Antique Italian Puppets, 19th Century

A nice double-gourd form syphon soda bottle in blown glass, porcelain, pewter and wicker wrapping, recently electrified. The porcelain base is decorated with glazed scenes of tall sa...

A charming blown flint glass vase, Regency period, circa 1840, abundantly etched with flowers, garlands and other decoration. Base has an open pontil ...

A charming blown flint glass vase, Regency period, circa 1840, abundantly etched with flowers, garlands, birds, pagodas and other decoration. Base has...

A charming child’s size “Voltaire” chair in beech with antique leather upholstery. Named for a similar chair seen in a portrait of the writer Voltaire, ...

An Intricate Jerusalem Textile, made in Jerusalem, 1886. Double-sided large pouch. Wool thread embroidered on cotton net. One side has a lion and stag holding flags reading “Jerusalem” in Hebrew, which flank a crowned Ten Commandments. Titled in Hebrew “Swift as a deer, strong as a lion” (Ethics of the Fathers 5:20). “Jerusalem” is seen in large lettering, atop a pair of birds and flowers. Top scene of the reverse side is titled “Mount of Olives”, amongst a plethora of olive trees, and a cluster of buildings is titled “Chulda the Prophetess”, (where her and others tombs reside). Main scene is titled “The Western Wall”, which features the wall and outer structures with turrets and Cyprus trees. The Hebrew date of “1886” is revealed on the bottom corners. This delicate textile, incredibly vibrant in color after 130 years of being created, is a masterful, exceedingly rare work of art produced in Jerusalem by an unknown woman --- likely quite young, a teenager --- as a gift to an unknown individual. Too complex to be a “tourist trinket”, as we know of one other similarly-made textile that is in the collection of the Israel Museum, and is dated 1876: see the book “Jewish Folk Art: From Biblical Days to Modern Times”, page 122. A clue to where perhaps this was made is in the depiction of the lion and stag holding flags, as they are identical to those featured on the crest of Moses Montefiore. In the 19th century, Montefiore gave enormous sums of money to purchase land for Jewish settlements and establish schools in Palestine. This textile most likely hailed from a school for girls funded by Montefiore, and was made as either a gift for Montefiore himself, or another wealthy donor. As to the actual purpose of this textile, since it is in the form of a large pouch, its intended purpose might have been to hold a tallit (prayer...

This is a very good quality antique Vesta case, all handmade from various hardwoods and having well detailed shell inlay, dating to the 19th Century, Circa 1880. The case is all han...

A true collectors item, this travail de maîtrise/master's work, made in France in the 19th century, dated 1879, a wooden three spoke wheel, mounted on a contemporary iron base, a rar...

Brass Hanukkah Lamp, Salonika, Greece, 19th century. Openwork backplate with scrolled branches; three stylized flowers support central triangular c...