This tiara comb was made with Rene Lalique’s own hands, in Paris, c. 1903-4. The horn arches, which support the cast glass flowers, frame fire opals. The design rests on a band of enameled gold hinged to a horn comb.The comb resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
A major figure in the British Arts & Crafts Movement, Joseph Hodel partnered with the Swiss metalworker Louis Weingartner in London. He was also joined the Bromsgrove Guild. Both men supplied the Guild with smaller scale metalwork. In 1908, Hodel left for Liverpool, teaching there until the 1920s. This piece, c. 1906, resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
This brooch comes with a fitted tortoiseshell comb and a brooch pin, so the wearer can choose which kind of jewelry she wants to wear. Signed C & AG. C. 1895. The ornament consists of diamonds, enamel, a moonstone, and a pearl.
In 1874, the father Carlo opened a retail shop, Carlo and Arthur Giuliano. By this time, Egyptian Revival jewelry had gone out of fashion. Renaissance was in. As the Giuilianos were a master artists, they didn’t copy designs. Instead, they interpreted French 17th Century enamelwork to suit late-19th century tastes.
This piece is selling at Sotheby’s for an estimated value of $15,000 to $20,000.
Fontenay made this Belle Epoque tiara comb in a garland style, with diamond festoons surmounted by alternating diamond and pearl trefoil motifs. The tiara hooks onto a tortoiseshell comb. c. 1905. Price est: $30,000. The original pink fitted case is stamped Fontenay Smets Succr. 19. Place du Marché St. Honoré.
The first comb is not in perfect condition. There are bug bites, and the seller is accurate in showing them. However the comb takes you into a Japanese water garden with lillies. I have not identified the plant whose leaves line the pond. A Meiji artist painted this. Right now, it’s at $90 with 7 days to go. I assume it will go higher, but I have no idea what the winning bid will be. I’ll update this post in a week.
There is another late 1800s Edo comb for sale, lovely gold, black, and red design. There are also bug bites on the tines, but this one is selling for $67.99 with 16 hours to go.
The British Museum has collected 250,000 UKP toward the 300,000 UKP it needs to purchase this early 18th Century Hanukah lamp. On loan, the museum has displayed it for over 70 years.
In 1709, Elias Lindo married Rachel Lopes Ferreira. Elias commissioned this lamp from silversmith John Ruslen in 1709. The Lindos figured prominently in the early community of Spanish and Portuguese Jews in London. They were founding members of the Bevis Marks Synagogue, established in 1701.
Elias’s father, Isaac Lindo (1638 – 1712), fled the Inquisition in the Canary Isles and settled in London in 1670. The backplate of the Hanukah lamp is chased with the figure of Elijah fed by the ravens, in a play on the patron’s Hebrew name.
I just wanted it: a real Victorian 1840s, ivory, Peigne Josephine comb, in perfect condition. There was a reserve. I’m not sure what it was, but the bid below me was $589, and I won it for $650. That’s a big difference in the price between bids on ebay. I have a feeling the seller’s reserve was $650, and I met it. Here is my treasure.
This buckle, which can also be worn as a barrette, sports two dragonflies looking at each other. It is made from gilt- and silver-plated metal, metal enamel, and the stones are paste. It is marked with the correct PF signature and was made c. 1905. In the literature, it is listed in the book, “The Belle Epoque of French Jewellery 1850-1910, Munich, 1991, p.273-277.” It is selling at the Tadema Gallery in London for $5,000 +.
Its maker, Frederick James Partridge (1877-1942) belonged to the arts and crafts organization, Guild of Handicraft, which operated in Birmingham. Its motto was “By Hammer and Hand.”
This hair pin depicts a serpent made of silver plique-à-jour enamel and opal. c. 1900. The silver ornament at its base unscrews, so it can be fitted properly in the hair. This piece has provenance in three books of the jewelry-history literature. The picture shows the front, the back, and the pin at actual size. It is priced in the $10,000+ range at the Tadema Gallery in London.
