Early Victorian Objets d'Art and Vertu

Magnificent German cigarette case with embossed scrolled floral motifs to the lid 800 Silver Standard SIZE: 3 3/4 x .2 1/2" Circa 1890 Excellen...

An exceptionally fine, antique, early Victorian era sterling silver letter opener. This particular example is beautifully decorated with all over engraving of flora, a stylised hilt...

A collection of sixteen William IV and Victorian mourning brooches, each brooch centred with a glazed locket containing plaited hair within s...

Truly charming Early Victorian 14kt yellow gold watch key. The outside of the watch key is hand engraved on the front. It's also hand engraved with the initials "CCC" on the reverse. Upon opening the locket, you will discover the hand painted portrait of a woman. Watch keys were generally worn by men to wind their pocket watches when pocket watches were worn attached to their waist coat. This one is all the more special given the locket style- a rarity as opposed to the purely utilitarian watch keys usually in style at the time. Men were generally in public more often than women and while they owned portraits of their wives and family (the only way to get an image of your family prior to the advent of photography) those portraits were usually left at home. The fact that this one is concealed inside a locket meant that the original owner of this watch key wanted to keep his wife with him all the time- sort of like a little secret that he had. This watch key symbolizes love in it's all it's forms. The sitters dress and hairstyle date this watch key to the 1840's to 1850's. Daggerreotypes were developed in 1839 and by the 1850's, photography had almost completely replaced hand painted portrait miniatures. This miniature portrait seems to have been painted in a time before photography had completely eliminated the art form of hand painted miniatures altogether. By this, we can surmise a couple of things about man who commissioned this; One- he most likely was more wealthy than the average man. It was by far less expensive to have a photograph taken than it was to pay a painter to paint his wife's portrait. Two- this man most likely valued established traditions. He chose to continue a centuries old practice rather than switch to a modern technology no matter how much money...

Charming and beautifully designed small gold mounted perfume bottle. The exquisitely cut crystal bottle has the initial LB etched onto one side of the bottle .The opening of the bott...

A Large Marble and Brass Mounted Cassolettes, Vases. It is topped with a cover terminating with a pine cone finial and a further collar of downward hanging overlapping leaves.The vas...

A very rare Victorian sterling silver snuff box inset with bluejohn (or Derbyshire spar) panels to the base and lid. The interior rim bears hallmarks ...

This is a piece to be treasured. The young man pictured in the miniature obviously held a special place in somebody's heart. The guilloché pattern surrounding the centre of each pane...

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Silver Partridge handicraft