Featured Antiquers: Share Your Favorite Purchase Of 2018

Id die for those vases ! Love the alligator handles! Are those kangaroos in the bowls ??? How cute is that ???

 

Finally got around to addressing this thread. Of course, I can't pick just one. Contrary to what I usually post, none of these are from the thrift store. They were purchased from other dealers in our group shop. All were relative bargains but not dirt cheap.

My favorite painting this year is this industrial oil on canvas by Bruce Bond.

Metalwork piece is this candelabra by an unknown maker.

I always have a soft spot for architectural features. This piece came from a grill-work off the façade of a local 50s building. About 2' square.

 

That grill work piece is fabulous!!!

 

Now I'm in the right place, and there are two items which are my choice for 2018,the first one a pocket watch holder, Premier Empire, the eagle is symbolizing the power of the megalomania at this time…
I've cleaned it and put some micro-crystalline wax finish on all parts to protect the gilding, the small gold key is mine, not really the one for this item.

The second comes just a week ago in my pocket, a "love" glass as called, in very good condition, typically swiss with the german inscription : Vivat mein Schatz ein anderer hats…
This is not really politically conform, as its clearly written with ironism.

I've put more pictures on my association website.

 

I'm assuming you mean at THIS time in our history? And correctly. As well as when this was made, though, which in turn has given all history after that the endlessly insane permission to continue the lunacy of ultimate power! And this one is absolutely one of the more audacious in its golden power-mongering message. It looks like it has two places to put two watches. Of course - the everyday one and then the far more grander one you wear to the grandeur balls...

Can you translate that, please? I tried online and it didn't make much sense...something about hats? You say it's not PC...I'm not sure what a love glass is either except as a shot glass? But it shows a woman....am I being totally naive here...not untypical...

Your websites are in languages I don't know. I will look up how to change it to english, if possible. This is how dumb and unworldly I am at some things. Either way, I like this small glass and the style of the artist. So much historical art is actually very cartoonish-like yet we don't call it that, do we? I guess it's said to be more 'illustrative' than 'fine' but then we give it less value as well - and that's unfortunate imo. Thanks for showing!

 

It's something about my beloved "having another" - girlfriend that is. The Vivat part has me wondering; it's Latin for "live/life/living" So.. my boyfriend is living with another woman? I'd read that as "thank goodness".(LOL)

 

Ha!!!

 

I want to try a translation which gives the real sense of the inscription, it's Vivat(glory to) my treasure ( my beloved girl) who is living with another man…
It was certainly a gift he make to this girl as a proof of his love despite she was surely married with another man.
It's the sense of humor you can read on many folk art items made in german or french in Switzerland, I collect ancient roof tiles too, they have often messages left under, sometimes insults for the owner of the house, I want to make pictures from those tiles for you if it's of some interest, it's very difficult to read and understand as they are not a lot of people who can write at this time, and they are a rarity because it's only one on a roof and she can be broken or not seen by the workers when they change them, the older I have are from the 17-18th century.

On the pocket watch holder, the big hook is for the watch and the small one as I have put an aexample is for the watch key.
The symbol of the eagle dominating the snakes are used in a lot of civilizations, the snake is not always what History classified as the bad persons…
But it's always a great sign of humility by the persons described as the eagle……

 

Possibly this. Been after one for damn near ten years...

 

19th century drafting tools? They look like dip pens from a drafting set or would if they weren't double-ended.

 

Looks more like straight razors.

 

Haha, yes, they're a seven-day set of straight razors I've been chasing a set since 2010 and I FINALLY got one that I could actually afford.

 

Nice set, are they marked with their day of use ?

 

Finally narrowed it down, thanks to the fact that the other two, a Madras silver 'swami' bracelet and a Chinese silver dragon and tiger belt, both 19th century, proved difficult to photograph well because of all the finnicky detail.
But now that my lacking photographic skills have forced me to chose this one, I must say it is my ultimate favourite:



It is a Tunisian silver and apatite bangle in Moorish style or 'city style'. It is riddled with tiny marks, the main one for determining the period is a Bey mark without tax star, which means it dates from between 1856 and 1878.

 

@Any Jewelry

The stones look too good to be that old.

 

They could have been replaced at some stage, if so, whoever did it has done a good job.
It is possible it was hardly worn at all. Judging from an old Dutch import mark it has been here in the Netherlands for a long time, but it may have spent most of that time in a box.

 

I'd wear that daily !!!! sweet........

 

I'm tempted to, but the furniture keeps running into me. So it wouldn't be fair on the bracelet. I really enjoy looking at it though.