Spring came early to St. Louis when I filled the shop with blooming branches and bulbs for the winter party. I would like to thank all of those who attended and those well wishers that could not make it to the event but were there in spirit. The party was a great success and a lot of fun. Click on images to enlarge.
The zinc mirror hanging on the wall is actually a late 19th century window surround, typically found on French mansard roofs. Architectural zinc building elements are very rare to find in this condition. Repurposed it makes a dynamic mirror. The prints on either side of the window are French teaching charts with botanic and insect educational information and date from the around 1900.
The faux bois planter in the middle of the large iron table went to a wonderful new home in Little Rock, AR. Click on images to enlarge.
A free-blown jar from eastern Europe holds forsythia next to a French coal hod filled with clam shells.
The French carousel figure seems small next to the huge free-blown glass bottle. This bottle is one of the largest of its type that I have ever had in the shop. The wooden magnifying glass in front of the bottle dates from the early 19th century and is Dutch. Click on images to enlarge.
Tiny house, big presence. This tiny ceramic building had been left outside for years and developed and nice roof of lichen and moss. We did not even have to hire special movers when the house was taken from this location and transported out of state.
The French Jielde lamp illuminated the “stage” of flowering quince and spring bulbs on the large altar. Click on images to enlarge.
The pressed flower botanicals look great on either side of the silver gilt Louis Philippe mirror. The large free blown jars holding the quince are from Europe and date to the late 19th century.
The smell of the blooming bulbs in the shop was amazing. I can’t wait for spring. It made working towards setting up the party a joy…most of the time.
Among my favorite things in this new inventory are these carved wooden pigs. They are butcher’s store display pieces, possibly used in window or counter displays.
These European pigs are packed with personality, (sounds like an advertising for bacon). The piglets date from the first quarter of the 20th century and sport forged iron tails and carved wood ears that are pegged on. Pretty darn cute.
This wooden shield shaped banner is from a lodge in Fredericktown, PA.
Three interesting pieces of iron in front of a French grain bag. From left to right, we have a pair of late 18th to early 19th century Dutch hinges in the form of elegant bird heads, next to the hinges is an American windmill weight from Iowa which is next to a wrought iron snake “trade sign” dating from the early 19th century. Click on images to enlarge.
The oil painting is by a well listed Dutch impressionist and is flanked by two pairs of wonderful glass pieces that were made around 100 years apart. The apothecary bottles are French and date to the 1870s and the pair of apothecary form vases are Scandinavian and date to the 1970s.
I think this store display manikin is one of the most subtle and beautiful objects I have in the shop at the moment. It was hand sewn in Europe in the mid 19th century and has been made of woven cloth stuffed with straw. The manikin form was made to display clothing in a shop window. Click on images to enlarge.
I just acquired a variety of American Indian material including a few Northwest Coast Indian carvings as well as a wonderful Zuni woven belt.
This winter container party we had some remarkable antler pieces and several remain in stock. Be sure to inquire about pieces shown in the photos.
Tramp art, antlers, and an English 18th century gateleg table all work well together in what became the “antler room” at the shop.
The six gun rifle rack, shown here on the right, was one of the most interesting pieces of antler furniture I have ever had in the shop and has now found a new home out of state.
British navel epaulets dating from the late 19th century. Click on images to enlarge.
I have to admit to liking shoes in all of their infinite varieties, well these Dutch 19th century wooden and leather shoes are just about as wild as they come. They look like giant elf shoes.
It’s Electric!
Balancing a large crystal formation on one side and an early marble mortar filled with oxalis on the other side, this European scale shows off well in the morning light.
The architectural terra-cotta finials are from a theater built in 1906. They are flanked on either side by a pair of lamps made from recycled farm implements. Click on images to enlarge.
Shooting gallery target from a carnival in front of a terra-cotta finial.
European ladder in a great orange color shown with bowls full of wonderfully worn brass gaming balls.
This large format Kodak photo of New York City came from an advertising agency in St. Louis that operated during the 1950s. The ocean liner and the airplane have been colored-tinted by hand to juxtapose these two forms of transportation. The terra-cotta architectural panels below the photo show off well against the glazed brick walls in the shop. Click on images to enlarge.
This is a wonderful mid-19th century American primitive fruit painting representing “bounty” hanging over a collection of copper pieces and a biedermeier style bucket.
This bibendum, aka the michelin man, is just hanging out on his temporary new home a long way from the top of a Michelin tire truck in 1960′s Europe, where he started out life.
Another party has come and gone, and spring in St. Louis is just a few weeks away. The pussy willow tree in my backyard has fully opened and the daffodils have started to push their way through the mulch to announce the arrival of spring. Speaking of spring I will be exhibiting at the Chicago Botanic garden show in mid April, check out the link here. I will also be exhibiting at the Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair that starts April 29th, the link for that show is here. Enjoy spring and please try to make it to these amazing shows in Chicago if you possibly can. Join us now on Facebook here.
