European Collectibles and Curiosities

Multifaceted blue, yellow and clear Murano glass ashtray, glass bowl attributed to Flavio Poli by V.A.M. Vetri Molati Murano, Italy. Blue a...

Spanish Splendor: Great Palaces, Castles, and Country Homes softcover book. y Mato, Juan Jose Junquera (text by); Schezen, Roberto (photographs by); y Morenes, Enrique Ruspoli (intro...

Original British film poster for 1987 fantasy adventure film The Princess Bride. The film was directed by Rob Reiner and starred Cary Elwes, Mandy Pati...

Antique rustic stone chess. By unknown manufacturer from France, circa 1940. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preser...

Original French film poster The Maltese Falcon, 1941. Warner Bros. released the film in American in 1941. Although Humphrey Bogart had already been in ...

This is a printed silk handkerchief from the interwar period, with an Italian aviation theme. This handkerchief features four early aircraft plane models, two of which are seaplanes. The inner field of the handkerchief is pale blue and contained by a black three-line waving border. The outer field is medium blue, with a darker blue at each corner. A white and black fasces rests in each corner. The center of the silk features a golden spread-wing eagle. Above the eagle’s head floats a gold crown. The eagle’s talons grip a shield printed with the Savoy arms, a white cross on a red field. Two gold fasces adorn either side of the shield. In most historical accounts of the early days of military aviation, our reverence for the activities of the American Expeditionary Force and its French and British companions-in-arms on the western front has led us to overlook the immense Italian contribution to the formation of airpower doctrine. The first aerial force projection occurred on Nov. 1, 1911, when Lt. Giulio Gravotta, flying a German-built monoplane, dropped one bomb on Zard and another on Taciura -- in Libya -- during the Italian-Turkish War. This event occurred just a little more than a year after the first flight of an Italian-designed and built aircraft. At about the same time, Gianni Caproni, a young Italian engineer with a passion for innovation and a vast admiration for the Wright brothers, built his first flying machine. By May 23, 1915, the day Italy entered World War I, Caproni had become Italy's leading aircraft designer and manufacturer. Caprooni designed and built a multi-engine bomber with range and bomb capacities to make it a potent offensive weapon. On Aug. 20, 1915, two of these Caproni three-engine bombers attacked the Aisovizza aerodrome with explosive and incendiary bombs, a preview of the most sustained, effective air offensive of the First World War. By early 1916, regular raids against Austro-Hungarian targets were being conducted by seven squadrons of Caproni bombers, with some 540 bombing missions flown by the year's end. Missions were on the increase, both in distance to targets and number of aircraft involved. In late 1917, due to the lack of suitable training facilities in the United States, a contingent of some 500 Americans were sent to Foggia, Italy, to learn military flying. After completing their training, the new pilots were commissioned in the Army Air Service, and the majority of them were sent to France to serve with the American Expeditionary Force. About 75 remained in Italy under the command of Capt. Fiorello LaGuardia...

Special huge chessboard. The board is about 50 inches square (125 cm square). Set is complete. Two colors, green and cobalt blue. Pieces are completely handmade in Murano. Tallest...

Original 1920 Swedish film poster. The film received it's first Swedish release 1920 Broken Blossoms was released in the Us in 1919 and celebrates its 100 year anniversary this year. This silent film was directed by D.W. Griffith, one of 20th century's pioneers of cinema, and one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film stars Lillian Gish...

Régence Louis XV by Claude-Paule Wiegandt. Editions Massin, Paris, France, 1994. 1st Edition hardcover with dust jacket book that explores the influences in French furniture design t...

Historie of the Holy Warre, by Thomas Fuller, second edition, circa 1640. Printed by R. Daniel, for Thomas Buck, and are to be sold by John Williams at the sign of the Greyhound in P...

Painted in a light blue and light maroon red.

Framed hand colored map of Persia by John Speed. Nicely matted.

A rare enamel, gold and rock crystal figure of Emperor Maximilian I by Reinhold Vasters, Aachen, In the Renaissance style, circa 1870. The g...

First edition, published by Cornerhouse, 1990. This book, exquisitely designed by award winning art director Yolando Cuomo, and winner of the Infinity award for ‘Best Publication’...

Published by Versace, 2000. A book of the Versace spring summer 2001 collection, photographed atmospherically by acclaimed British photographer, Phil...

Fossilised vertebrae (backbones) and ribs of an Ichthyosaur; an extinct reptile that hunted fish and squid in Jurassic seas. This fossil was found in the UK and has been expertly pre...