antiques

1930s Bespoke Gentleman's Spirits Case from Goyard

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Men's Style, The Classicist

An elegant 1930s bespoke gentleman's spirits case from Goyard, the luxurious Parisian luggage maker founded in 1853, is being offered for sale by New York's Mantiques Modern for $2,800. Custom made for a connoisseur who wanted to be sure of always having his favorite tipple ready to hand while gallivanting around the globe, the handmade monogrammed case is crafted of fine pigskin with brass hardware. Inside it features two sizable silver plated flasks and a set of four silver tumblers in fitted compartments. When fastened it resembles a briefcase. Goyard has long had a devoted clientele of celebrities and royalty. Aristocrats such as the Grand Duke of Russia, the Maharajah of Kapurthala and the Duke of Windsor all traveled with Goyard luggage.

Gallery: 1930s Goyard Spirits Case

Tags: 1930s, antiques, bespoke, briefcase, flasks, France, Goyard, leather luggage, luggage, Mantiques Modern, mens style, New York, Paris, silver, spirits, vintage luggage

Vintage Louis Vuitton Steamer Trunk for $22,500

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Vintage Louis Vuitton Steamer Trunk for $22,500

A rare vintage Louis Vuitton steamer trunk from the 1900s, embodying the elegance and sophistication of a bygone era when traveling in style meant taking along every item of clothing you could possibly need, is being offered for sale via M.S. Rau Antiques in New Orleans for $22,500. Straight out of our favorite luxury book of the year, Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks, the amazing piece of luxe luggage features the famed Vuitton monogram on its canvas-upholstered frame, one of the earliest examples of a now iconic style. Nearly 3.5 ft. wide and 2.5 ft. tall to facilitate the most meticulous packing, it features all original trim, including the marked metal latches, leather tags, beechwood slats and brass rivets. Vintage luxury hotel stickers from around the globe attest to its fascinating past and travels far and wide.

Tags: 1900s, antiques, Louis Vuitton, luggage, M.S. Rau Antiques, New Orleans, travel, trunk

The Classicist: The Stylish World of Spirits & Luxury Hotel Guru Martin Miller

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, The Classicist

As befits a Brit who has his very own brand of gin, Martin Miller is more than just an entrepreneur; he's a bon viveur and connoisseur of everything from antiques and historic houses to leggy women, fine spirits and elaborately coiffed canines. The self-described "gypsy who never settled" began building an empire as a schoolboy in England which led to an estimated $40 million fortune and the birth of Martin Miller's Gin. Having sold his antiques guide business for a tidy sum, in 1999 Miller hit on the idea of creating a super premium gin better than anything else available at the time; developing the perfect gin regardless of "practical, fiscal or even geographic limitations" became something of a fixation, hence the spirit's slogan: "born of love, obsession and some degree of madness."

Miller's is a top drawer London dry gin made from ten carefully balanced botanicals that's transported 1,500 miles to Iceland following traditional copper pot still distillation to be mixed with the purest spring water on the globe. The result is a potent spirit with a strong citrus nose and taste, notes of juniper and a clean, soft finish. A Westbourne Strength variation ups the ABV from 40% to 45.2%, bringing the juniper to the forefront along with spicier notes and the same soft finish. Both bottles are stunning. That degree of good taste and craftsmanship extends to Miller's small empire of boutique luxury hotels in renovated historic structures, the first of which he opened to house his burgeoning collection of antiques.

Miller's four UK properties echo the eccentricity and artistic sensibility of their creator; showcasing his "maximalistic" approach to decor, they're positively overflowing with antiques and finds from his lifelong adventures. Here's a rundown [cont'd]:

Gallery: The World of Martin Miller

Tags: antiques, England, entrepreneur, gin, hotel, Iceland, London, luxury hotels, Martin Miller, Martin Millers Gin, spirits, UK

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Malcolm Forbes' Nautical Collections Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Wealth

Last month antique toys from the collection of the late Malcolm Forbes fetched $2.3 million at Sotheby's. Now on Jan. 29–30 Georgia's Red Baron antiques is staging its own sale of ship models, important nautical art and maritime collectibles from the tycoon's vaults. The Forbes offerings include the largest private fleet of ship models ever assembled and total sales could hit seven figures as well. Some of the most impressive ship models include a 14.5-ft. long full-hull rigged builder's model of the British twin-screw steamship Orontes, built by England's Vickers & Armstrong and first launched in Feb. 1929; a 12-ft. builder's model of the British twin-screw passenger liner Rangitiki, built in 1929 by John Brown & Co. of Scotland; and an original Royal Yacht model depicting the sailing ship Britannia, first launched in 1893. 400 paintings, several statues, and an antique diver's helmet round out the offerings.

Gallery: Malcolm Forbes Nautical Collection

Tags: antiques, Forbes, Malcolm Forbes, model ship, nautical, steamship, toys, yacht

The Classicist: Inside the Embassies & Historic Mansions of Paris

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Books, The Classicist, Wealth, Architecture & Design

Very rarely do any of Paris' remaining private palaces come on the market; when they do the properties invariably rank among the world's most expensive, such as the 1912 mansion built for the Duchesse de Montmorency recently listed at $140 million that we told you about back in November. The reason there is so little movement among these magnificent monuments to wealth lining the famed city's storied avenues is that most are occupied as embassies and ambassadorial residences. An equally magnificent new book, Historic Houses of Paris: Residences of the Ambassadors from Flammarion by Alain Stella with photography by Francis Hammond offers a guided tour of 22 of these amazing edifices, some seen for the first time, most originally built for members of the aristocracy and now the setting for lavish diplomatic entertainments and intrigues.

Gilded halls, formal sitting rooms, stately dining rooms, paneled libraries, perfectly landscaped gardens, chambers filled with rare antiques, luxurious wallcoverings and private living quarters are all examined in delectable detail, in mansions ranging from a 17th-century hôtel particulier to a Belle Epoque palace and even a couple more contemporary examples, now occupied by the ambassadors of the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, China, India and more. The cover (above) depicts the Sicilian theater of the incredible Italian Ambassador 's residence, aka the Hotel de la Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville, built in 1732. Some, like the Indian Ambassador's residence, aka the Hotel de Marlborough built in 1910 by architect René Sergent, who also designed Claridge's in London and Rome's Grand Hotel, are named for famous former owners; in this case the Duchess of Marlborough, aka Consuelo Vanderbilt, one of the world's richest and most beautiful women at the time.

Gallery: Historic Houses of Paris

Hotel d'Avaray (Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Tags: antiques, architecture, aristocrats, Belle Epoque, books, coffee table books, decor, embassy, estates, France, historic houses, mansion, Paris, politics, real estate, wealth

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Antique English Picnic & Games Chest for $34,500

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

A stunning expanding English mahogany picnic chest and games table is being offered for sale by M.S. Rau Antiques of New Orleans for $34,500. The exquisite piece, made circa 1920, resembles a simple wooden trunk at first glance; with its four legs unfolded however, the top and sides open out to reveal a complete luncheon service for eight, including Sheffield silverplate utensils, bone-handled cutlery, plates and saucers, cups and glasses, kettles and burners for hot water and soup, single and stacked enamel containers, wicker-wrapped glass bottles, ceramic butter pots, silver plated tins, a corkscrew and matchbox.

When the meal is over, the table folds and unfolds again, transforming into a felt-topped card table, perfect for a game with the deck of playing cards which are also included in the fitted compartments. No doubt designed for a wealthy British army officer or aristocrat on safari who wished to sacrifice none of the comforts of home, the impressive example of British Colonial campaign furniture would have been custom crafted to the owner's specifications and transported about by a retinue of servants – the brass fittings highly polished, of course.

Tags: 1920s, antiques, aristocrat, decor, England, furniture, games, luggage, M.S. Rau Antiques, mahogany, New Orleans, picnic, safari, silver, trunk

An Inside Look at Paris' Famed Flea Markets

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Art, Books

Forget the Louvre and the Champs Elysées – compulsive collectors, experienced bargain hunters, bewildered tourists, timid first-timers, specialists in the one-of-a-kind item, treasure seekers, Japanese fashionistas, incognito celebrities and couturiers from countries around the globe all travel to Paris' famed flea markets of St. Ouen for inspiration and fabulous finds. Antiquaires: Paris Flea Markets by Laure Verchere with gorgeous photographs by Laziz Hamani, new from Assouline, showcases highlights from the hundreds of diverse dealers there that make up the largest marketplace of secondhand furniture, clothing, books, housewares, curiosities, antiques and art objects in the world. The stalls outside the city's Porte de Clignancourt which once played host to farmers and ragpickers today house highly curated collections and attract up to 150,000 visitors each weekend. Check out the gallery for a preview.

Gallery: Antiquaires: Paris Flea Markets

Tags: antiques, Assouline, books, coffee table books, Decor, France, furniture, Interior design, Louvre, Paris, photography, travel

Star Spangled Banner Sells for Record Auction Price at Christie's

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

The Star Spangled Banner is on display at Christie's in New York. It will be sold by the auction house on December 3.

A rare first edition of America's national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, sold at auction today at Christie's for $506,500 (including the buyer's premium), setting a record price for any sheet music sold at auction. The pre-sale estimate for the lot was $200,000 to $300,000.

Composed by poet Francis Scott Key during the evening of September 13, 1814, the sheet music was offered as part of Christie's "Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts Including Americana" sale at its headquarters at Rockefeller Plaza in New York.

According to Chris Coover, senior specialist in books and manuscripts at Christie's in New York, the buyer is an American private collector. "It shows what an icon of American patriotism the Star Spangled Banner really is," says Coover.

The sellers are two retired Pennsylvania antique dealers who bought the sheet music as part of an album in 1989 for $50. The dealers only later realized the significance of what was contained in the album.

According to Coover, there are only eleven copies still in existence, including this one, though, until recently, it wasn't well known that this one even existed. "It is the only one still in private hands with all others owned by institutions," says Coover. "It is quite a rarity."

Gallery: Star Spangled Banner

The Star Spangled Banner on view in Christie's NYC Gallery

A Close-Up View of The Star Spangled Banner.

A Close-Up View of The Star Spangled Banner at Christie's

The first edition of The Star Spangled Banner contains the mispelling of the word

Tags: antiques, auction, Christies, Francis Scott Key, rare documents, sheet music, star spangled banner, Steve Forbes, Winston Churchill

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San Francisco Antiques Show To Open With Derek Lam Preview Party

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Events, Art

On October 27, San Francisco kicks off the 29th annual Fall Antiques Show with an opening night preview party hosted by Derek Lam. The show at Fort Mason Center is the oldest international antiques fair on the West Coast and runs October 28-31. Over 60 new and returning dealers will present thousands of decorative and fine art objects representing all styles and periods including American, English, Continental, and Asian furniture, silver, ceramics, glass, jewelry, rugs, textiles, paintings, prints, and photographs.

To celebrate this year's theme, Chinoiserie: Rococo to Eco, guests will be greeted by a two-story, gilded pagoda entrance created by architect Andrew Skurman. Maria Santangelo of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and historian Holland Lynch co- curate the special exhibition, which showcases furnishings, porcelain, lacquer, and fine arts presenting imaginative Western interpretations of Chinese artistic influences. The pieces in this display are on loan from the collections of Ann Getty, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and others.

"Over the last three decades, The San Francisco Fall Antiques Show has emerged as one of the most prestigious art and antiques fairs in the United States," said Lisa Podos, Executive Director of the Show. "With our spectacular exhibitors, sponsors, chairs, and lecturers, as well as our exciting Chinoiserie theme, this year's Show will no doubt continue that tradition."

The fair benefits Enterprise for High School Students which has a mission of helping teens invest in their own futures and achieve their goals. Gala tickets start at $200. Show tickets are $15 and lecture tickets are $15 each. The complete lecture schedule is below.

Tags: antiques, antiques fair, antiques show, san francisco

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The Classicist: Ralph Lauren Re-Launches Famed Rhinelander Mansion in NYC

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Timepieces / Watches, Men's Style, The Classicist, Architecture & Design, Luxury Shopping

Ralph Lauren has relaunched his famed flagship in the historic Rhinelander Mansion on Madison Avenue in New York, transforming it into the world's foremost mecca of men's style. Spanning nearly 16,000 square feet, the Mansion, originally converted into an opulent retail palace by Lauren in 1986, now exclusively houses the designer's various men's collections with the company's first Women's and Home flagships due to open across the avenue later this fall. Originally designed in the 1890s by Kimball & Thompson, the the large French Renaissance Revival Mansion is an architectural treasure as well with a classic Beaux Arts façade exemplary of the the Upper East Side's grand architecture.

The new space showcases the Purple Label, Black Label, Polo, RRL and RLX Ralph Lauren collections of men's apparel and accessories, with an emphasis on the most luxurious elements. Service has been stepped up as well, with butlers to serve snacks and drinks on silver trays and a fleet of Mercedes-Benzes to chauffer important clients on shopping trips. The store features a full range of impeccably crafted made-to-measure suits, dress shirts, trousers, topcoats, sport coats and formalwear customized to exacting measurements, and made-to-order accessories and leather goods. Every room in the Mansion has been updated with cinematic decor in keeping with the neoclassical style of the original grand residence, from antiques and fixtures to furniture and art, including 18th- and 19th-century oil portraits and noteworthy photographs from Ralph Lauren's personal collection.

Gallery: The New Rhinelander Mansion

Tags: antiques, architecture, Beaux Arts, boutique, decor, designer, furniture, Gilded Age, Harvard, interior design, Ivy League, leather goods, luggage, luxury shopping, Madison Avenue, mansion, New York, photographs, Polo, Princeton, Purple Label, Ralph Lauren, retail, Rhinelander Mansion, store, suits, Upper East Side

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Rare Orchestrions Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

The amazing piece of furniture shown above is a rare orchestrion set to go up for auction on October 7 at Bonhams New York. An orchestrion is a machine that plays music and is design to sound like an orchestra or band. Some of the orchestrions are operated using perforated paper rolls like a player piano.

This orchestrion is from the Mark Yaffe Collection, a total of $4 million of property being sold at the sale. Orchestrions reached the height of their popularity in the early1920s. Also known as nickelodeons because they cost a nickel to play, these machines were once features in bars and restaurants. The piece shown above is a circa 1925 Hupfeld Helios III/39. It has a total of 296 pipes to mimic a variety of instruments including cellos, trombones, drums and mandolin. There is a six-roll changer behind the stained glass. The front has an automaton of a lakeside scene which changes from dawn to dusk using light effects to the sky, lights within the dwellings, trains and windmill, hot air balloon and a Zeppelin flying by complete the illusion. It's a easy to imagine this piece as the height of technological innovation in the Jazz Age, providing plenty of entertainment for cocktail-swilling Deco dolls and dandies. This incredible piece is estimated to sell for $800,000 to $1.2 million. Other pieces in the collection are also estimated to sell deep in the six figures including a circa 1926 Weber Maestro Orchestrion estimated at $500,000-750,000 and a circa 1915 Philipps Paganini Style 3 Orchestrion offered with 300 re-cut rolls estimated at $400,000-600,000.

Tags: antiques, automata, bonhams new york, musical instruments, nickolodeon, orchestrion, orchestrions

Petroliana Part Of Oilman's Collection Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Ever heard of petroliana? That's the word given to antiques related to gas and oil. This category includes gas pumps, oil cans, gas advertisements and more. The petroliana collection of a Texas oilman is being auctioned off on September 11 by Great Gatsby's. The collection is full of old advertisements, vintage pumps and other items. The oilman focused on brands that are no longer around like Frontier, Polly, Gilmore and Magnolia. The sale features around three dozen gasoline pumps including older "visible" models that show the gasoline in a cylinder before it went into the tank so that the customer would be assured of the amount and quality of the gas before it went into the car. The vintage American gas pump shown above is by Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Company, Springfield, Mass., Model 176 and has the original blue glass gas cylinder, the Lion Oil Company brand logo, and a Lion brand globe. This type was in use in the 1920s and 1930s and is estimated to sell for $3,000 to $6,000.

The oilman's collection also includes everything from antique western saddles to a vintage stock ticker. And as might befit any Texan oilman, there are plenty of wild animal mounts including a wild boar and a South African black buck antelope. Online bidding is being handled through LiveAuctioneers.com. An article on Live Auctioneers says that the consignor of these pieces had two buildings constructed to contain the entire collection. There are a total of 525 lots.

Tags: antiques, collectibles, gas pumps, petroliana, vintage gas pumps

The Classicist: Sotheby's to Auction Treasures from Chatsworth, England's Most Famous Country Estate

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Auctions, Art, The Classicist, Architecture & Design

On October 5–7 Sotheby's will stage what amounts to the world's most luxurious yard sale at Chatsworth (above), England's most famous and beautiful country estate, owned by the the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. The treasures on offer include art, architectural elements, furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, and other items – even an antique motorcar – with estimates ranging from £20 to £300,000, or about $30 to $450,000. The sale comprises 20,000 objects in over 1,000 lots which will be on view in a series of marquees on the grounds of the house from October 1st. The several million dollars which the sale is expected to generate will go towards upkeep on the famed estate, which has 126 rooms – including a bathroom with murals painted by Lucian Freud – and sits on over 30,000 acres.

Several of the most magnificent pieces – handsomely carved fireplaces, architraves, doors and shutters - were once part of the fabric of the many great houses that have featured in the Devonshire family's extraordinary history, including Chatsworth itself, Chiswick House, Hardwick Hall, Lismore Castle in Ireland, Compton Place, Bolton Abbey and especially their palatial London residence, Devonshire House – now destroyed but for centuries the centre of the city's social, political and cultural elite. The sale includes works from almost every conceivable area, including books, carriages, glass, collectibles, sculpture, garden statuary, natural history, jewelry, prints, carpets, textiles, tapestries and wine. Some items relate to royalty and others to one of the family's most colorful members, the beautiful and charismatic Georgiana Cavendish, 5th Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806), one of the most beloved and influential characters in British history. [continued]

Gallery: Treasures from Chatsworth & Devonshire House

George III gilt-bronze mounted library bookcase / doorway, circa 1800

The Devonshire Borghese table, an Italian carved giltwood console table with a serpentine alabaster veneered top, mid-18th centu

An ormolu-mounted Sevres style jardini�re, late 19th century, Est. �2,000-3,000

Tags: antiques, architectural, aristocrats, British style, castle, Chatsworth, Chatsworth Estate, country estate, country house, Duchess of Devonshire, Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, Duke of Devonshire, England, English country house, fireplaces, furniture, Jane Austen, Keira Knightley, King George IV, Lismore Castle, London, mahogany, mansion, marble, Pride and Prejudice, royalty, silver, UK

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Antique Tobacco Jars Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

These days most tobacco storage devices are fairly quotidian (except for some beautiful expensive humidors) but it wasn't always that way. After returning to the New World, the early European explorers carried tobacco with them. The practice of smoking took off like wildfire. Within fifty years, cultivation and use of the plant had spread from Continental Europe to Asia and Africa and containers for storage also developed quickly. Soon figural tobacco jars in the shapes of animals and people were very popular. At Bonhams & Butterfields Los Angeles, the August 22, 2010 Sunset Estate Auction will include part III of a single-owner Collection of Whimsical European Tobacco Jars. The sale will highlight several lots of unique glazed earthenware and wooden humidors as well as property from a variety of estates and private collections. The lot shown above features eight Continental earthenware tobacco jars of dogs in a variety of shapes. The tallest is 13 3/4 inches and the estimate is $600-$800, not the priciest of collectibles but ones that still have their charm and offer a look at life as it was long ago.

Tags: antiques, collectibles, smoking, tobacco jars

Pocket Watch Gifted By Jonathon Swift In 1728 For Sale At $14,500

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

New Orleans based antiques store Rau Antiques has an interesting new acquisition. A pocket watch that was given as a gift by the English writer Jonathon Swift to fellow Englishman (also a writer and dramatist) John Gay. Personal engravings on the pocket watch allude to a literary group that each where members of called "The Scriblerus Club." The pocket watch was given by Swift to Gay upon the completion of his work known as "The Beggar's Opera." The personal engraving reads "JG [John Gay] may ye not be a Beggar after the opera, your confidant, Jonathon Swift Scriblerus Club, 1728." The engraved is located on the outside edges of the watch case.

The pocket watch itself is in beautiful condition and likely a product of English watch making. In 18k gold, the dial is porcelain, with blued steel hands, and contains a wonderfully decorated movement. The watch of course has been restored, and should be in working order. Aside from the ties to literary history and English comedy from the 18th century, the watch itself is a fantastic example of artful watch making of that era. In addition to telling the time, the watch is indicated as being a quarter repeater. This is a family of chiming watches whereby the timepiece chimes each 15 minutes (on the quarter hour). Price fro this one of a kind rarity is pretty reasonable sounding at $14,500. A great collector's piece for pocket watch lovers and Jonathon Swift or English satirical author fans.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: antiques, john gay, Jonathon Swift, pocket watch, rau