Catalog: Sold Items (421)

A fine antique Berber tribe of Morocco N. Africa brides dowery necklace made of coin silver with enamel beads and champleve work with inset coral. Measuring approx 28 inches overall. A fine example.

A beautiful Chinese Cloisonne Tea pot of very large size featuring gilt bronze handle and top with exquisite foo dog images in cloisonne design. In excellent condition measuring approx. 13 tall and 16 inches at its widest point.

A Historical view early Staffordshire blue and white transfer ware pottery pitcher circa 1825. A fine rich blue color with scenic view of a old church with figures and cows by a river. In excellent condition no chips or cracks. Measuring approx. 5 inches tall by 6 inches at its widest point. A a nice addition to any Staffordshire collection.

Bourcieria Torquata An original John Gould Hummingbird lithograph published in 1861 Beautifully hand colored with watercolor and added iridesence. Hallmandel and Walto printers London in good antique condition some age toning and light foxing. Slightly trimmed measuring approx. 14 x 21 overall size. A fine example of this important work one of the finest images. A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds Written by John Gould
Published by John Gould (London, England)
5 volumes and supplement, 1861-1887 John Gould (1804-1881) was a British ornithologist, artist, and successful businessman. Sometimes referred to as the "English Audubon," Gould had an illustrious career in which he served as official taxidermist to King George IV and established himself as Queen Victoria's favorite illustrator of birds. Gould was so devoted to the study of birds that he asked for his epitaph to read: "Here lies John Gould, the Bird Man." Though he chronicled a wide variety of bird species, from partridges to toucans, spanning all corners of the globe from Great Britain to Australia, Gould had a particular interest in hummingbirds. He developed a personal collection of 1500 mounted and 3000 unmounted specimens, containing at least 300 different species of hummingbird. A Monograph of the Trochilidae represents Gould's stunning effort to create a comprehensive guide to all the varieties of hummingbird with a high degree of accuracy, detail, and beauty.Gould's five volumes on the hummingbird contain 360 hand-colored lithographic illustrations. Gould would draw rough pencil or watercolor sketches of hummingbird specimens, which then served as guides for a team of artists (including his wife, Elizabeth). Gould also worked with lithographers, who used pure gold and silver leaf (applied underneath the watercolor) to achieve a lifelike illustration of the hummingbird's iridescent feathers.

Charles Harmon California impressionist redwoods. A bold impressionist painting of California redwood country titled Gateway to Glendale Humbolt County. Oil on canvas board signed lower right. In excellent condition measuring approx. 10x12 inches. A fine example would be a nice addition to any collection.

Biography

Charles Henry Harmon (1859-1936) was born on December 23, 1859 in Mansfield, Ohio. He moved to San Jose, California with his family in 1874 and at an early age was apprenticed to local portrait painter Louis Lussier. He later spent one year working in a local photography studio re-touching negatives. His youth was spent visiting the art galleries of San Francisco and, with no formal training, he began sketching and painting in 1883 in the beautiful Santa Clara Valley. He painted many landscapes of that area and made trips to the remotest parts of the Sierra and the Monterey Peninsula where he painted many coastal scenes. He began exhibiting in San Jose in the 1880s. By the turn of the century, his works were handled exclusively by Gump's and he was recognized as one of California's foremost painters. In 1905 he established a studio in Denver and for seven years concentrated on the rugged landscape of the Rocky Mountains. While there, the Santa Fe, Western Pacific, and Colorado Midland railroads commissioned him to paint scenes along their routes. After his time in Colorado, he returned to San Jose where he remained for the rest of his life. Harmon died there on October 14, 1936 and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Exhibited: Mark Hopkins Institute, 1897-98; Gump's (San Francisco), 1899; Berkeley League of Fine Arts; California Artists, Golden Gate Park Museum, 1915; Stanford Art Gallery, 1923; Rosicrucian Art Gallery, 1949 and Triton Museum, 1971 (retrospectives). Works held: San Jose Civic Auditorium; Clarke Museum (Eureka); California State Library; Denver Public Library; Santa Fe Railway. Source : Edan Hughes Artists in California.

A fine Japanese Archaic style bronze vase Meiji period c.1899 signed on bottom. A beautiful piece in form and design with rich bronze patina. Measuring approx. 9.5 inches tall in good antique condition some minor scratches and soft dent. A fine addition to any collection.

Sterling Stuffing or serving spoon by Hester Bateman London 1788 In excellent condition only minor wear fully hallmarked monogrammed W A H. Measuring approx. 11 inches 28 cm. long.

Hester Bateman 1708 - 1794 Hester Batemans's long career began after the death of her husband John Bateman(1704-1760. John was a chainmaker in London, but little is known about him. After his death, Hester began to build the business, entering her first silver mark in 1761 and continuing to expand the business and went on to be one of the best known of the female silversmiths working in London during the 18th century.

Chinese carved malachite figural study of a sage or scholar fisherman seated on a large fish and holding another in one hand. Comes with a sliver wire inlaid rosewood stand. Measuring approx. 2.5 x 3 inches in excellent condition. A fine detailed carving a nice addition to any collection.

A beautiful landscape of a clearing storm over the French country side. A fine impressionist painting contrasting the storm clouds with the sunlight on the landscape. Oil on board signed lower right measuring approx 13 x 19 inches framed in a quality gallery frame 17 x 23 inches overall. A fine painting by a listed and highly regarded French and Belgian painter.

Biography

Painter of landscapes and marines. inspired by the landscapes of Brabant Wallon. Deceased about 1945. Exhibited at the Triennial "Exposition of Antwerp "in 1901 ("Mill in Dordrecht"). Lived in Saint-Gilles at that time. Listed in BOTTOM II and "Two Centuries of Signatures of Artists of Belgium". ...

A beautiful example with hand painted motif of gold fish Tong Zhi period 1862 1874 with date mark on bottom. Provenance: the Sunn collection with fitted silk box and certificate of authenticity.

A fine Mayan Jade classic period pectoral chest ornament plaque. From a Stanford collection measuring 11.5" x 7".

A very fine antique Japanese Ivory netsuke of a Buddhist monk and a Oni figure. Artist signed very fine intricate carving the Buddha has a gold pin third eye on his forehead. Measuring approx. 2 inches tall or 5 centimeters. Truly a masterfully carved piece.

A beautiful example from the Meiji period c. 1900 green foil background with flying cranes over ocean waves. Measuring approx. 5 inches tall 12.5 centimeters. In excellent condition no damage to this piece. There is some seperation in the foil under the enamel this is in the making or firing and is not damage see pictures. A fine and beautiful example.

An Ancient Greek Pottery Ewer Mycenaean era polychrome designs of mythological lions c. 1000 BC.-1030 Measures approx. 7.5 inches tall in good antique condition.

A fine antique Kentucky Rifle with tiger maple stock and silver decorations percussion muzzle loader approx. 50 caliber. The lock mechanism is by Whitmore and Wolfe of Pennsylvania the barrel octagon by N. Schennefelt Penn. A fine gun in very good antique condition.

Impressionist oil painting of an Italian coastal village signed lower right "Luigi Bertolingrande" (1912-1965), a highly regarded 20th-century Italian Impressionist artist. Oil on canvas laid on masonite board in excellent condition. Unframed.

Beautiful Egyptian street scene an Original oil painting on board signed lower right measuring approx. 20 x 24 in excellent condition. Biography LEONID GECHTOFF, 1883-1941 

Leonid Gechtoff was born in Odessa, Russia, in 1883, an only child of parents already in their forties and not particularly well off financially.  After his art school training in Russia, where he probably first met his close life-long friend David Burliuk, he and his parents fled from their homeland when he was in his twenties, rather than have him face possible conscription into the army. Cairo proved to be a haven for several years and Gechtoff painted many city and genre scenes of Egypt in his heavily impastoed style, bringing him acclaim in the Orientalist-enamored European art world as well.

Gechtoff always felt most influenced by the work of Vincent van Gogh, however, and this led him to travel to Holland where Dutch-born van Gogh painted in his early years, though not in the colorful later style Gechtoff most admired. There he established good connections which led to gallery shows in Amsterdam, and at one he met his future Russian-born wife Etya while she was on vacation from her pre-medical studies in Germany. Her family was well-to-do and supportive of the young couple, so they were able to wed and settle in Holland initially for about a year, around 1917. Several Alpine landscapes indicate painting trips in more mountainous parts of Europe too. Both Leonid and his wife were fluent in several languages.

The Gechtoffs soon moved to Indonesia, then a major South Pacific colony under Dutch control, hoping that the warmer climate would be better for Etya's health. The lush volcanic landscapes were strongly appealing to the artist as well. They lived in Java for about two years, in 1918 and 1919, and enjoyed traveling and collecting throughout the region during painting trips.

By 1920 they were living in Manila, and in early 1921 they planned a visit to see two of Etya's brothers in Pennsylvania later that year.  Once in America, the Gechtoffs found themselves persuaded to stay and settle in Philadelphia, with both becoming US citizens.  Leonid's major patron and benefactor was either a member of the family of Dutch-born philanthropist Edward Bok or Bok himself. Along with inclusion in various group exhibitions, his work was featured in a solo show at the Philadelphia Art Alliance in the early 1930's.

Gechtoff had achieved substantial success throughout the 1920's from his landscape paintings near his home in Philadelphia, and had also purchased a summer home on Cape May, New Jersey, where he painted many coastal scenes.  Unfortunately, he made large investments in the stock market in the latter years of the decade, and these disappeared almost overnight in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The family now included young Sonia, born in 1926, and soon her sister, born in 1933.

With their fortunes in decline, like so many artists in the Depression of the 1930's, they sold the Cape May house but still were able find suitable rentals at the shore for their summer sojourns, and otherwise still lived in downtown apartments in Philadelphia. Gechtoff's works began to depict wintry landscapes along with his bright rocky seascapes and still lifes.

Gechtoff continued vigorously painting in his vivid and distinctive style, a blending of post-Impressionism and expressionism, until his health became a problem in 1940, with the stress of high blood pressure and complications. He died in 1941 at the age of 58. His widow later moved to San Francisco and ran an influential exhibition space in San Francisco called the East-West Gallery, while daughter Sonia became a well-known artist currently living in New York City. 
Gechtoff is listed in the Archives of American Artists, part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Fine Santa Clara pueblo pottery example by Gwen Tafoya. Completely hand made and fired in the traditional manner featuring a water serpent design. Measuring approx. 3 tall and 5 inches in diameter. A fine signed example of Native American pottery by one of the great pottery artists.