Quintessential Things

On offer is an antique Victorian-era needlepoint tapestry dating from the mid-to-late 19th century (circa 1850–1880). The needlework depicts a romanticized, pastoral scene of two fig...

On offer is a trophy shaped in a classic "loving cup" style. Going back centuries, the shape is identifiable by its deep bowl and twin sweeping handles, ready to be passed around at ...

This traditional Peruvian storytelling gourd, or mate burilado, reflects a craft practiced in Peru for over 4,000 years. Measuring 15 inches across and 8.5 inches high, it is an impr...

On offer is a hand-carved, painted wood ancestral spirit figure from the Middle Sepik River region of Papua New Guinea. In Sepik River cultures, these statues do not simply represent...

Oh to be posh. Instead, like camels, like beasts of burden, we load ourselves with backpacks when we travel. But there was a time when gentlemen of a certain cut journeyed with headg...

On offer is a natural giant fossilized clam shell, which at nearly 20 inches long can be used as a natural history specimen or as a sculptural decorative object for interior or garde...

This beautiful collectible is the "Cinderella's Coach of Dreams" Heirloom / Jewel Box from the Disney Showcase Collection, which was introduced just in time for the Millenium. The tw...

These extremely charming and highly collectable tureens were produced by the renowned Pillivuyt factory in Mehun-sur-Yèvre, France. At the beginning of the 20th century, the company ...

On offer is a 19th-century black transferware sauce or gravy tureen, complete with its original matching lid and underplate. This set was made in Staffordshire, England, the global h...

On offer is an original "Home Bank" with a morning glory/scalloped finial on the roof. Originally patented in 1872 by the prestigious J. & E. Stevens Company of Cromwell, Connect...

On offer is an Eldred Wheeler Inlaid Maple Sewing Box, handcrafted in Hingham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1977 by Emmett Eldred and Bill Wheeler, Eldred Wheeler was a highly regarded ...

This sculpture is an antique Chinese lacquered and polychrome-painted wood figure dating from late in the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). Hand-carved from a single piece of wood, set on an...

Fabulous antique grocery sign, which is double-sided and hand painted. This piece came from a barn in Washington state and is in great shape for its age. It measures 18 inches high b...

This newspaper front page, dated Tuesday, April 16, 1912, marks an event that touched the world. It took place late at night on Sunday, April 14 when the most luxurious, technically ...

This artifact is an Indo-Persian Kulah Khud helmet, a traditional style of head armor used across Persia, India, and the Ottoman Empire from the 17th to the 19th centuries. This traditional Indo-Persian Kulah Khud helmet is primarily made of forged steel. The skull bowl was fashioned from a single sheet of wrought iron or low-carbon steel, which was meticulously hammered, visible in photo #6, over a mold to form a uniform, protective dome. Forged either of iron or a matching steel alloy, the sharp spear-point spike mounted at the absolute top of the dome served a psychological and combative purpose to deflect downwards sword blows. Also attached is a vertical metal strip running down the center front, a nasal guard designed to protect the user's face. The two small, angled metal sockets on the front flanks were designed to hold decorative feathers (such as heron or egret plumes) during military parades or court displays. The darkened, brownish finish on this specific piece is a natural patina, indicating oxidized steel that has weathered over time from environmental exposure and age. The outer bowl features extensive hand-engraved scrollwork, typical of the decorative styles popularized during the Safavid and Qajar periods. Such Indo-Persian helmets...

This nearly seven-foot-high work is an original theatrical three-sheet poster for the 1946 screwball comedy “She Wrote the Book.” These large-format advertisements were primarily use...

On offer is a late 19th-century American folk art "Goddess of Liberty" molded copper weathervane mounted on a gallery presentation stand. The figure represents Liberty (also historic...

Classic mid-century rosewood coffee table designed by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin.

Pair of Satsuma style hand painted porcelain table lamps with scenes depicting birds and peonies

This pair of 19th-century Dutch-style side chairs features highly decorative inlays of flower urns, tulips, foliage, butterflies and birds on all sides. While the upright backs with ...

On offer is a French Louis XIV-style upholstered window or hallway bench. For much of the late 18th-century, this grand style was intentionally designed to project the power, majesty...

On offer is a French Louis XIV-style upholstered window or hallway bench. For much of the late 18th-century, this grand style was intentionally designed to project the power, majesty...

This 1960s Murano glass table lamp, made by Seguso Vetri d'Arte in Venice for Marbro Lamp Company in California, features an amber "honey yellow" color, likely designed by Archimede ...

This 1960s Murano glass table lamp, made by Seguso Vetri d'Arte in Venice for Marbro Lamp Company in California, features an amber "honey yellow" color, likely designed by Archimede ...

This 19th-century mahogany, three-tier demilune wine butler, also called a “dumbwaiter,” was historically used for self-service dining without staff. It features three brass inserts ...

This 19th-century mahogany, three-tier demilune wine butler, also called a “dumbwaiter,” was historically used for self-service dining without staff. It features three brass inserts ...

On offer is a doll with 19th-century styling, including a center-parted hairstyle and a hand-painted face. Like a typically smaller “penny wooden” doll, which sold for a penny, and h...

On offer is a hand-carved wooden wall hanging of an eagle. The symbolism of the eagle with spread wings, clutching the two crossed arrows, is a traditional motif representing strengt...

On offer is a Queen Anne-style wingback armchair, a classic example of early 18th-century English design. If it looks like it takes you into its arms to cozy you, you would be right....

On offer are a pair of 20th-century lamps made from antique Dutch Delftware tobacco jars. Such containers were originally designed in the 18th century to store imported tobacco leave...

This early 20th-century mahogany chest of drawers is a fine example of the George III style, a period design noted for its clean lines, high-quality wood, and elegant proportions. Th...

This early 20th-century mahogany chest of drawers is a fine example of the George III style, a period design noted for its clean lines, high-quality wood, and elegant proportions. Th...

This pair of French chairs offers a classic example of late 19th-century, Louis XV-style open-arm chairs, often referred to as fauteuils. They are defined by their elegant Rococo cur...

A serene world within a rock is this Chinese jade “boulder carving.” The work represents a traditional art form where a single piece of natural jade is intricately sculpted into a mi...

This oval tray table is a 19th-century decorative piece comprised of a tray and a separate custom-built stand. The tray is crafted from papier-mâché, with a black lacquer finish and ...

On offer is a modern marble sculpture by American sculptor Easton. Titled "Eye of the Storm,” this abstract piece by the artist (also known as Q.T. Easton) was created in 2012. Hand-...

On offer is a classic white marble vase hand-carved likely from either Carrara or Vermont marble. Both stones are known for a white base and soft gray cloud-like veining. The piece’s...

This console table is a fine example of 19th-century French Empire style furniture, specifically attributed to the respected Parisian maker Bedel & Cie. The piece reflects the ar...

On offer is an ornate carved and gilt wood mirror. It serves as a classic example of the Louis XV Rococo style, a design movement characterized by fluid lines, naturalistic motifs, a...

Public interest in Egyptian décor surged twice in the 20th century—after Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered in 1922 and during worldwide "Egyptomania" amid the international tours of ...

On offer is a solid marble pedestal in the Neoclassical style featuring a three-piece design with a cylindrical body, octagon base and round top. It is made from white natural marble...

This antique mechanical game is known as "Jeu de Course" (The Race Game). Not for kiddies, it was a popular parlor and betting game produced in France during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The game includes six hand-painted lead horses ridden by jockeys in colorful silks. A lever on the front (marked with a cast plaque with the letters M.J. & Cie) activates the internal mechanism, causing the horses to revolve around the felt-covered track on a circular lane with cast metal "lamp post" gates. The winner is the horse that stops closest to the finish line, which was originally marked by a small flag (missing in this antique example). This game is housed in a wooden box with lid, finished in black with gold accents. A Jeu de Course game (specifically one by M.J. & Cie) is featured in a key scene in the 1993 movie “Dave.” It is central during an emotional moment between Dave Kovic (played by Kevin Kline, impersonating President Bill Mitchell) and First Lady Ellen Mitchell (played by Sigourney Weaver). Dave is playing with the mechanical horse race game...

On offer is an American Federal-style mahogany demilune sideboard, a piece handsome enough in proportions and detailing to be part of the Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room. That sp...

On offer is a mahogany, light-filled display cabinet. Crafted in the Sheraton Revival style (circa 1880–1910), it echoes Thomas Sheraton's refined Neoclassical designs from a century...

Who doesn’t love versatility? Especially in tight spaces. On offer here is an elegant flip-top piece that folds open with a gate-leg mechanism to serve as a full-size table for games or intimate dining. Then, with good manners, it folds back up to be tucked against a wall as a console table. Crafted in Michigan by Big Rapids Furniture...

This breakfast or dinette table exemplifies the California Modern aesthetic pioneered by architect and designer Cleo Baldon (1927–2014). Crafted in the 1960s by Baldon’s Los Angeles-...

On offer is a hand-carved and gilded-frame mirror in the classic Louis Philippe style. This was an eclectic and practical style of French architecture and decorative arts that emerge...

This 1920s Chinese wedding cabinet is an example of an antique lacquered storage piece, likely originating from Fujian, an eastern coastal city known for the distinctive red and blac...

Oh, to be a skilled wood carver in the 19th century. One would never lack employment. When it came to doing up their new homes, well-to-do folk then were inspired by European grandeu...

This 19th-century folk art chest exemplifies traditional chip-carved furniture, most likely originating from Scandinavian or Friesian (Northern European) woodworking practices. Measu...

Very few furniture makers get a revival of their best work a century after their death. Other than France’s André-Charles Boulle, only Great Britain’s Thomas Chippendale (1718–1779) ...

It’s hard to imagine a more quintessential expression of American rural tradition in furniture than this down-to-earth, hardworking table. No nonsense. No elaborate carving of shells...

19th Century Mahogany Serving Tray on Folding Stand English serving tray on folding stand The tray is made from solid mahogany This would make a handsome bar / cocktail stand Tr...

You can almost see this 20th-century, carved gilt wood mirror reflecting a gathering of well-coiffed socialites, cocktails in hand and just the top of their off-the-shoulder shantung...

On offer is a classic English burr walnut chest-on-stand so gorgeous that even if you live in a minimalist’s environment of charcoal matte walls, black granite and stainless steel ap...

She’s certainly no beauty, possibly in her 30s, but there’s a strength and clarity about this woman. She does her long hair into a complex chignon, a practical style in those years p...

On offer is a Mid-Century Modern bronze sculpture, titled a "Reclining Form (Thorns)" created in 1976 by British artist Robert Adams (1917–1984). The work features an abstract, aerod...

This elegant leather document holder, ornamented with a romantic inset watercolor, contains a formal presentation address written in a decorative 19th-century German script. The docu...

Fabulous Edwardian revolving bookstand. I believe this is from the late 19th century. Beautifully curved legs and feet. I’m not sure what kind of wood. It looks like mahogany. It mea...

On offer is a handmade Parcheesi game board signed on the back by Alice Muckelston, whose love of the game is expressed in the painted hearts. Parcheesi is an American adaptation of ...