Hand-Painted Faience and Gilt Bronze Mounted Urn

This stunning lidded urn might have once been found in a 19th century Italian apothecary. The front of the shaped urn body has the hand-painted phrase “C. Violaru”, which is the heavily abbreviated form of the Latin word for violet (violaceum). Up until the mid-1700’s, apothecaries would make syrups from violets and use it to treat kidney ailments. Above the Latin wording is a whimsical musical scene with a man blowing a horn leading a couple who is holding hands over rocky terrain lined with shrubbery. A large house and trees can be seen behind the trio with a pair of mountains in the distance. On the opposite side of the urn is a floral display with a bird perched on a rock. Beneath the bird is a geometric design, possibly a stylized sun with radiating beams of light. Both scenes are segmented by a pair of thin quarter round moldings that encircle the entire vase. Other hand-painted motifs include floral and foliate margents, geometric patterns, and Vitruvian waves that are infilled with horizontal fluting. The sides of the urn have a fish-scale background beneath two mustachioed mascarons. Both men have been styled in grotesque fashion, with a pair of spiraled horns emanating from their heads. In between the horns is a looping handle that is affixed to the body in similar tight spirals. The domed lid has three scrolled arms that merge in a geometric finial. The base color of the urn is white, with illustrations in a monochromatic cobalt oxide blue, reminiscent of Delft blue pottery...

From Italy, this imposing antique hand-painted Majolica vase with handles is nearly 39 inches high. It is mainly a figural vase in style, ha...

A beautiful set of five blue and white Delft vases, this faience collection was hand-painted in Holland, circa 1900. The three bulbous vases are lidded, each with a finial depicting a rampant lion with a ball in its forepaws. Beneath the lion is a mottled background (on the front side only), with a foliate and floral margent. Each vase has the same scene painted on the front of the main body: a couple walking through a field surrounded by flowers. The opposite side has a floral rinceaux above a foliate branch. Painted in a similar fashion, the two concave vases are without lids. The side opposite from the cartouche of the couple has floral margents. All five vases have canted corners on the base. Inspired by Italian majolica, the faience produced in 16th century Holland...

A beautiful Louis XVI-style urn from France, circa 1860, this grand gilt bronze decorative accessory has been mounted on a square white marble with light cream accents. The main body...

This hand-painted Delft vase was produced in the Netherlands in the 1700’s. Delft is a city in the western part of the Netherlands that is world-renowned for ceramic pieces. As a home port of the Dutch East India Company, Delft was at the forefront of producing faience wares, which were influenced by imported Chinese porcelain. The prototypical Delftware has a white background with hand-painted cobalt blue imagery, though they can also be found in multi-colored or “polychrome” variations, such as ours. Our baluster form vase has a hand painted scene depicting a woman in a flowing dress walking across a field. The scene is surrounded by flowers, curled leaves, and a diapered background with flowering vine offshoots. On the opposite side of the baluster is a large flowering vine. The lid has a rural life cartouche that is painted with a scene depicting a farm overlooking a field or body of water . The handle of the lid has a similarly colored bird perched on a sinuous branch, while pecking at a berry. This particular design was seen on many delft baluster...

From Italy, this hand painted Majolica platter has two areas of ornamentation. The outer circle has busts of two different men, one on the top of the platter and one at the bottom. T...

These elegant, antique urns were created in Luneville, France, circa 1970. The tall ceramic vases stand on square bases over a bombe body decorated with ram head handles, and embelli...

This important antique vase was crafted in France, circa 1780. Octagonal in shape with gadrooned body style and a tall neck, the elegant potiche features a hand painted medallion dep...

This tall, antique "Aiguiere" (ewer) was sculpted in Rouen, France, circa 1860. This delicate, ornate ceramic pitcher has one large handle, a sloped spout, four feet and an elegant s...

Decorate a dining room table or a mantel with this large antique jardinière; crafted in Normandy, circa 1860, the oblong planter stands on scrolled feet...

Decorate a table or a mantel with this elegant, Louis XV bowed jardinière. Crafted in northern France, circa 1920, and oblong in shape, this antique planter sits on four scrolled fee...

Crafted in Rouen, France circa 1940, the antique ceramic planter sits on escargot feet over a scalloped apron. The round planter dressed with elegant side leaf form handles, features...