Cie). Pink 'rosaline' pressed glass — a decanter with stopper, an octagonal tray with stepped geometric chevron motif, and six matching liqueur glasses. Complete and in fine condition. A characteristic example of 1930s French decorative glassmaking from the golden age of European Art Deco.

A fine and unusual hand-decorated Limoges porcelain bonbonnière produced as a Patek Philippe Collection 2000 limited edition piece, reproducing the cobalt-and-gold enamelled case of an iconic 1928 Patek Philippe pocket watch (18-carat yellow gold, blue/gold enamelled back, urn-and-roses motif) held in the Patek Philippe Museum, Geneva. Octagonal porcelain de Limoges, signed 'Patek Philippe Genève'. Excellent condition with minimal wear. 10 × 4 × 3.5 cm.

Substantial West German 'Fat Lava' (Fettlava) vase by Bay-Keramik-Fabrik Bodo Mans of Ransbach-Baumbach. Cream stoneware base with a dripping amber-caramel glaze band and characteristic wavy scalloped flow line. Impressed marks to base: 'BAY • W-GERMANY • 240 40' (form 240, height 40 cm). A bold, large-format example of the West German Pottery movement that defined European mid-century ceramics. Excellent condition.

French coopered oak champagne bucket from Domaines Schlumberger, Guebwiller, Alsace (maison founded 1810). Three copper bands and an embossed copper escutcheon bearing the Schlumberger coat of arms. Twin raised stave 'ear' handles in the traditional Alsatian cooper style. Warm honey patina, fine original condition. Height 33 cm including ears (28 cm to brim).

A matched pair of French Napoléon III devotional medallions — Christ and the Virgin Mary — modelled in relief in blanc de Meudon (fine chalk-gypsum), hand-finished, and sealed beneath bombé (deep convex) glass in warm brass bezels. Objects of this kind were produced in vast numbers by the Saint-Sulpice ateliers between roughly 1852 and 1875, sold at pilgrimage sites and religious retreats across France, and hung above bedsteads or in quiet corners of the parlour. Both examples in honest, unrestored condition: the domed glass intact on each, the modelling still crisp on the faces and drapery, the brass rims mellowed to a warm gold. A quietly beautiful devotional pair, small enough to hang in an alcove yet full of atelier character.

A handsome cast-bronze German Shepherd by the celebrated French animalier sculptor Louis-Albert Carvin (1875–1951), produced in the high Art Deco period. The dog is modelled in a moment of alert repose — front paws extended, head turned, mouth open and ears pricked — every line of musculature and ruff caught in the warm copper-brown patina for which Carvin's bronzes are known. Mounted on the classic Deco two-tone plinth of black-veined Portoro slate and golden Sienna marble. Signature L. Carvin clear and crisp; marble base chip-free. A small, confident piece of French Art Deco sculpture that holds its own on shelf, desk or chimneypiece.

A beautiful Art Deco bowl from the celebrated Val Saint Lambert glassworks of Seraing, Belgium — designed by Charles Graffart and René Delvenne for the 1935 Luxval catalogue. The flared cranberry / amethyst body sits on a stepped pedestal foot with three signature roundel-disc supports, and is wheel-engraved with a delicate daisy motif — the rarer engraved variant, far less common than the plain production. A jewel-like example of the elegant, lightly-reflective forms Val Saint Lambert was known for in this period, equally at home with collectors of classic Art Deco glass or as a striking decorative centrepiece. H 13 cm · D 38 cm.

A jewel-coloured Murano sommerso bowl from the great age of post-war Italian glass — magenta pink and cobalt blue cased over a solid emerald-green crystal centre that catches the light like an eye. The biomorphic free-form silhouette and the famous sommerso 'submerged' layered casing point to the Seguso / Cenedese / AVEM ateliers of the 1960s. Unsigned, as much of the most adventurous Murano work from this period was. 30 × 23 × 10 cm.

A grand free-form sommerso centrepiece — the wide amethyst-pink dish is hot-pulled into four sculptural points while still molten, with cobalt-blue 'water' layered underneath and a single dramatic central spike rising from the floor. At 35 cm across this is the larger, statement size of the form — equally at home with the Bohemian Hospodka / Mstišov glassworks of the 1960s and with the Murano sommerso ateliers of Seguso. A bold, jewel-like piece of mid-century glass sculpture. 35 cm Ø · H 14 cm.

A small but completely captivating late 19th century French school oil-on-panel — a portrait of a young girl in a cream blouse and pale blue-green satin dress, her reddish-blond hair falling in soft braids, a single white flower at her side and a posy in her lap. Painted with a finely modelled, almost Bouguereau-like touch — unsigned, as so many cabinet-scale pieces by accomplished French academic painters of the period were. What truly sets this lot apart is the frame: a wildly carved giltwood rococo-revival surround with bold rocaille scrollwork at all four corners and a deep oval reserve cradling the picture. The combination of the tender painting and the heroic frame creates one of those rare moments where a small object has presence way beyond its size — the kind of piece that will draw the eye on any wall it hangs on. 35 × 25 cm. More images available by request.