French Empire Planter, circa 1810

This Empire ormolu head of a woman was made as a furniture mount in France around 1810, and probably adorned a bed. In any case, closer to our own time, it was deemed worthy of mount...

This trompe l'oeil drawing depicts the artist's tools -- a black and a red crayon, and a folding steel ruler that was painted with silver pigments, which have blackened with age. They're shown on a sheaf of papers that include a medieval manuscript page, a musical score, and a group of prints. The unifying theme is the artistic patronage of the Medici, the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, who intermarried with the Habsburgs, who were the Holy Roman Emperors. Among the papers are prints by Stefano Della Bella, the Florentine artist who worked for the Medici. They depict a negro page with a horse, and portraits of Lorenzo Lippi...

This exquisite pair of candlesticks was retailed by Bonzano, a Paris firm that specialized in ormolu-mounted rock crystal objects. They have an interior channel to permit electrific...

French gate-leg table, circa 1650. Oak with metal fittings. Measures: Height 28 ¼“ width 54“ depth 20 ½“ / 41 ½“/ 62“ $20,000. This solid oak French Baroque table...

A Louis XVI trumeau mirror with a carved panel representing an allegory of music. It depicts a violin stringed with metal wires, a tambourine, and other musical instruments suspended...

This mahogany commode has the fluted rails and canted corners typical of case furniture made along the coasts of the Baltic and North Seas around 1800. More difficult to pinpoint, however, is the exact place of its making, since this geographical region stretches from Germany to Russia, and north from Poland to Scandinavia. That said, a strikingly similar, if slightly plainer commode in a private German collection bears an old paper label that identifies it as having been made in the city of Altona. It also bears the seal of King Christian VII of Denmark who reigned until 1808. At the time, Altona was in the independent Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, located between Denmark and Prussia. Both nations tried to annex the Duchy, and in 1848 it was ceded to Prussia, which became part of Germany in 1871. A North Sea port, Altona was a member of the Hanseatic League, an association of seaports that was established in the 14th century to foster trade and police the high seas. Around 1800, the aforementioned King Christian of Denmark, who was also the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, allowed Jews to freely settle in Altona to increase the tax base. This allowed them to conduct business in neighboring Hamburg, a larger financial hub that maintained quotas. The prosperous Jewish families of Altona built villas there, and decorated them with furnishings that were made locally and imported. Many of those makers owned copies of furniture-pattern books, which were widely disseminated among these seaports, accounting for the difficulty in determining if a piece was made in Altona, Stockholm, or St. Petersburg. We can’t trace our commode to a Danish king or a known Altona merchant, but we can link it to the New World empire builders...

A very handsome vintage jardinière in the Empire style manufactured by Maitland Smith in the 1980s with cylindrical polished-chrome planter trimmed with brass over a cast and fabrica...

A large and palatial antique French Empire neoclassical gilt bronze and patinated bronze oval form centerpiece planter of superb craftsmanship embellished with neoclassical gilt bron...

1980s vintage jardinière in the Empire style manufactured by Maitland-Smith with cylindrical polished-chrome planter trimmed with brass. Planter connects to cast tripod brass base with claw feet by Directoire style intersecting chrome rods with brass disc at intersecting points. In fine condition, some scratches to base, light marks to interior of planter, appears never to have had live plants inside...

Maitland Smith French empire brass swan tessellated marble planter jardinière. Item features fiberglass jardinière with tessellated marble exterior, solid brass winged swans, iron fr...

Monumental garden basin in reconstituted stone, depicting three cherubs draped as caryatids carrying a garland of flowers and supporting a large basket de...

Unusual Concrete Planter From France, Circa 1950. Solid concrete construction with nice patina and wear. We don't have the time to write an extensive description on each of our pie...