Elephant Carving
France
c. 1900
Hand-carved Walnut with Maple Tusks
29" wide x 15" deep x 26" high
$3850
For Purchasing Inquiries:
312.420.5328
Georgian Convex Mirror
Victoria paces through the foyer of her mother’s apartment behind the palace walls, cursing the prime minister’s insistence that a queen must be married to earn her independence. Twenty years old is pushing it, she knows, she’ll soon be what is deemed a “spinster”.
She pauses each time she passes the mirror; she pinches her cheeks delicately once, twice, then harder the last time to make it last. It’s silly, but she does want to look her best for her cousin.
Marriage just seems so far off, there’s yet to be a potential suitor. There was Charles and his wretched breath, James and his fondness for men (“You’re my only girlfriend,” he’d plead) and George and his sisters who tried incessantly to run her away.
Her cousin, Prince Albert, enters the long hall behind her and she sees his boyish figure in the reflection of the mirror. She hardly knows him and dreads that a courtship will leave her fatigued. Before she can turn to greet him, he embraces her in a passionate kiss. His breath, it’s not foul, the kiss is certainly that of a man who fancies a lady and there’s no need to fret over sisters, after all, she is already family. Perhaps it is within reach, she thought, besotted.
“Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.”
England
c. 1840
Carved Gilt Wood
22.5" diameter x 4.5" deep
$1800
England
c. 1840
Carved Gilt Wood
22.5" diameter x 4.5" deep
$1800
For Purchasing Inquiries:
312.420.5328
Gilt Wood Salon Mirror
Grandma reapplies her lipstick, adjusts her shoulder pads and pulls Grandpa in frame to lint brush his jacket. Mom fidgets with her diamond earrings and tells Dad to come tame his wild eyebrows. My brother just glances in and smiles while his wife plays with her bangs and ties her hair back with a long grosgrain ribbon. I just check to make sure my nose isn’t too red from the champagne punch.
The perfect family portrait. Perfect lipstick, jackets, diamonds, teeth and bangs. Mom places us in our usual spots and I run to set the timer, tripping on the cat as I get back into position. I take Mom down with me. My brother tries to catch us and grabs his wife for support, accidentally catching her ribbon and taking her hair down. Grandma howls as someone steps on her foot and Grandpa just continues to smile. “Cheese!” The camera flashes.
Next year as we prep ourselves in the large salon mirror, we look at last year’s portrait hung in a frame right next to it. Like the mirror, the frame is beautiful and ornate, but inside of it we’re just us. A bit of a mess.
Italy
c. 1890
Hand-carved Gilt Wood
51.5" wide x 6" deep x 72" high
$6500
Double-Sided Six Drawer Console Table
I asked my son to come in from the yard and clean up the den so his mother wouldn’t have to. Do it before we eat, I told him, that way we can throw the ball around after dinner.
Later that night I sat down with the paper. I consulted my wife when I couldn’t find my readers. Check the console table, she said.
I pulled out a drawer and there they were, next to two pawns and a knight, separated from their set. In the next drawer there was one sock, a few marbles and a glass from the kitchen. The third was empty, the fourth held my car keys under some comic books, and the fifth had my pipe, the television remote and the doily that belongs under the side table lamp. I chuckled at my son’s cleaning method.
What’s so funny over there, will you see if my glasses are in there, too? My wife asked. I pulled out the last drawer and there they were, with a frog sitting on top the lenses, probably from our son’s afternoon in the yard. It hopped out into my hand and I passed my wife her glasses.
Such a good boy, he did such a nice job cleaning up in here. You taught him well, she said. Her face scrunched up when she put on her glasses. Oh, there’s a smudge, she said, wiping them off on her blouse.
Later that night I sat down with the paper. I consulted my wife when I couldn’t find my readers. Check the console table, she said.
I pulled out a drawer and there they were, next to two pawns and a knight, separated from their set. In the next drawer there was one sock, a few marbles and a glass from the kitchen. The third was empty, the fourth held my car keys under some comic books, and the fifth had my pipe, the television remote and the doily that belongs under the side table lamp. I chuckled at my son’s cleaning method.
What’s so funny over there, will you see if my glasses are in there, too? My wife asked. I pulled out the last drawer and there they were, with a frog sitting on top the lenses, probably from our son’s afternoon in the yard. It hopped out into my hand and I passed my wife her glasses.
Such a good boy, he did such a nice job cleaning up in here. You taught him well, she said. Her face scrunched up when she put on her glasses. Oh, there’s a smudge, she said, wiping them off on her blouse.
Italy
c. 1760-80
Walnut
129.5" wide x 24" deep x 31" high
$6200
For Purchasing Inquiries:
312.420.5328
English Library Secretaire
“You there, freshen up my drink won’t you.”
The butler, having served this boys club on a weekly basis for years, is resigned to the fact that these men will never learn his name. He doubts if the head of the household even knows. Jones, Jennings, Jeeves, he alternates. It’s actually Martin. Ten years later, it’s still Martin.
He places the drinks on the table and coughs as he stands in the cloud of cigar smoke that lingers through the study.
“Rude bugger, that one. Coughing in our faces, thinks he is better than us. These cigars cost more than he makes in a year!” The men laugh as Martin leaves the room, though he’s still within earshot.
Martin is fed up. He makes a pot of coffee and adds an ingredient he’s been waiting for the right moment to use. He returns to the study with the tray of coffee.
One of the men is standing by the large cabinet, leafing through a history book. “What fool wouldn’t know he’s been poisoned, bloody Renaissance nonsense if you ask me.” He says, placing the book back on the shelf and scoffing at Martin for placing the coffee cup on the desk without a coaster.
The men all sip their coffee and remark on the odd flavor, but continue to drink it nonetheless. Drunk on self-satisfaction and deliriously pleased with himself for going through with the act, Martin returns to the kitchen and pours himself a congratulatory cup of coffee.
England
The butler, having served this boys club on a weekly basis for years, is resigned to the fact that these men will never learn his name. He doubts if the head of the household even knows. Jones, Jennings, Jeeves, he alternates. It’s actually Martin. Ten years later, it’s still Martin.
He places the drinks on the table and coughs as he stands in the cloud of cigar smoke that lingers through the study.
“Rude bugger, that one. Coughing in our faces, thinks he is better than us. These cigars cost more than he makes in a year!” The men laugh as Martin leaves the room, though he’s still within earshot.
Martin is fed up. He makes a pot of coffee and adds an ingredient he’s been waiting for the right moment to use. He returns to the study with the tray of coffee.
One of the men is standing by the large cabinet, leafing through a history book. “What fool wouldn’t know he’s been poisoned, bloody Renaissance nonsense if you ask me.” He says, placing the book back on the shelf and scoffing at Martin for placing the coffee cup on the desk without a coaster.
The men all sip their coffee and remark on the odd flavor, but continue to drink it nonetheless. Drunk on self-satisfaction and deliriously pleased with himself for going through with the act, Martin returns to the kitchen and pours himself a congratulatory cup of coffee.
England
c. 1900
Rosewood and other exotic wood inlays
101.5" wide x 26.5" deep x 111" high
$35,000
Pair of Petite Tables with Drawers
They are placed on opposite ends of the sofa in the parlor, pushed up against each arm.
One holds a half-full cup of black coffee on top of this morning’s Times, stocks checked, crossword completed, and the peel of an orange, removed in meticulous pattern, folded into a napkin.
The other holds a half-empty Bloody Mary and this year’s September Issue, pages dog-eared on lace cocktail dresses, and a porcelain ashtray with rose-colored sheen.
As the midmorning sun begins to pour in through the curtains, each is bathed in a light that makes them shine. They turn to one another and exchange an affectionate smile before continuing their Sunday customs.
France
c. 1940's
Marquetry Inlaid Wood
18" wide x 11.5" deep x 26.5" high
$1200
One holds a half-full cup of black coffee on top of this morning’s Times, stocks checked, crossword completed, and the peel of an orange, removed in meticulous pattern, folded into a napkin.
The other holds a half-empty Bloody Mary and this year’s September Issue, pages dog-eared on lace cocktail dresses, and a porcelain ashtray with rose-colored sheen.
As the midmorning sun begins to pour in through the curtains, each is bathed in a light that makes them shine. They turn to one another and exchange an affectionate smile before continuing their Sunday customs.
France
c. 1940's
Marquetry Inlaid Wood
18" wide x 11.5" deep x 26.5" high
$1200
Creeping Vines Lantern
“A lantern would be helpful right now,” he thought, pushing branches from his path in the black of night.
He can hear the female voices up ahead as the dim light glows closer through openings in the bushes. Hidden in the depths of the forest, he reaches the spring where the village women bathe each week.
Peering down from a ledge above them, he spreads the mossy branches and can almost make out the shapes of the buxom beauties bathing before him. “Almost there, one more step,” and in a moment of elation and confusion he reaches for what he thinks is a branch and tumbles forward, having grabbed a loose vine instead.
Into the spring he tumbles, creating quite the splash, causing the screaming women to grab their lanterns and run, leaving him alone once again, in the dark.
He can hear the female voices up ahead as the dim light glows closer through openings in the bushes. Hidden in the depths of the forest, he reaches the spring where the village women bathe each week.
Peering down from a ledge above them, he spreads the mossy branches and can almost make out the shapes of the buxom beauties bathing before him. “Almost there, one more step,” and in a moment of elation and confusion he reaches for what he thinks is a branch and tumbles forward, having grabbed a loose vine instead.
Into the spring he tumbles, creating quite the splash, causing the screaming women to grab their lanterns and run, leaving him alone once again, in the dark.
Belgium
c. 1900
Wrought Iron, Lavender Glass
12" wide x 12" deep x 30" high
$1750
For Purchasing Inquiries:
312.420.5328
Billy Goats Gruff Chandelier
The bar’s dark wood paneling glows, lit by the dying fire and the chandeliers hung from the low ceiling above the men stooped over their beer. The heavy wood door creaks open and a young man comes in from the cold.
The local men, tired of spending their drunken nights brawling one another, perk up at the sight of fresh meat. The young man asks for three warm ales for his group of travelers, tying up the horses outside. “Oh, the little boy is cold,” one man mutters, getting up from his bench.
“You won’t want to bother with a meek boy like me,” the young man says, cowering by the door that opens upon the arrival of another man.
“Ah, how ‘bout this one, then?” A large villager gets up and forms a barrier between the strangers and the bar. The new man, slightly older, cracks his knuckles in preparation for a fight.
Yet another man, older, bent and hunched in the shoulders comes through the door. “Brothers,” he says, “let’s press on to the next village.”
The local men make jabs at the band of travelers, calling them weak, but before they can return to their benches, the chandeliers over head rattle and shake. The old man has pinned the heaviest villager against the wall.
“Get these men a round,” the man against the wall gasps through clenched teeth. The old man drops him to the hard stone ground and the local men laugh and cheer, raising their glasses to the band of brothers.
The local men, tired of spending their drunken nights brawling one another, perk up at the sight of fresh meat. The young man asks for three warm ales for his group of travelers, tying up the horses outside. “Oh, the little boy is cold,” one man mutters, getting up from his bench.
“You won’t want to bother with a meek boy like me,” the young man says, cowering by the door that opens upon the arrival of another man.
“Ah, how ‘bout this one, then?” A large villager gets up and forms a barrier between the strangers and the bar. The new man, slightly older, cracks his knuckles in preparation for a fight.
Yet another man, older, bent and hunched in the shoulders comes through the door. “Brothers,” he says, “let’s press on to the next village.”
The local men make jabs at the band of travelers, calling them weak, but before they can return to their benches, the chandeliers over head rattle and shake. The old man has pinned the heaviest villager against the wall.
“Get these men a round,” the man against the wall gasps through clenched teeth. The old man drops him to the hard stone ground and the local men laugh and cheer, raising their glasses to the band of brothers.
France
c. 1870'sGilt Bronze, Crystal
16" diameter x 37" high
56" overall drop
$3650
For Purchasing Inquiries:
312.420.5328
Louis XVI Three Drawer Chest
She rests her elbows on the marble and examines her face in the mirror. She pulls her hair back in a gold ribbon to work with an unobstructed palette. She generously applies blush to accentuate her cheekbones and contemplates lip shade before going with a classic red. She dabs a drop of perfume on each wrist and on her neck and places the glass bottle back on the cabinet. She opens each drawer and throws practically every article of clothing about the dressing room before settling on an understated gown with ermine trim. A perfect sight, she thinks.
Her guests are waiting in the parlor when she arrives; she greets each one with a curtsy and takes her place at the head of the table. Not moments after she begins sipping her tea, she hears a woman’s shriek from the dressing chamber.
“Marie!” The woman is appalled by the sight of the drawer’s contents thrown across the room and makeup strewn over her marble chest. She storms into the parlor and finds the girl, blush to her forehead, lipstick on her chin, but beautiful and innocent as ever in a dress six times to big, sharing tea with her dolls.
“Yes mother?” She says. “Do join us for a spot of tea, won’t you?”
Her guests are waiting in the parlor when she arrives; she greets each one with a curtsy and takes her place at the head of the table. Not moments after she begins sipping her tea, she hears a woman’s shriek from the dressing chamber.
“Marie!” The woman is appalled by the sight of the drawer’s contents thrown across the room and makeup strewn over her marble chest. She storms into the parlor and finds the girl, blush to her forehead, lipstick on her chin, but beautiful and innocent as ever in a dress six times to big, sharing tea with her dolls.
“Yes mother?” She says. “Do join us for a spot of tea, won’t you?”
France
c. 1830-40
Carved Walnut, Marble
47" wide x 24" deep x 38.5" high
$3200
Pair of Gilt and Mirrored Altar Candlesticks
A romantic dinner for two; the long dining room table is illuminated only by a tall candlestick on either side, the ham’s glaze glistens in the flickering light and the string quartet resins their bows in anticipation for the lady to arrive.
The man stands from his seat when she walks into the room. He has two glasses of wine that go straight to his head, and conversation continues without missing a beat. He tucks his napkin under his plate and puts his hand out for a dance; the quartet continues playing, albeit with an eyebrow raised…
The tapers’ wax glides down the golden candlesticks as the last light reflects of their mirrored stands. The quartet packs up, he tips them graciously as they walk away exchanging confused looks. The man suggests a walk; some fresh air would do them both good. He grabs a plastic bag and opens the door for her.
It’s not a night unlike another, but he’s gracious as they go to the bedroom together. She tries to get in his bed, as she’s done before, but he protests. He takes off her collar and she happily curls up on her pillow at the foot of his bed, wagging her tail.
The man stands from his seat when she walks into the room. He has two glasses of wine that go straight to his head, and conversation continues without missing a beat. He tucks his napkin under his plate and puts his hand out for a dance; the quartet continues playing, albeit with an eyebrow raised…
The tapers’ wax glides down the golden candlesticks as the last light reflects of their mirrored stands. The quartet packs up, he tips them graciously as they walk away exchanging confused looks. The man suggests a walk; some fresh air would do them both good. He grabs a plastic bag and opens the door for her.
It’s not a night unlike another, but he’s gracious as they go to the bedroom together. She tries to get in his bed, as she’s done before, but he protests. He takes off her collar and she happily curls up on her pillow at the foot of his bed, wagging her tail.
France
19th century
Gilt wood with original etched mirrors
Some cracks in wood and mirrors, with removable bases
10" wide x 9" deep x 37.5" high
$2800/pr.
Set of Six Venetian Wine Glasses
Christine is throwing a dinner party.
Three couples, including herself and David. Mitch and Dianne from next door are bringing the Jell-o mold. Steve and Kathy are bringing their relationship issues.
Six sets of silver cutlery, polished and placed. Six Venetian wine glasses. Six linen napkins, rolled tightly in six mother-of-pearl napkin rings. Six sets of China set before six of her mother’s chairs. The dining room was perfect, but not before she brushed each chair’s upholstered seat and ran her left hand over the smooth curvature of the back.
Six o’clock, Christine answers the knocks at the door. Two couples, plus a handsome young man with Steve and Kathy. “We’ve solved our marital problems,” Steve says.
Christine is not prepared for this seventh.
Venice, Italy
c. 1960's
Hand-Blown and Painted Glass
3.5" diameter x 5.5" high
$1200
Pair of Kimono Silk Pillows
I finally convinced my business partner to try some authentic cuisine. We’ve been on this trip for over a week and haven’t had any Japanese food. Leave it to him to find burgers and steak in Tokyo.
I take off my shoes after the young woman bows and opens the screen door for us. He doesn’t, which doesn’t surprise me. He looks around and sighs when he sees the pillows on the floor next to the low table. “Really? Let’s get this over with,” he says.
I sit down on my pillow, excited for the meal. He kneels in his designer suit; I can tell he’s having trouble sitting in the tight pants. I hear a rip and our eyebrows, and the geisha’s thin penciled-in eyebrows, raise. “Well don’t just stand there, at least get me a drink!”
He huffs and puffs through his first few tumblers of sake until he’s really worked up. “A fork, honey? I need a F-o-r-k? She doesn’t understand a lick of English! Arigato!” The geisha nods and smiles.
When she brings him back chopsticks, not a fork, he’s really had it. He stands up (pants split right up the middle) and kicks his pillow, knocking the table and causing the sake bottle to tumble and spill all over the floor and his leather shoes. He storms out, leaving me to deal with the language barrier.
So sorry. So, so sorry, I enunciate to the geisha, who responds by smoothing her kimono, winking and saying, “Do you think he still needs that fork?”
I take off my shoes after the young woman bows and opens the screen door for us. He doesn’t, which doesn’t surprise me. He looks around and sighs when he sees the pillows on the floor next to the low table. “Really? Let’s get this over with,” he says.
I sit down on my pillow, excited for the meal. He kneels in his designer suit; I can tell he’s having trouble sitting in the tight pants. I hear a rip and our eyebrows, and the geisha’s thin penciled-in eyebrows, raise. “Well don’t just stand there, at least get me a drink!”
He huffs and puffs through his first few tumblers of sake until he’s really worked up. “A fork, honey? I need a F-o-r-k? She doesn’t understand a lick of English! Arigato!” The geisha nods and smiles.
When she brings him back chopsticks, not a fork, he’s really had it. He stands up (pants split right up the middle) and kicks his pillow, knocking the table and causing the sake bottle to tumble and spill all over the floor and his leather shoes. He storms out, leaving me to deal with the language barrier.
So sorry. So, so sorry, I enunciate to the geisha, who responds by smoothing her kimono, winking and saying, “Do you think he still needs that fork?”
Japan
Silk
20th Century
22" wide x 18" high
Pair of Vintage Fortuny Fabric Pillows
Henrietta lays sprawled out along the chaise lounge in the study with a book lying open over her face and her arms crossed over her chest.
“My love,” Mariano says, rolling his eyes, “you are suffering a bout of hysteria.”
He sets down the Waterford decanter and turns around with two half glasses of brown liquor before remembering, and instead keeps both glasses for himself.
“Oh do be a dear and just give me a nip!” She pleads from behind the book. “It would be just the thing I need to get out of this rot.”
“It is going to be quite an unpleasant season if all you are worried about is getting tight. You know you have got to keep your head.”
She sighs and places a cigarette in her mouth before catching a look from Mariano. She slams her feet on the ground, stands up and starts pacing, looking for a lighter.
“I can’t hide it forever,” she says. She is a very slender woman, no curves to be spoken of. She grabs a silk pillow from the lounge and stuffs it up her off-white lace dress. “They will know soon enough and they will see these hands without a cigarette or a drink, or a ring!”
In a fit of anger she lights the cigarette and the pillow drops between her legs.
“It has come sooner than expected,” he says, picking up the pillow. Henrietta scoffs and turns her back to him, and catches their reflection in the mirror. Her face softens as she sees Mariano cradling the pillow like a child. She stomps the cigarette out and lets out a laugh from the pit of her stomach.
Italy
“My love,” Mariano says, rolling his eyes, “you are suffering a bout of hysteria.”
He sets down the Waterford decanter and turns around with two half glasses of brown liquor before remembering, and instead keeps both glasses for himself.
“Oh do be a dear and just give me a nip!” She pleads from behind the book. “It would be just the thing I need to get out of this rot.”
“It is going to be quite an unpleasant season if all you are worried about is getting tight. You know you have got to keep your head.”
She sighs and places a cigarette in her mouth before catching a look from Mariano. She slams her feet on the ground, stands up and starts pacing, looking for a lighter.
“I can’t hide it forever,” she says. She is a very slender woman, no curves to be spoken of. She grabs a silk pillow from the lounge and stuffs it up her off-white lace dress. “They will know soon enough and they will see these hands without a cigarette or a drink, or a ring!”
In a fit of anger she lights the cigarette and the pillow drops between her legs.
“It has come sooner than expected,” he says, picking up the pillow. Henrietta scoffs and turns her back to him, and catches their reflection in the mirror. Her face softens as she sees Mariano cradling the pillow like a child. She stomps the cigarette out and lets out a laugh from the pit of her stomach.
Italy
c. 1940's
Screen Printed Cotton with Silk Backs
17" wide x 17" high
$650/pr.
Louis IVth Style Dining Table
c. 1910
Walnut Parquetry Inlay
64" wide x 41" deep x 30" high
Fully Extended: 108.5" wide
$1850
Biedermeier-Style Secretaire
c. 1850
Burl wood, Ivory Knobs and Brass Hardware (replaced)
48" wide x 19.5" deep x 51.5" high
Federal-Style Mirror
AmericanCarved and Gilt Wood
25" wide x 46.5" high
$550
For Purchasing Inquiries:
312.420.5328
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