Highlights of the 2014 Winter Antiques Show

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The Winter Antiques Show is certainly living up to its name this year, welcomed by this polar vortex with a chilly embrace. Rest assured, the Park Avenue Armory is nice and toasty. It is well worth braving the cold – there is something for everyone from ancient to modern, including: Delftware, Chinese porcelain, illuminated manuscripts, arms and armor, ancient art, and so much more, all listed here.

Be on the lookout for some of our personal favorites, including the astonishing mid sixteenth century Italian half suit of armor from Peter Finer of London and the 18th century Delftware puzzle jugs from Aronson of Amsterdam. If the crowds get to be too much, escape into the lacquer-paneled room by Art Deco master Jean Dunand at Maison Gerard, and be sure to take a moment to behold a fully intact, Roman glass urn from the 1st century AD at Rupert Wace Ancient Art of London.

If you get lost as you wander across culture and time, our booth can be found at the center across from the Diamond Jubilee display. There are a few pieces that have attracted particular attention at our booth. One of our showstoppers is a brooch designed by Salvador Dali in the form of ruby red lips, modeled after Marilyn Monroe, and, includes, quite literally, pearly whites. Selections from our menagerie have also been major attractions, such as a pavé diamond brooch in the form of a monkey with a sprung tail and holding a pearl. Our selection of Fabergé always draws attention. Especially attracting people this year are silver sculptures serving as table lighters or bell pushes.

If you have yet to stop by, we look forward to seeing you this Saturday from 12 to 8, and Sunday, the final day, from 12 to 6.

Antique Diamond Angel Fish Brooch

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Pavé diamond angelfish brooch, mounted in platinum.

American, ca. 1910
Length: 1 1/2 in.
(approximately 3 cts)

$11,000

This item is available for purchase in the ALVR shop.

back view, Antique Diamond Angel Fish Brooch

Antique 1920s Diamond Horse Head Brooch

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Pavé diamond set horse head brooch in platinum with a black enamel bridle, a ruby and white enamel headband and an emerald eye.

American, ca. 1920
Width: 1 1/4 in.

$18,000

This piece is available for purchase online in the ALVR shop and in our 745 Fifth Avenue galleries. 

1920s Diamond Horse Head Brooch, back1920s Diamond Horse Head Brooch, marks

Holy Moley: 18th Century Patch Boxes

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On April 26, 1687, the famed diarist Samuel Pepys noted that the Duchess of Newcastle wore “many black patches because of pimples about her mouth.”  She likely carried them in a patch box, or boite á mouches. Such boxes were often made of gold, tortoise shell, silver, or ivory and fitted with a mirror, adhesive, brush, and compartments for patches. Some feature additional compartments for cosmetics like rouge or kohl.

Made of silk, leather, or taffeta, patches became popular face and body accessories beginning in the 16th century. They came in a range of shapes, including geometric forms, stars, and different phases of the moon.  Some were even more whimsical, like the shapes of animals and insects. One theory behind the trend is a superstition of moles and their placement, which were admired as marks of beauty.

Donned by both women and men, patches served to accentuate the whiteness of one’s skin and to conceal blemishes. Their placement was a flirtatious language of gestures, as different positions suggested different types of flirtation.  A patch near the lips was called the ‘coquette,’ on the forehead, the ‘assassin,’ the ‘roguish’ on the nose, the ‘impassioned’ near the eye and, on the cheek, the ‘gallant.’ Which one are you?

micromosaic dog box

A Taste For Paste

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Victorian Paste Pear-Shape Drop Earrings

What exactly is paste jewelry? A type of glass, paste easily emulates precious stones, but we must stress that it is by no means imitation anything. Its luster, malleability, and quality of workmanship set it apart from other jewelry materials.

What we know as paste jewelry developed from glass makers experimenting with lead oxide to closely emulate gemstones. In the eighteenth century, glass makers aspired to match the luster of the increasingly popular diamond. Paste jewelry came to be called “Stras,” or “Strass,” after Georges Frédéric Stras, a jeweler from Strasbourg, employed in Paris, who became famous for his paste jewelry and so highly regarded, he was appointed Jeweler to the King.

Paste jewelry was usually foiled and backed in silver. These materials, in addition to the different shapes paste could produce, rendered it a widely coveted jewelry-making material. Considering all these characteristics, it is easy to see how one might cultivate a taste for paste.

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