Francis Higgins Decorative Objects

This sterling silver heavy hollow body rooster figure is signed 925 on the base and is in fine condition. Beautifully made and proportioned well. Great patina.

Playful true-to-life silver armadillo that serves as a lighter other than being a decorative artwork in its own right. Expertly made by the Florentine...

Playful true to life silver frog that serves as a lighter other than being a decorative piece of artwork. Expertly handmade by the Florentine silversmiths, the Lisi Brothers, its rea...

Presenting a captivating collection of nine meticulously crafted American silver snowflake ornaments, each one representing a distinct year's edition. Among them, three have been exp...

Tiny Sterling Cast of a Sitting Bear Item e7246 A lovely sculpture of a sitting bear casted in sterling silver, Germany 1st half of the 20th century. 17,1 gramm, 0,60 oz. A wonderful...

Giraffe nº 2 by Alcino Silversmith 1902 is a handcrafted piece in 925 Sterling Silver with twisted head, hammered and chiseled by excellent craftsmen, giving this piece a much higher...

Embossed and engraved silver plaque La Madonna del lago (The Madonna of the Lake) Probably Milan, post 1824 Brass frame It measures 16.14 in x 13.85 in (41 x 35.2 cm) and it weighs 10.357 pounds (4.698 g): silver 1.31 pounds (598 g) + brass 9.03 pounds (4.100 g) State of conservation: some abrasions on the bottom. The frame is old, but not original. The plaque is made up of a sheet of embossed and engraved silver, and held in a solid brass frame. It depicts the “Madonna del lago” – “Madonna of the Lake” - (the Madonna with Child and San Giovannino) by Marco d'Oggiono (Oggiono, 1474 circa - Milan, 1524 circa), while changing only the background landscape. Almost certainly the subject reproduced in the plaque was taken from a famous engraving by Giuseppe Longhi (Monza, 1766 - Milan, 1831), one of the greatest engravers of his era. The silver is unmarked, probably because originally the Madonna was due to be exposed in a church: sometimes precious metals destined for worship and liturgical use would be exempted from payment and were, therefore, not marked. It is very likely that the plaque was made in Milan because in this city in 1824 the engraving by Giuseppe Longhi was made and printed. In addition, in Milan, the alleged lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci in his Milanese period (1482-1500) would be produced; this is the painting from which Marco d'Oggiono took his version. The painting Marco d?Oggiono was one of Leonardo da Vinci's most brilliant students and collaborators (D. Sedini, Marco d’Oggiono, tradizione e rinnovamento in Lombardia tra Quattrocento e Cinquecento, Roma 1989, pp. 151-153, n. 56; p. 225, n. 124, with previous bibliography). His style reflects in every way that of the Tuscan Maestro, so much so that he was the one who executed some copies of da Vinci's paintings. The execution of the “Madonna del Lago” probably draws inspiration from a lost painting by the Maestro, created while he was living in Milan (1482-1500). There are many similarities with other works by Leonardo such as the “Vergine delle rocce” or the “Vergine con il Bambino e San Giovannino, Sant’Anna e l’Agnello”. The painting, from which the drawing and then the famous engraving were taken, is found today at the M&G Museum of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, where it came to rest after the sale of the Harrington Collection in London in 1917. The work appears in the inventories of the collection of Napoleon and Joséphine Bonaparte at the castle of Malmaison, before 1809. The Malmaison building was born and developed in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 18th century it belonged to Jacques-Jean Le Coulteux du Molay, a wealthy banker. Later, during the Directory, Joséphine Bonaparte de Beauharnais bought it on April 21st, 1799, but settled at the castle definitively only after her husband separated from her in 1809. She remained there until 1814, the year of her death. When Joséphine died, the estate passed to her son Eugène de Beauharnais, who moved to Munich with his whole family in 1815, bringing with him the collection of paintings he inherited from his mother. Eugène died in 1824 and his wife Augusta of Bavaria (von Bayern), unable to keep it, in 1828 sold the Malmaison to the Swedish banker Jonas-Philip Hagerman. It is likely that in this period Augusta also sold part of the paintings inherited from her husband, including the “Madonna del Lago”. This painting then came into the possession of Leicester Stanhope, fifth Earl of Harrington (1784 - 1862) and then was passed down to his descendants. In 1917, at the death of Charles, eighth Earl of Harrington, his brother Dudley inherited the title and properties and he put up a part of his collections for sale. Among these, precisely, the painting by Marco d'Oggiono was to be found. On the occasion of that auction the painting was presented as a work by Cesare da Sesto, by virtue of a handwritten note by the Countess of Harrington on the back of the table. However, already in 1857, the German critic Gustav Waagen had identified Marco d'Oggiono as the author of the painting, then exhibited in the dining room of Harrington House in London (Treasures of Art in Great Britain, in 4 volumes, London, 1854 and 1857). The engraving Giuseppe Longhi was one of the most renowned engravers in Italy between the end of the 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century. In 1824 Giuseppe Longhi, based on a design by Paolo Caronni, made a famous engraving of the painting of Marco d?Oggiono. The activity of Longhi was then at the peak of his notoriety, enough to earn him very substantial commissions; it is not risky to suppose that some of his successful engravings were also reproduced using other means: in our case in silver. (A. Crespi, a cura di, Giuseppe Longhi 1766–1831 e Raffaello Morghen...

An exceptional, fine and impressive contemporary cast English sterling silver model of a pug; part of our animal related silverware collectio...

Novelty 20th century solid silver wager / marriage cup, the cups design inspired by the early 16th century German example, modelled as a female figure sup...

Presenting a remarkable 20th-century silver capercaillie sculpture, exquisitely attributed to the distinguished Buccellati workshop. This piece captures the essence of the capercaill...

A magnificent, fine and impressive pair of antique European silver cow creamers; an addition to our continental silverware collection These magnificent antique cast 13 löthige silver creamers have been realistically modelled in the form of a bull and a horned cow, each in the style of 18th century creamers. Each creamer is embellished with Fine details reproducing the details of the bull/cow's hide and facial features. The back of each piece is fitted with a hinged shaped cover encompassed with floral decoration and surmounted with a finial modelled in the form of a fly/insect. The bull and cow's tails function as the creamer's handle. Creamers of this combination, incorporating both the cow and bull, are unusual and rare to the market. 13 löthige/loth is the equivalent of .812.5 (812.5/1000). Condition These antique silver cow creamers...

Penguin by Alcino Silversmith 1902 is a handcrafted piece in 925 sterling silver with ostrich egg application and black onix eyes. This penguin i...