Month: December 2021

Paintings of Mary Magdalene as a Renaissance lady dressed in velvet. Ambrosius Benson, artist (1495-1500 – 1550). Born in Lombardy, he served his apprenticeship with  painter Gerard David in Bruges. Considered a painter of the Flemish school.


Mary Magdalene holding an ointment jar. Late 15th c, before 1550. Lombard/Flemish. Oil on panel. Image © 2021 Sothebys. Fair use license. via https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/master-paintings-sculpture-part-i/mary-magdalene-holding-an-ointment-jar



Mary Magdalene Reading. ca. 1530-1540. Lombard/Flemish. Oil on oak wood. Attributed to Ambrosius Benson. Ca’ d’Oro/Galleria Giorgio Franchetti, Venice, on loan from the Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence. Artwork in the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 100 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mary_Magdalene_Reading_Ambrosius_Benson.jpg
The Magdalen Reading. ca. 1525. Lombard/Flemish. Oil on oak wood. Collections of the National Gallery, London. © The National Gallery, London. Fair use license. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Magdalen_Reading_-Ambrosius_Benson(NG655).jpg

Flower pictures done in gouache in China by Chinese artists for the European market. ca. 1850. Chinese School, Cheongqua. All of these being from the same lot up for bid in a current Sotheby’s auction which is composed of three folios.

Pink and white flowers with a hovering butterfly. ca. 1850. Chinese School, Cheongqua. Gouache on mounted pith paper with silk borders with the red inked stamp of Cheongqua on each endpaper. Image © 2021 Sothebys. Fair use license. via https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/books-manuscripts/_chinese-nobility-flora-and-fauna-albums-e802
Pinkish/red flowers with two butterflie. ca. 1850. Chinese School, Cheongqua. Gouache on mounted pith paper with silk borders with the red inked stamp of Cheongqua on each endpaper. Image © 2021 Sothebys. Fair use license. via https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/books-manuscripts/_chinese-nobility-flora-and-fauna-albums-e802

Cassolettes to jazz up your New Years Eve buffet table. None of that boring IKEA stuff.

P Pair of urn form enamel cassolettes, painted on a dark blue ground with red and gilt urns trailing flowers and formal borders, with the covers reversing to sconces, hung with chains. ca. 1780. English. Image © 2021 Sothebys. Fair use license. via https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/the-collection-of-mr-and-mrs-peter-a-pfaffenroth-american-furniture-silver-and-decorative-arts/pair-of-english-enamel-cassolettes-circa-1780
A fine pair of antique English neoclassical porcelain and doré bronze mounted two handled Cassolettes. Each having a pair of ram’sPair of Neoclassical porcelain and doré bronze mounted two handled cassolettes. Each cassolette having a pair of ram’s heads terminating and connecting each handle to the body, all resting on a double tier stepped pedestal base. ca. early 1800s. English. Attributed to Mathew Boulton (1728-1809). Image © 1stDibs.com, Inc. 2021. Fair use license. via https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/decorative-objects/vases-vessels/vases/fine-pair-of-antique-english-porcelain-ormolu-cassolettes-att-matthew-boulton/id-f_3239423/
Pair of tall ormolu mounted malachite cassolettes. Each cassolette having a large malachite bowl, supporting a fluted ormolu cover, topped with a berry finial with the berry finial detailing mirrored vertically below with a berry drop finial mounted to the base of the bowl. The bowls being held in place upon triform supports with bearded, elfin masks leading to cabriole legs that terminate in hoof feet, The center of the support with a scrolling and twisting snake, which features lifelike stippling to create the effect of scales. Both cassolettes are mounted on triform plinths of malachite and are set upon ormolu toupie feet. Late 19th c. Neoclassical. French. Maker not given. Image © 2021 Mayfair Gallery Limited. Fair use license. via https://www.mayfairgallery.com/pair-french-ormolu-mounted-malachite-cassolettes



Surtout de table or table centerpieces. French. They just don’t make them like this anymore.

Surtout de table à la Pagode in finely chiseled vermeil. Composed of a large plate, covered by a mirror and surrounded by balustrades surmounted by covered urns running alongside four small removable basins opening onto two flights of steps flanked by dolphins and, on the sides, onto two fountains with mascarons in the middle of rushes. There is an open pagoda in the center with leafy uprights and an openwork roof with a Meissen porcelain musician in the center. 1873 to 1900. French. Boin Taburet, maker. Maker’s marks: Goldsmith’s signature BOIN TABURET à PARIS. Image © proantic.com. Fair use license. via https://www.proantic.com/magazine/surtout-de-table-a-la-pagode/
Surtout de Table in cast and gilt bronze with hand engraving, cut glass, and silver-mirrored glass. Similar to one used at the wedding banquet of Napoleon and Empress Marie-Louise. ca. 1810. French. Pierre-Philippe Thomire, maker (1751-1843). Image © Cooper Hewitt Museum. Fair use license. via https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2018/09/05/surtout-de-table-sustenance-of-political-power/
Central section of a surtout de table of centerpiece for a table of a hundred guests with the theme of France distributing crowns of glory. Galvanic bronze and silver-plated bronze, electroplated. Originally silver-plated, its present color, rough areas, and blisters are due to the terrible fire that destroyed the Tuileries palace during the Commune in 1871. Neoclassical. 1852-1858, commissioned in 1852 by the future Napoleon III. French. François Gilbert, Georges Diebolt, and Pierre-Louis Rouillard, sculptors. Made in Paris by Christofle. Image © MAD, the  Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Fair use license. via https://madparis.fr/central-section-of-a-centerpiece-for-a-table-of-a-hundred-guests-france

Golf jewelry. Some in gold, some gold tone with rhinestones. All fun.

Golf club brooch in gold and diamonds. Designed as seen marked clubs, in a “bag” set with diamonds. Undated. Image © 1999 – 2020 SKINNER, INC,  Fair use license. via https://live.skinnerinc.com/lots/view/4-4NT9L7/14k-gold-and-diamond-golf-bag-brooch
Gold tone golf bag brooch with rhinestones. Vintage. Image © 2021 Etsy, Inc. Fair use license. via https://www.etsy.com/listing/1054640460/gold-tone-rhinestone-golf-bag-brooch?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_d-jewelry-brooches_pins_an
Siam figural golf club brooch in gold and black enamel. The clubs are articulated and move up and down. Image © 2021 Etsy, Inc. Fair use license. via https://www.etsy.com/listing/689496514/vintage-siam-figural-golf-club-bag

People out and about in Flanders. Sebastiaen Vrancx, artist. Living from 1573 to 1647, he mostly painted battle scenes but he painted these too. Apprenticed in the workshop of artist Adam van Noort who also was the master of Peter Paul Rubens.

An outdoor banquet. Between ca. 1610 and ca. 1620. Flemish. Oil on panel. Collections of and image source the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. In the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 100 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sebastian_Vrancx_-_An_outdoor_banquet.tiff
The Kranenhoofd on the Scheldt, Antwerp. 1629. Flemish. Oil on panel. Collections of the  Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. In the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 100 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Het_Kranenhoofd_aan_de_Schelde_te_Antwerpen_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-1699.jpeg

A view of Antwerp by night with elegant figures on their way to a masquerade. 1600-1646. Flemish. Color on oak wood. Image source: Christies, In the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 100 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sebastiaen_Vrancx_-_A_view_of_Antwerp_by_night_with_elegant_figures_on_their_way_to_a_masquerade.jpg

The insides of rooms, mostly in Vienna. If you stare at them long enough you can time travel back long enough to take a nap on the sofa. Austrian artist, Rudolf Ritter van Alt. Living from 1812 to 1905, he studied at the  Akademie der bildenden Künste in Vienna. Part of a 19th century fashion for having watercolor portraits done of the rooms in your mansion.


The Morning Room of the Palais Lanckoronski, Vienna. 1881. Austrian. Watercolor heightened with white on paper. Private collection. Image source: the-athenaeum.org. Artwork in the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 100 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rudolf_Ritter_von_Alt_004.jpg
Salon in the Apartment of Count Lanckoroński in Vienna. 1881. Austrian. Watercolor heightened with white on paper. Collection of Thomas le Claire, art dealer, Hamburg as of 2003. Image source: Image source: the-athenaeum.org. Artwork in the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 100 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rudolf_Ritter_von_Alt_002.jpg
 Innenansicht des Palmenhauses von Schloss Eisgrub. 1842. Austrian. Watercolor. Collections of the Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna. In the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 100 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rudolf_von_Alt_011.jpg

Out and about and strolling to somewhere fun on Vienna’s famed Ringstrasse. Various artists.

The Ringstrasse, Vienna. 1904. Croatian. Oil on canvas. Signed, inscribed and dated Vlaho Bukovac WIEN 1904 on the lower left. Image ©2021 Sothebys. Fair use license. via https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/european-british-art-2/the-ringstrasse-vienna
Ringstrasse and Staatsoper in Vienna. 19th c. Artist not known. Collections of the Wien Museum, Vienna, Austria. Image image © De Agostini Picture Library/A. Dagli Orti. Fair use license. via https://www.watercolourworld.org/painting/ringstrasse-and-staatsoper-vienna-tww0050a0

The festive inauguration of the Vienna Ringstrasse on May 1st, 1865. ca. 1865. Xylograph. Artwork in the public domain due to age. via https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/construction-ringstrasse#o-18131

Imagery from the Falls of Saint Anthony to the Gulf of Mexico, taken from “Das Illustrirte Mississippithal … vom Wasserfalle zu St. Anthony an bis zum Golf von Mexico (eine Entfernung von ungefähr 2300 englischen Meilen)”. Published in Dusseldorf between 1854 and 1858. By Henry Lewis

Fort Snelling, Minnesota. 1854-1858. Page 36. of Henry Lewis’s work “Das Illustrirte Mississippithal … vom Wasserfalle zu St. Anthony an bis zum Golf von Mexico (eine Entfernung von ungefähr 2300 englischen Meilen)” Lithographic print. Collections of the University of Pittsburgh Library System. Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation, digitalizing sponsor. In the public domain due to age. See the link to zoom in https://archive.org/details/dasillustrirtemi00lewi/page/n36/mode/1up?view=theater
Indian deputation. 1854-1858. Page 36. of Henry Lewis’s work “Das Illustrirte Mississippithal … vom Wasserfalle zu St. Anthony an bis zum Golf von Mexico (eine Entfernung von ungefähr 2300 englischen Meilen)” Lithographic print. Collections of the University of Pittsburgh Library System. Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation, digitalizing sponsor. In the public domain due to age. See the link to zoom in https://archive.org/details/dasillustrirtemi00lewi/page/n32/mode/1up?view=theater
Mouths of the Mississippi. 1854-1858. Page 40. of Henry Lewis’s work “Das Illustrirte Mississippithal … vom Wasserfalle zu St. Anthony an bis zum Golf von Mexico (eine Entfernung von ungefähr 2300 englischen Meilen)” Lithographic print. Collections of the University of Pittsburgh Library System. Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation, digitalizing sponsor. In the public domain due to age. See the link to zoom in https://archive.org/details/dasillustrirtemi00lewi/page/n40/mode/1up?view=theater

1930s or 1940s furs, a photo shoot for the Popular Dry Goods Company shot by photographer Samuel Fant of El Paso, Texas who mostly photographed society ladies. Archives of the University of Texas El Paso.

Promotional photograph, part of a photo shoot for Popular Dry Goods Company Furs which was a department store in El Paso, Texas. Undated photograph, probably 1930s. Samuel Fant, photographer. Archival ID#PH058-Popular Dry Goods Co. Samuel Fant Collection. Image © C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Fair use license. via https://cdm15823.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15823coll10/id/1279/rec/487?fbclid=IwAR3fwJ4FdZ2FtLvCXjThcj-R-iqUS9KDeKu7qQ6Kxqz93D3DAjr4cm2kEp4
Promotional photograph, part of a photo shoot for Popular Dry Goods Company Furs which was a department store in El Paso, Texas. Undated photograph, 1930s or 1940s. Samuel Fant, photographer. Archival ID#PH058-Popular Dry Goods Co. Samuel Fant Collection. Image © C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Fair use license. via https://cdm15823.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15823coll10/id/1277/rec/2
Promotional photograph, part of a photo shoot for Popular Dry Goods Company Furs which was a department store in El Paso, Texas. Undated photograph, 1930s or 1940s. Samuel Fant, photographer. Archival ID#PH058-Popular Dry Goods Co. Samuel Fant Collection. Image © C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Fair use license. via https://cdm15823.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15823coll10/id/1276/rec/1
Promotional photograph, part of a photo shoot for Popular Dry Goods Company Furs which was a department store in El Paso, Texas. Undated photograph, 1930s or 1940s. Samuel Fant, photographer. Archival ID#PH058-Popular Dry Goods Co. Samuel Fant Collection. Image © C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Fair use license. via https://cdm15823.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15823coll10/id/1278/rec/3
Promotional photograph, part of a photo shoot for Popular Dry Goods Company Furs which was a department store in El Paso, Texas. Undated photograph, 1930s or 1940s. Samuel Fant, photographer. Archival ID#PH058-Popular Dry Goods Co. Samuel Fant Collection. Image © C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Fair use license. via https://cdm15823.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15823coll10/id/1281/rec/5

Many thanks to my friend Sue Burkey who knows far more about vintage clothing than I do and helped me date them. I don’t use many photographs here because it can be hard to figure out the copyright status of them but these I found in an archive researching something else so I thought I would use them here. Will look out for more. Sarah.