Greek Revival Collectibles and Curiosities

Rare cigar humidor made in wood, with a front flap, discovering five sliding cane trays. Beautiful bronze and silver electroplated brass ornaments, such as the central niche decorated with a winged creature, surmounted on top of the cabinet with a feline. Resting on four tall legs joined by a stretcher decorated with a silvered pierced bronze incense burner. The central relief of that cellarette for cigars, with that fantasy creature, is directly inspired from the one designed by J. Brandely for the front door of the Merovingian Cabinet made by Diehl in 1867, and now preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (Inv. 1989.197). Arriving in Paris in about 1840 Charles-Guillaume Diehl (1811-1885) founded his cabinet making and decoration firm at 19 rue Michel-le-Comte in 1885. His workshops produced elegant little pieces of furniture in rosewood and thuja and novelties with bronze and porcelain embellishments (see « Les ébénistes du XIXème siècle »,D. Ledoux-Lebard, Ed. de l’amateur, 1982, p.164). It was his luxury boxes, however (liqueur cellarettes, cigar cabinets, games boxes, cashmere cases, jewelry cases) which assured Diehl’s renown (see « l’Art en France sous le Second Empire », Exposition Grand-Palais, Paris, 1979, p.133). Already rewarded with a bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1855 in Paris, he exhibited a jardinière with china columns and a liqueur cabinet at the Industrial Arts Exhibition in 1861. In collaboration with the designer Jean Brandely (active between 1867 and 1873), Diehl renovated his decorative repertory and created astonishing pieces of furniture in the Grecian style which had a dazzling success at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867, where his cabinets also won a silver medal. Certain motifs were so typical of Diehl’s work that they received extensive commentary by the art critic J. Mesnard in his book « Les Merveilles de l’Exposition Universal de 1867 » (vol. II, pp. 133 & 149). He writes of a table of which « the pendant bearing hooks and the fan shaped radiating motif which ornaments the entablature are engraved with love » (p. 133) and a jewelry case where « The head in fine Grecian style makes up the essential part of the fine gilt bronze ornementation » (p. 149). For this Universal Exhibition of 1867, Diehl also formed a partnership with two famous sculptors : Emile Guillemin (1841-1907) who carved the relief for a mahogany sideboard with galvanic gilt bronzes (Orsay Museum, Paris, Inv. O.A.O. 992) and Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-1910) who executed the low relief for a cedar medal cabinet...

A wonderful heavy cast bronze, hinged/lidded box, lightly polished, and glowing. Depicting ancient relief scenes / characters of Ancient Roman or Greek...

A very good antique Greek Revival cast iron kylix, by the celebrated sculptor Edward William Wyon (1811-1885), for the Great Exhibition at Crysta...

This is a large Greek style repousse oval metal plaque depicting a scene of a Spartan warrior trying to defend himself against two nudes warriors from another tribe. There are two shields standing at each side of them. There are also a Spartan helmet...

Pair of vintage brass and sterling silver trinket dishes by Ilias Lalaounis, Greece. A sterling silver Greek coin (replica) is set in the middle of each...

Heavy bronze striker/lighter with snake on martini glass or hygieia symbol for health. Marked; Siegfried DDD (30) McMXXXVII (1937) No flint included, so not making fire, sold as-is...