antiques
Paul de Lamerie Setting the StandardFor well over 250 years Paul de Lamerie has been universally considered not only one of the most important English goldsmiths, but among the most important English craftsmen of all time. His extraordinary works range from the elegant simplicity of the…
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Ask 1,000 antique collectors what drives them and you're likely to get 1,000 different answers. But, at its most basic level, we love antiques for the same reason we love a good book or a great photograph. It's the story they have to tell, who made them, where they came from and who owned…
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Though experts have speculated for centuries about the true origins of billiards, most agree that the game evolved from a lawn game similar to that of croquet around the 15th-century, hence the green cloth resembling grass. The game underwent numerous transformations over the…
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Few craftsmen in history leave such an indelible mark on their craft that their name becomes synonymous with all other works of that style.Thomas Chippendale was one such artisan as was Louis Comfort Tiffany a century and a half later. Another such name is that of John Henry Belter, a…
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In centuries past, well-heeled gentlemen, and ladies too, were seldom seen without a walking stick in hand. Unlike today, canes of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, often boasting handles of precious metals and jewels, served as symbols of wealth, power and social stature. They were…
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Held in the highest regard among monarchs, emperors, and cardinals, the beauty of Sevres porcelain is infinite and enduring. The factory began as a modest workshop in the royal chateau of Vincennes in 1740, established for the express purpose of improving the quality and production of…
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Born in 1734 to a Huguenot silversmith, Paul Revere's patriotism and his contribution to the American decorative arts is of inestimable value. He was immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere which tells of how he heroically rode through the…
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Without question, the most prominent of the Sheffield Plate manufacturers is English inventor and entrepreneur Matthew Boulton (1728-1809), credited as being one of the first entrepreneurs to truly realize the implications of serving the middle class with mass-produced items. For more than…
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When I was first asked to write this article, I was just recovering from a bout with the flu. And though my desk drawer was well stocked with remedies, my thoughts turned to what sort of "cures" my ancestors might have endured.Medical convention of the 18th century might have…
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Secrecy. Deceit. Imprisonment. The stuff of spy thrillers and international intrigue. True. But they are also words that can be used to describe the early discovery and development of porcelain in Europe.These beautiful and delicate icons that adorn our homes were once the objects of…
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