Morse – definition

Morse – Definition

We live in a rather disposable era just now, with plastic buttons popping off in the laundry and pants with broken zippers being discarded, but in the past, the medieval past, luxury goods like fabric and closure accessories like buttons and clasps were difficult to come by. Their expensive nature meant they needed to be easily salvageable and clothing was designed with this in mind. Take for instance a cope, which [...] Click here to continue reading.

Vermeil – definition

Vermeil

“Vermeil” is a French word co-opted by the English in the 19th century for a silver gilt process. Vermeil is a combination of silver and gold, although other precious metals are also occasionally added, that is then gilded onto a sterling silver object. The reddish (vermilion) hue of the addition of the gold gives the product its name. Vermeil is commonly found in jewelry, and a standard of quality (10 karat gold) and [...] Click here to continue reading.

Samorodok Definition

Samorodok Definition

Samorodok is a technique that produces a textured finish that resembles fabric or tree bark. It is done by heating the silver to a temperature just below melting point, then cooling it quickly in water.

Information courtesy of Brunk Auctions, November 2013.

Semans, Mary Duke Biddle Trent – Brunk Provenance Note 8-2013

Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans (1920 to 2012)

An American heiress and philanthropist, Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans was the great-granddaughter of tobacco industrialist and Duke University benefactor Washington Duke. She was born Mary Duke Biddle on February 21, 1920 to Mary Lillian Duke and Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Jr. Her father was the former U.S. Ambassador to Poland and Spain.

Semans was raised in Manhattan, where she attended the Hewitt School in New [...] Click here to continue reading.

Stirrup Cups – Definition

Stirrup Cups

The use and design of stirrup cups can be traced back to ancient Greece, in the use of rhytons for the drinking of libations. Rhytons were invariably modeled as the head of an animal or a mythological creature. They featured two openings – a wide opening at the top (or the neck of the animal) and a small hole at the bottom (or mouth of the animal). The drinker would hold them [...] Click here to continue reading.

Eugene Fleischer Stirrup Cup Collection Provenance-Freemans 5-21-13

The Eugene & Lucille Fleischer Collection of English and Continental Stirrup Cups

The collection of hundreds of stirrup cups assembled by Eugene Fleischer is as fine and comprehensive as any likely to be encountered. Renowned for his ceramic collections (his fine collection of Staffordshire and other 18th and 19th century English ceramics was sold to acclaim by Freeman’s in 2007), Eugene Fleischer gathered these stirrup cups over several decades, during visits to England and [...] Click here to continue reading.

El Roy and Helene Master Collection -Provenance- Pook & Pook, 6-19-09

The Collection of El Roy and Helene Master

The offering of the antiques and collectables of El Roy P. and Helene Livingood Master comes with some degree of sadness. This collection has remained intact for five generations and it is hoped that others can now appreciate its beauty and fine craftsmanship.

Helen, Harry and Minnie Janssen

This legacy started with the arrival of Henry Janssen and Ferdinand Thun from Germany at the turn [...] Click here to continue reading.

Biggin definition

Biggin Definition

According to the Getty Museum Art & Architecture Thesaurus biggins are vessels or coffee pots (vessels for serving drinks), having separate containers, often in the form of a muslin bag, in which the coffee is immersed while being boiled and usually a stand with a heating device for keeping the coffee warm.May 2012.

Tiffany, Louis Comfort & Favrile Glass & More

Louis Comfort Tiffany

Louis Comfort Tiffany, born in New York City on February 18, 1848, was one of America’s foremost leaders of the Art Nouveau Movement. Tiffany opened his glassworks in 1885 on Long Island, New York producing a wide range of outstanding designs for lamps, windows and decorative objects. As a leading developer of new forms of art glass, L. C. Tiffany is most noted for his Favrile glass produced from 1892 into [...] Click here to continue reading.

Meiji Period, Japan

The Japanese Meiji Period (1868-1911)

In 1867/68 the Tokugawa shogunate era came to an end with the restoration of imperial power to the emperor Meiji (died, 1912) and the transfer of the government from Kyoto to Tokyo. The actual political power was transferred from the Tokugawa Bakufu into the hands of a small group of nobles and former samurai.

Like other subjugated Asian nations, the Japanese were forced to sign unequal treaties with Western [...] Click here to continue reading.

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