Premier Items

A collection of antique items of extraordinary quality, concept and style.

  • Stock: 16138

    A fine and rare set of Grand Tour plaster intaglios, individually mounted on dark green silk within their original mahogany and crossbanded satinwood case, which is fashioned as a false book. When the spine of the book is removed, the interior is revealed. Traces of marbled paper remain around three sides of the case, imitating the marbled finishes often seen on 18th century books. Some of the Intaglios have the impressed stamp for Nathaniel Marchant, who was the most well regarded gem engraver of the 18th century.
    Sets such as these are very rare.

    View our collection of: decorative antiques and furnishings.

    Width Lenght
    9 1316"
    25 cms
    15 38"
    39 cms

    Listed Price: £3,200 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 16469

    A fine George III giltwood and gesso wall mirror in the Chinese Chippendale style. The rectangular mirror plate is enclosed by a delicate frame embellished with c scrolls and trailing garlands, surmounted by a palm leaf pagoda.

    English, c.1765.

    View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables

    Width Height
    27 316"
    69 cms
    46 78"
    119 cms

    Listed Price: £7,600 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 16485

    A very fine George III wall mirror, with a delicate giltwood frame embodying the lightness of the Chippendale style, with slender c scrolls, trailing foliage and an elegant crest. The frame encloses a very foxed mercury plate.

    English, c.1760.

    View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables

    Width Height Depth
    External 28"
    71 cms
    46 12"
    118 cms
    2 38"
    6 cms

    Listed Price: £6,200 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 16293

    A pair of very fine and large nineteenth-century Northern Italian crystal chandeliers. The pair of eight branch chandeliers have elegant central stems mounted with silvered scalloped bowls which are hung with crisply cut prism drops, from which emanate elegant swan neck arms, strung with beads and drops. The chandeliers are crowned with beautiful canes of curled glass, hung with faceted glass drops.

    Italian, c.1860.

    Provenance: From a fine house in Turin.

    View our collection of: Antique chandeliers.

    Diameter Drop
    33 18"
    84 cms
    36 316"
    92 cms

    Listed Price: £10,500 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 15964

    A very fine and large giltwood Venetian wall mirror. The frame is surmounted by a floral crest above an oval mirror plate etched with an urn of flowers, and this is supported by foliate scrolls and mirrored spandrels, which are engraved with bunches of grapes. The foliate scrollwork continues around the frame and this encloses eight exquisite marginal plates, each engraved with a slightly different subject, some with a musical theme. The corners are embellished with ruby glass behind an acanthus leaf, and this surrounds the original mercury plate. A very fine and rare mirror.

    Italian, c.1790.

    View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables

    Width Height Depth
    48"
    122 cms
    74"
    188 cms

    Listed Price: £9,500 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 16297

    A very large and fine 32 branch gilt brass chandelier hung with enormous faceted pear shaped glass drops. This grand chandelier is truly a statement piece, with two tiers of scrolling foliate arms emanating from a foliate baluster stem, strung with glass beads and drops. A statement chandelier of exceptional quality.
    French, c.1890.

    View our collection of: Antique chandeliers.

    Diameter Drop
    48"
    122 cms
    52"
    132 cms
  • Stock: 16228

    A grand and monumental early Victorian trumeau chimneypiece in the Renaissance Revival style. The blockwork trumeau is centred by an armorial and rests on a large freize carved with floral spandrels in the Tudor Revival style, over cantilevered, moulded jambs. A fine fireplace best suited to a grand interior.

    English, c.1860.

    Provenance: Hinton Old Hall, Shropshire.

    View our collection of: Antique Renaissance, Gothic Tudor Fireplace mantels and Chimneypieces: 1260 - 1600

    width height depth
    External, inc. hearth 68 12"
    174 cms
    86"
    218.5 cms
    11 12"
    29.3 cms
    Internal 48"
    122 cms
    35 316"
    89.5 cms

    Listed Price: £12,000 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 16337

    An exceptional Gothic Revival stone chimneypiece from Woodchester Mansion. Carved from soft buff coloured Bath stone, this chimneypiece is a celebration of nature, with a floral undershelf beautifully carved in high relief. This rests on a frieze carved with five foliate panels. One panel is carved with a vine, the other a flowering lily, the central panel depicts two birds devouring grapes from a vine, the next, a British oak laden with acorns, and the final panel, a fruiting ivy.
    This beautiful carving is surpassed only on the spandrels, where on one side it is carved with a grapevine, and on the other a serpent is shown within a fruiting tree, evoking the story of Eve. The jambs are deftly carved with floral paterae and grapevines over moulded footblocks.

    This piece is an extraordinary survival from the unfinished Woodchester Mansion in Gloucestershire. By repute it was designed and made for the mansion but was never installed as the building project was left unfinished. AWN Pugin drew up early plans for this house, but the project was later taken on by Benjamin Bucknall. It is uncertain whether this chimneypiece was designed by Pugin, or was in fact designed by Bucknall, but it does share many stylistic similarities to the stonework throughout the rest of the house. Sadly after the patron of the project died, his Gothic vision was never realised in full.

    English, c.1860

    Provenance: Woodchester Mansion, Gloucestershire.

    View our collection of: Antique Renaissance, Gothic Tudor Fireplace mantels and Chimneypieces: 1260 - 1600

    Width Height Depth
    External 55 38"
    140.7 cms
    58 1116"
    149 cms
    8"
    20.3 cms
    Internal 33 1116"
    85.5 cms
    40 58"
    103 cms
  • Stock: 16211

    A very large and rare and heavy cast iron William IV fire grate, with a dramatic Rococo backplate and imposing andirons cast with ornate foliate decoration. A truly imposing piece and a very unusual design.

    English, c.1830.

    View our collection of: Antique fire grates and log baskets.

    Width Height Depth
    External 40 316"
    102 cms
    39"
    99 cms
    18 78"
    48 cms
    Back Width 36"
    91.5 cms

    Listed Price: £8,500 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 16344

    A fine and rare pair of 18th century George III wall mirrors with original mercury plates. Each plate is bordered by a giltwood frame of foliate design woven with c and s scrolls, very much in the Chippendale manner.

    It is very rare to come across such a fine pair of mirrors of this date.
    English, c.1760.

    View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables

    Width Height
    26 1316"
    68 cms
    49 58"
    126 cms
  • Stock: 16294

    A fine mid-eighteenth century Venetian giltwood wall mirror. The elegant mirror is profusely decorated with foliate c scrolls in the Rococo manner, with floral flourishes and an elegant finial above an additional mirror plate. With original mercury plates.

    Northern Italian, c.1760.

    View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables

    Width Height Depth
    36 1316"
    93.5 cms
    55 18"
    140 cms
    9 14"
    23.5 cms
  • Stock: 16273

    A rare Irish chimneypiece of grand proportions in statuary marble. The generous moulded shelf rests over a wide panelled frieze which is mounted with a tablet of exceptional quality. It depicts a recumbent Poseidon, god of the sea, being drawn on a seashell chariot by hippocampi, all carved in an artful blend of high and low relief. This scene is flanked by the most glorious endblocks, each a crouching Aphrodite, situated within a scallop shell. These crouch above freestanding Doric columns. The strikingly simple elegance of the chimneypiece is a perfect foil for the beautifully carved tablet and spectacular endblocks.

    Irish, c.1820.

    Provenance: Raheen House, Raheen, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Southern Ireland. By repute, the chimneypiece was installed at Raheen House by the then owners of the house, the Burke family, circa 1889, when they apparently acquired it in lieu of a part payment for a warehouse. This commercial building was purchased by the Loreto Convent of Clonmel to be used as a religious school when their own school was damaged by fire.

    View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces

    Width Height Depth
    External 83 78"
    213 cms
    54 1116"
    139 cms
    18 18"
    46 cms
    Internal 43 14"
    110 cms
    38 58"
    98 cms
  • Stock: 16295

    An exceptionally fine late Renaissance walnut cabinet from Tuscany. The two-part cabinet comprises an upper section of three cupboards concealing double shelves, and three drawers, divided by slender pilasters. The lower section is the inverse, and is supported on ionic capital feet. It also possesses early locks, and associated key.
    This cabinet is characteristic of pieces that were made for the residences of Tuscan nobles during the late-Renaissance, and exhibits regional characteristics associated with furniture made in this region. Very few pieces of this quality survive from this period.

    Italian, c.1590. With restorations, commensurate with age.

    Villa Cenami, Lucca.

    Width Height Depth
    71 38"
    181.4 cms
    77"
    195.5 cms
    22 58"
    57.3 cms

    Listed Price: £18,000 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 8232

    A very smart English Regency specimen marble chimneypiece in Kilkenny Black Fossil Marble inlaid with Breche Violette marble panels which have been cut and opened like a book to reveal symetrical veining. The oval plaque on the frieze and the flanking end blocks are of inlaid Convent Sienna Marble. English, circa 1820.

    Link to: Antique English Regency chimneypieces inc. George IV fireplace mantels.

    Width Height Depth
    External 69"
    175.3 cms
    55 1116"
    141.6 cms
    6"
    15.2 cms
    Internal 43"
    109.2 cms
    42 12"
    108 cms

    Listed Price: £24,000 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 15910

    An exceptional pair of large alabaster lidded vases in the manner of Lorenzo Bartolini (1777-1850). The lidded urns of baluster form, are finely carved from translucent alabaster the body of the vase depicting classical scenes, the lids topped with a fruiting finial, resting on the slender everted necks with egg and dart rim.
    Italian, c.1820, with restorations.

    Notes: Lorenzo Bartolini was born in Tuscany and studied in Florence and at the Officina Inghirami in Volterra, a workshop established in 1791 which produced alabaster sculpture and objects in the neoclassical style for Grand Tourist and other wealthy patrons. In 1797 he moved to Paris, where he became a close friend of Ingres and the favoured sculptor of Napoléon, who sent him to Carrara in 1807 to direct the Academy of Sculpture. Later he settled in Florence, where his Grand Tour patrons included Thomas Hope and the 6th Duke of Devonshire.

    Lorenzo Bartolini began his career on high quality decorative urns and tazzi for visiting grand tourists. A series of 19 sketches with designs for such vases was published.

    Diameter Height
    14 1316"
    37.5 cms
    44 12"
    113 cms
    with wooden base 48 38"
    123 cms
  • Stock: 16230

    A fine antique cut glass and gilt brass chandelier of exceptional quality of a tent and waterfall design, profusely hung with beads and prism drops, issuing eight scrolling foliate gilt brass arms.
    English, mid-19th century.

    View our collection of: Antique chandeliers.

    Diameter Drop
    33 18"
    84 cms
    46 18"
    117 cms
  • Stock: 15439

    An imposing Regency statuary marble chimneypiece with a bold geometric design to the frieze and the jambs, and laurel wreath endblocks. This strikingly modern design embedded within the Greek Revival style is very much the antecedent to the Art Deco, despite being designed over a hundred years before the modernist style. This chimneypiece is of exceptional quality.
    Irish, circa 1820.

    View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces

    Width Height Depth
    External 84 18"
    213.5 cms
    54 12"
    138.5 cms
    12"
    30.6 cms
    Internal 50 316"
    127.5 cms
    41 12"
    105.5 cms
  • Stock: 16130

    Psyche Abandoned

    A rare Italian sculpture depicting Psyche, attributed to the Italian sculptor, Pietro Tenerani.

    Pietro Tenerani (1798-1869) was a sculptor perhaps best known for his neoclassical works of the early nineteenth-century. He trained under Lorenzo Bartolini at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Carrara and with his uncle Pietro Marchetti, where he learnt how to polish and finish marble. After his early training, he won a scholarship to Rome in 1815, where he entered the studio of Bertel Thorvaldsen, considered one of the great masters of the age. He worked together with Thorvaldsen on several illustrious commissions, and soon set up his own studio. Among Tenerani’s illustrious patrons were William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, Queen Victoria, and Pope Pius IX.

    In 1816, Tenerani produced his first model of Psyche Abandoned under his own name, a beautifully finished work in plaster. This work transcended the more rigidly neoclassical style of the period, and instead bore the naturalism of an earlier age. It was soon acquired by the noblewoman and patron of the arts Marchesa Carlotta de’ Medici Lenzoni for her private collection. The sculpture was subsequently entered into an exhibition at the Palazzo Caffarelli in Rome, where many collectors admired and praised it for its naturalism and beauty. As a result of the exhibition, some admirers of this work requested copies to be made. It is likely that our own copy of this first work was made shortly after the exhibition; it wasn’t uncommon for a much-admired work to have copies made in both plaster and in marble. Many collectors even favoured the plaster originals, understanding that in many cases the marble versions were carved by workshop assistants rather than the master. It was Antonio Canova who popularised the practice of creating a finished work in plaster, giving the work of the marble carving to his assistants. Canova would then step in at the final stages of carving, to add his own hand to the finer details.

    Tenerani’s depiction of the young Psyche captured the imagination of Italian society, but the myth of the young princess and her lover had been enjoyed since antiquity. Their story is one of the interplay between the Soul and Desire. Psyche is the personification of the soul and conveys its vulnerability when met with the tempestuous and transient nature of desire, here embodied by the deity Cupid. If Psyche and Cupid’s story concerns the soul and desire, then their ultimate union should be considered one of fate. Their story is told by Apuleius in his Metamorphoses, written in the 2nd century AD and broadly follows this narrative: Cupid’s mother, the Goddess of love Aphrodite, was driven into a fury when she discovered that her worshippers were neglecting her and instead making offerings to a young and beautiful princess, Psyche. In her rage, Aphrodite demanded that her son Cupid make Psyche fall in love with an unworthy man as a punishment for her beauty. However, Cupid is scratched by his own arrow and falls in love with Psyche himself.

    They marry, yet Cupid tells his bride to never look at him, lest she be injured if she settled her gaze on a God. She complies until one evening she can no longer resist temptation, and she casts a light over her sleeping beloved with a lamp. He wakes, and in his fury at her betrayal, flees. Psyche is inconsolable and approaches the God’s mother Aphrodite and appeals to her to reunite them. She is set a series of impossible tasks by the Goddess, and when she fails the final task, at Cupid’s request the other Gods take mercy on her granting her immortality so the lovers can be reunited.

    Apuleius’ story is a lesson about finding balance between matters of the body and spirit, to live in harmony. Cupid and Psyche were represented not only in this tale, but in much earlier Hellenistic Art too, which makes Tenerani the perfect master for this work.

    His sculpture captures the moment in which Psyche’s beloved departs in a rage, leaving her alone. She sits on a rock, her youth emphasised in the modelling of her body and face. Her face in downcast, and her anguish is sensed not only in her expression but also in her posture. In this sculpture, Tenerani has captured the essence of the Hellenistic sculpture that he so revered at this stage of his career. Archaeological excavations in Rome had revealed ancient copies of sculptures from Greece and set the standard to which to aspire.

    The drapery over her legs is reminiscent of Hellenistic sculpture insofar as it has weight to it, a quality that the eighteenth-century scholar Johann Winckelmann described as a “wet look”. Carving and modelling of this quality is indicative of a master, and this detail allowed the Tenerani to showcase his skill as a sculpture independent from his master.

    In this version of the sculpture, Psyche is depicted without wings. It wasn’t unusual to find Psyche represented this way, as sculptures of this quality were commissioned by or intended for an audience who would find the subject immediately recognisable. Pietro Tenerani’s first sculpture of Psyche dated to 1817 does shows her with wings and is also modelled in plaster. Both sculptures are the same size and possess an almost identical finish, where the top layer of the plaster has been toned to give it a patina and both also display a very fine level of finish, so this work is to be regarded as a finished sculpture rather than mere modello. It is perhaps most interesting to consider how the composition developed over time in the hands of its master.

    Tenerani’s Psyche Abandoned is considered one of the most revered sculptures of the nineteenth-century, so we are honoured to have such a fine version in our collection.

    Width Height Depth
    21 14"
    54 cms
    44 78"
    114 cms
    20 12"
    52 cms
  • Stock: 16101

    A very fine early George III giltwood wall mirror in the manner of Thomas Chippendale, the frame with a finely carved scrolling acanthus crest and trailing foliage with the merest suggestion of the pagoda corners associated with Chippendale's designs. Original gilding.
    English, c.1760.

    View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables

    Width Height
    24"
    61 cms
    46 78"
    119 cms
  • Stock: 16125

    A rare American giltwood wall mirror by E. F. Caldwell & Co. This finely carved oval mirror embodies the Baroque Revival style, the winged ignudi and other details carved in high relief. This mirror was likely specially commissioned to accompany wall sconces of the same design made by the company, with the addition of three branches.
    Original mirror plate.

    United States, c.1900.

    Notes: See the E. F. Caldwell & Co. Collection, Smithsonian Institution, C012765 to see this model catalogued as three light wall appliques. Edward F. Caldwell & Co. were America’s preeminent lighting manufacturers of the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries, illuminating some of the most notable buildings in the United States. In addition to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and the White House in Washington, D.C., the company’s masterful light fixtures also adorn the homes of some historically prominent figures, such as J.P. Morgan and Phillip Lehman.
    The firm was founded in 1895 by American Edward F. Caldwell and Victor F. von Lossberg from Latvia.
    In 1901 Edward F. Caldwell & Co. opened a foundry and quickly rose to the top of the electric light manufacturing business with their shared vision, choosing to deliver quality elegant fixtures that frequently drew on historic European designs. The firm produced magnificent lighting pieces, as well as finely crafted decorative objects and mirrors. Their neoclassical designs borrowed heavily from Baroque and Rococo styles.

    View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables

    Width Height Depth
    30 14"
    77 cms
    44 78"
    114 cms
    2 38"
    6 cms

    Listed Price: £7,600 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 15877

    A rare set of plaster intaglios by Nathaniel Marchant. Originally, this set of casts of Nathaniel's gems was sold by subscription with the accompanying catalogue, published in 1792. It is rare to have a collection of any great quantity, this set is complete, bar four intaglios which are not present. They are mounted within their original ebony strung, mahogany case, which is glazed and fashioned as a book, complete with remnants of marbling. When the spine is removed, the interior is revealed.
    Complete sets are exceptionally rare, and one set is held at the John Soane Museum, purchased by Soane in 1793.

    English, c.1792.

    Nathaniel Marchant (1739-1816) was arguably the most famous gem engraver of the 18th century, prolific in both Italy and England. He was gem sculptor to the Prince of Wales and engraver to The King.

    View our collection of: decorative antiques and furnishings.

    Width Height Depth
    Closed 10"
    25.5 cms
    15 38"
    39 cms
    1 1316"
    4.6 cms
    Opened 19 38"
    49.4 cms
    15 38"
    39 cms
  • Stock: 15876

    A fine Louis XV Rococo chimneypiece carved from the beautifully veined breccia seravezza marble, which incorporates soft grey and khaki tones on a a creamy ground. The fireplaces' serpentine shelf sits above a low and wide frieze, which is panelled and centred by a finely carved rocaille motif over boldly carved jambs.
    The chimneypiece comes with its original cast iron insert, which is beautifully cast and decorated with putti and other Rococo motifs.
    French, late 19th century.
    Cast Iron Insert opening:
    Width: 25"
    Height: 23 1/2"

    View our collection of: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.

    width height depth
    External 62 14"
    158.2 cms
    44 14"
    112.5 cms
    16 14"
    41.5 cms
    Internal 45 58"
    115.8 cms
    37"
    94 cms
  • Stock: 15907

    A large and grand Rococo white statuary marble fireplace, profusely carved in high relief to create a true statement piece. The moulded serpentine shelf sits an ornate frieze, carved with stylised acanthus leaves and flowers, centred by a beautifully carved scallop shell cartouche. This motif is echoed in the C scroll cartouche which sits above bold console jambs, also carved with flowers and curling acanthus leaves.

    Scottish, mid-19th century.

    Provenance: From a private Belgian collection.

    Link to: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.

    Width Height Depth
    External 66 78"
    169.8 cms
    43 14"
    110 cms
    14"
    35.6 cms
    Internal 41 1316"
    106.1 cms
    34 12"
    87.7 cms
  • Stock: 16013

    A fine pair of 19th century and later ormolu wall sconces, each modelled as an Atlas figure stood upon a curved bracket with acanthus support, supporting a plain globe mounted with three scrolling branches with beaded sockets above foliate drip pans.

    French, c.1890 with later modification to light fittings.

    View our collection of: Antique Wall Lights

    Width Height Depth
    13"
    33 cms
    24 38"
    62 cms
    9 18"
    23 cms
  • Stock: 15960

    A pair of Aesthetic Movement andirons attributed to Thomas Jekyll and possibly made by Barnard, Bishop and Barnards. Although unmarked, they possess the qualities of Jekyll's designs, with his signature use of Japanese mons within the decoration on the shafts. The rosettes symbolise night and day and with beautiful repoussé work a Kingfisher on a branch represents Day, or dawn, with the sun rising behind him, whilst the owl represents Night and is surrounded by stars.
    English, c.1875.

    Notes: Barnard, Bishop and Barnards were at the heart of Norwich's iron industry, and the company gained an international reputation after their collaboration with Thomas Jekyll.
    Jeckyll’s associations with a group of London artists – notably James Abbott McNeill Whistler – made him a key figure in the Anglo-Japanese Aesthetic Movement. Jeckyll used japonaise designs for Barnards’ fireplaces while his sunflower motif came to symbolise the Aesthetic Movement.

    Width Height Depth
    7"
    17.7 cms
    19 1116"
    50 cms
    9 18"
    23 cms
  • Stock: 15958

    A fine and grand neoclassical chimneypiece in statuary marble with Siena marble inlay. The boldly carved breakfront shelf sits above a high relief egg and dart undershelf and a finely fluted frieze inlaid with Siena marble. This is mounted with a beautifully carved tablet depicting putti feeding a goat within a pastoral landscape. This symbolises abundance. The solitary putto endblocks rest on three-quarter pilasters with inlaid Siena volutes over plain jambs.

    English, c.1760 with nineteenth-century restorations.

    View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces

    Width Height Depth
    72 12"
    184.2 cms
    61 58"
    156.5 cms
    11"
    28 cms
    43 1116"
    111 cms
    40 12"
    102.8 cms
  • Stock: 15912

    A large and very finely carved figure of Venus Sortant du Bain, or Venus emerging from her bath. This subject has been immensely popular since classical antiquity, and depicts the Goddess drying herself whilst resting her foot on a rock. This statue would look marvelous on a column or plinth.

    This sculpture is after the example made by the French sculptor Christophe-Gabriel Allegrain (French, 1710-1795) for Louis XV in 1755. It was later revered at the Salon of 1767 as a masterpiece. This is now at the Louvre.

    French, c.1850.

    View our collection of: Antique sculptures, carvings, bronzes, plaques and tablets

    Width Height Depth
    10 58"
    27 cms
    34 58"
    88 cms
    14 58"
    37 cms
  • Stock: 15911

    A near life size carved marble figure of the Crouching Venus. This late 19th century copy of the iconic Hellenistic original bases its form on the crouching Venus on permanent display at the British Museum. It depicts the Goddess Venus at her bath, startled and shielding her nudity.
    Italian in origin, this statue would likely have been made for a wealthy buyer enjoying their Grand Tour in Italy.

    Italian, c.1890.

    Notes: The subject of the Crouching Venus was explored by various sculptors in the Roman period, based on the Hellenistic statue of the same subject attributed to Doidalsas (200-100 B.C.)

    View our collection of: Antique sculptures, carvings, bronzes, plaques and tablets

    Width Height Depth
    18 18"
    46 cms
    35 38"
    90 cms
    18 18"
    46 cms

    Listed Price: £22,000 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 15843

    A rare and majestic fire basket, depicting a phoenix rising from the flames. The phoenix fire back is mounted above a large four barred grate, which rests on brass andirons. The andirons are surmounted by eagles, and the sinuous feet form winged dragons.
    English. c.1870.

    View our collection of: Antique fire grates and log baskets.

    Width Height Depth
    45 1116"
    116 cms
    38 38"
    97.5 cms
    22 316"
    56.5 cms

    Listed Price: £12,500 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 15903

    A rare 19th century marble statue of the muse Terpsichore, after Antonio Canova. Terpsichore was the muse of creative inspiration, and here she is identified by the lyre on which she leans.

    Canova was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte's brother to create this idealised portrait of his wife Alexandrine de Bleschamp as Terpsichore. The commission was then acquired by Giovanni Battista Sommariva, a politician and notable patron of the arts. Under his patronage, the sculpture was no longer required to resemble Alexandrine and so the sensual sculpture took on the deified form of the muse. He collected three marble sculptures by Canova for his villa and also acquired the plaster model for Terpsichore so it could not be reproduced whilst under his ownership. Sommariva sent the sculpture to Paris in 1813, where is was exhibited at the Salon to great acclaim.
    Copies of this statue are very rare.

    French, late 19th century. Carved from pure white statuary marble. With restorations.

    View our collection of: Antique sculptures, carvings, bronzes, plaques and tablets

    Width Height Depth
    14 1316"
    37.5 cms
    33 12"
    85 cms
    9 1316"
    25 cms

    Listed Price: £18,000 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 15778

    A large Italian school carrara marble sculpture depicting a sleeping nymph. The finely carved sculpture is reminiscent of a depiction of Sleeping Ariadne, popularised by the Roman copy of the Hellenistic original, the former being housed at the Vatican. Reclining on rocks, the sleeping nymph is shown draped only below the waist, and her finely modelled form is exemplified by the delicacy of her fingers.
    Italian, early 19th century.

    Before restoration.

    View our collection of: Antique sculptures, carvings, bronzes, plaques and tablets

    Width Height Depth
    28 1116"
    73 cms
    14 58"
    37 cms
    11 1316"
    30 cms

    Listed Price: £7,500 (+VAT where applicable)

    More info? More info

  • Stock: 15775

    A large eighteenth century English neoclassical chimneypiece of exceptional quality. The moulded reverse breakfront shelf sits above a frieze inlaid with volutes of sarrancolin marble. The central tablet has been deftly carved with a neoclassical urn hanging with bellflowers.The delicately carved endblocks are supported by jambs also inlaid with volutes of soft amber coloured sarrancolin marble. Remarkably, this fireplace has had very few repairs over the centuries, and remains in beautiful, original condition.
    English, c.1780.

    View our section showing full range of neo-classical chimneypieces

    Width Height Depth
    External 69 1116"
    177.1 cms
    58 78"
    149.6 cms
    7 12"
    19 cms
    Internal 44 14"
    112.4 cms
    46 18"
    117 cms
  • Stock: 15572

    A fine and large nineteenth-century Gothic Revival oak bracket clock, with a silvered dial.

    The clock has an eight day, triple fusee, four pillar movement with anchor escapement and chimes the quarters on either eight or four bells, "Westminster chimes" and strikes the hours on a single gong.
    The finely engraved silvered arched top brass dial with Roman numerals has three subsidiary dials, namely; strike or silent, slow or fast, Westminster chime, or chime on 8 bells. Engraved spandrels frame the chapter ring. The case is the perfect incarnation of the Gothic Revival, the cathedral case topped with spires and finials which are supported by cluster pilasters whilst the dial is framed with a foliate ogee window.
    English, circa 1850.

    View our collection of: Antique clocks and clock garniture

    Width Height Depth
    16 12"
    42 cms
    26"
    66 cms
    9 38"
    24 cms
  • Stock: 15643

    A Reflection of American History -

    An ornate convex mirror of grand proportions topped with an eagle on a rocky summit.
    Interestingly the mirror, thought to be of American origins, is decorated with 24 spheres around the frame, whilst another sphere hangs on a chain suspended from the mouth of the eagle. This possibly symbolises the 24 established states of the USA, with the state of Arkansas represented by a ball hanging from the mouth of the eagle, the country's emblem. This shows that Arkansas joining the USA is quite literally hanging in the balance.
    With this information, we can date the mirror to 1835-1836.

    American, 1836. Awaiting restoration, included in the price.

    View our collection of: Antique mirrors and console tables

    Width Height
    23 58"
    60 cms
    42 78"
    109 cms
  • Stock: 15724

    A large and finely carved 19th century Italian marble lidded urn, decorated with trailing grape vines and and dramatic handles, modelled as grinning and horned satyrs. The body of the urn is carved with two cartouches, one depicting a nymph bathing in a pool whilst a satyr observes, hidden by bullrushes. The other depicts an a satyr and a goat in an amorous and playful embrace. After the antique.

    Italian, c.1850.

    Could be situated in a sheltered spot in a garden or courtyard, but equally suited to an interior setting.

    View our collection of: decorative antiques and furnishings

    Width Height Depth
    28"
    71 cms
    40"
    101.5 cms
    19 1116"
    50 cms
105 items