1900s Sterling Silver, Enamel and Marcasite Miniature Music Box

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian sterling silver and enamel flag vesta case; an addition to our maritime silverware collection. This antique Victorian sterling silver vesta case has a plain rectangular rounded form. The anterior surface is embellished with a central enamel design depicting British Navy Code of Signal flags: 'Blue Ball' - a white flag with a blue center, a red flag with a yellow St George's Cross and a blue field with a central horizontal white stripe. These flags represent the individual letters 'S', 'R' and 'J'; their combined definition is untraced. The posterior surface of this antique vesta case is plain and unembellished. This fine silver flag...

An exceptional, fine and impressive, unusual antique Victorian English sterling silver and enamel vesta box, an addition to our silver boxes collection. This exceptional and unusual antique Victorian sterling silver vesta box has a rectangular, scalloped shaped form. The body of the vesta box is embellished with embossed lobed decoration accented with an applied oval thumbpiece/striker to the anterior side. The hallmarked hinged cover of this collectable antique box is ornamented with an impressive two-toned blue enamel quatrefoil design incorporating scrolling leaf design to either end, with a central spiraling leaf motif encircled with a red enamel border. The cover is further ornamented with an applied trellis design within a plain rectangular border, all encompassed with tooled decoration detailing the lobed form. The hinged silver vesta box cover opens to reveal the original hinged, bright cut engraved decorated silver gilt internal cover allowing access to the match compartment. This vesta box in silver and enamel retains the original gilt interior. Condition This antique vesta box...

An exceptional, fine and impressive set of six antique Edwardian English sterling silver and enamel spoons; an addition to our silver teaware collection ...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver and pink enamel compact; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection This exceptional antique George V sterling silver and enamel compact has a circular form with a swept lower portion. The anterior surface is embellished with a pink guilloche enamel panel which reflects a wavy concentric ring design, emanating from the centre of the cover. The sides and underside of this impressive compact are plain and unembellished. This antique compact opens to reveal the original gilding and integrated mirror. Condition This antique pink enamel...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Austro-Hungarian silver spice tower; an addition to our silver Judaica collection. This exceptional antique Austro-Hungarian silver spice box has been modelled in the form of a tower. The cuboid shaped spice box is ornamented with exceptional silver filigree work within a plain arched frame. This impressive vessel is fitted with a hinged door embellished with contemporary engraved initials. The upper portion of this impressive antique silver spice tower is embellished with four articulating flag designs encompassing a tapering paneled chute. The tower's chute is ornamented with further filigree and rope twist decoration and terminating with a scalloped knop to an undulating guidon shaped flag. The spice compartment surmounts a plain wirework style pedestal, accented with a further scalloped knop. The square shaped foot is ornamented with filgree decoration and supported by four plain semi-spherical feet. The hallmarks struck to the surface of this Austro-Hungarian silver spice tower include: Maker's mark: EE (untraced) Silver quality/purity mark: Dianakopf mark (.800, 800/1000) Assay mark: A6 (Brno/Brünn - Czech Republic) A spice box is used to hold sweet-smelling herbs/spices and can be fashioned in many forms. As of the 16th century a very common form is that of a tower, influenced by developments in architecture. The spice tower is used to bring comfort to a Jew as they transition through Sabbath to their new week, receiving their extra soul...

A fine and impressive antique Edward VIII English sterling silver jewelry box; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection This fine antique Edward VIII sterling silver jewelry box has a rectangular form with plain rounded corners. The surface of the jewelry box is embellished with fine and impressive panels of engine turned decoration. This antique silver jewelry box...

Shaped snuff box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fire-enameled stripes and fine oval enameled miniature in center cm. 3 x 4 hand-painted by ...

Box shaped enamel is in 925/1000 sterling. Box shaped enamel has handpainted fired enamels miniature. Box shaped enamel is engraved and fire-enamelled ornaments. Box shaped enamel is...

Table Box Sailing Boats miniature is in 925/1000 sterling. Table Box Sailing Boats miniature has handpainted fired enamels miniature. Table Box Sailing Boats miniature is squared. Ta...

Rectangular box with inward corners in sterling silver 925/1000 gold plated with beautiful miniature fire enameled and hand painted by the painter Beatrice Mellana depicting the painting "The Turkish slave" by Francesco Mazzola known as "il Parmigianino" (National Gallery of Parma). Dimensions cm. 8.5 x 11.5 x 3. Weight gr. 345. Designed by Franco Salimbeni in 1965 and manufactured in Florence in numerous specimens with various different subjects, in the headquarters of the Salimbeni company with completely manual execution by artisan artists with thick slab and large reinforcements suitable for withstanding numerous high-fire enameled firings at about 800° C. Miniature is a very ancient technique which consists of painting works in small proportions. It was born for the decoration of the first letter of the paragraph of the books. Over the years, however, this technique is refined and enriched, then moving on to precious personal items. Hand-painted miniatures can be done with multiple different techniques. The most important that we use on our articles are of three kinds: 1) Fire enamel. 2) Water tempera on an ivory plate. 3) Painted on mother-of-pearl. Fire enameled miniatures: On a first layer of enamel generally white or very clear or even transparent suitably liquefied at a temperature of about 750 ° C, the chosen subject is painted using miniature colors which are as many colored crystals, ground and reduced to a very fine, almost impalpable powder washed and purified in distilled water with the addition of small quantities of deoxidizing acids which, diluted with essential oils (usually essential oil of solder), can be mixed to form a palette of colors. With very fine sable hair brushes you draw the subject starting from the perimeter and then gradually adding various layers of color. It is necessary to carry out various firings very often so that the colors harden and are not absorbed by the underlying glaze as, during the subsequent firings at 750 ° C, during liquefaction, it would spread irremediably. Hence the need to form the painting a little at a time, cooking it numerous times. Therefore it is necessary to proceed with numerous retouching, often overlapping different colors that only the painter's experience knows. A beautiful miniature needs from 20 to over 50 firings and is finished when the painter deems he does not have to further intervene. Some colors must have darker tones than others because then, by superimposing the transparent enamel placed at the end of the miniature, they fade. This transparent layer, called “fondant” in jargon, must be smoothed and polished like all other translucent enamel colors. The miniatures with water tempera colors are painted on real ivory...

An absolutely stunning large antique Viennese sterling silver pill box made from a hefty gauge of Austrian silver. All sides are decorated with a white guilloche enamel showcasing...

Square box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent fired enamel on guillochè also on the sides. In the center, a beautiful hand painted tempera miniature on a vegetable ivory plate depicting the portrait of a 19th century lady, signed by the painter Anna Maria Manfriani. Dimensions cm. 12 x 12 x 2.5. Weight gr. 618. Designed by Franco Salimbeni in 1976 and manufactured in Florence in some specimens with various subjects and different colors, in the headquarters of the Salimbeni Company with completely manual execution by artisan artists with thick slab and large reinforcements suitable for withstanding numerous enamelled firings at about 800° C. Miniature is a very ancient technique which consists of painting works in small proportions. It was born for the decoration of the first letter of the paragraph of the books. Over the years, however, this technique is refined and enriched, then moving on to precious personal items. Hand painted miniatures can be done with multiple different techniques. The most important that we use on our articles are of three kinds: 1) Fire enamel. 2) Water tempera on an ivory plate. 3) Painted on mother-of-pearl. Fire enameled miniatures: On a first layer of enamel generally white or very clear or even transparent suitably liquefied at a temperature of about 750 ° C, the chosen subject is painted using miniature colors which are as many colored crystals, ground and reduced to a very fine, almost impalpable powder washed and purified in distilled water with the addition of small quantities of deoxidizing acids which, diluted with essential oils (usually essential oil of solder), can be mixed to form a palette of colors. With very fine sable hair brushes you draw the subject starting from the perimeter and then gradually adding various layers of color. It is necessary to carry out various firings very often so that the colors harden and are not absorbed by the underlying glaze as, during the subsequent firings at 750 ° C, during liquefaction, it would spread irremediably. Hence the need to form the painting a little at a time, cooking it numerous times. Therefore it is necessary to proceed with numerous retouching, often overlapping different colors that only the painter's experience knows. A beautiful miniature needs from 20 to over 50 firings and is finished when the painter deems he does not have to further intervene. Some colors must have darker tones than others because then, by superimposing the transparent enamel placed at the end of the miniature, they fade. This transparent layer, called “fondant” in jargon, must be smoothed and polished like all other translucent enamel colors. The miniatures with water tempera colors are painted on real ivory...