Mid-18th Century Decorative Objects

A fine antique George II English candlestick. With a 8 lobed petal base, turned shaft, and integral bobeche. Simply a fine period candlestick! Dat...

Chinese Export Porcelain Rouge de Fer Large Punch Bowl, Imari, circa 1735-50 This fabulous Chinese Export porcelain large Imari punch bowl is painted on the exterior with underglaze...

George II bracket clock by Thomas Wagstaffe, London Ebonised bell top case surmounted by a hinged brass carrying handle standing on a raised plinth...

JP Kroese, Dutch Baroque, Marquetry, Moon Face Dial, Grandfather Clock, 18th C A stunning totally refinished case showcases this spenderd18th century, the brass dial with enameled l...

An extraordinary survivor of the Spanish Colonial era, this rare 18th-century candlestick radiates both history and refinement! Crafted in Peru circa 1750, it is cast in richly patin...

An elegant tall-case Gustavian clock having an imposing bonnet with an three-finial arched cornice on a sinuous bombe body with shaped door and narrow waist over a curved plinth, all...

Produced in Bristol, England, circa 1760, this handpainted blue and white Delft charger is a visual delight. The center of the charger features a flower garden with songbirds seated ...

A Highly Important pair of Museum Quality Louis XV Period 18th century Meissen Porcelain filigree openwork vases with a medially of flowers and vined leaves. This is truly an excepti...

- Striking Spanish wrought iron standing torchère in the Renaissance style With fifteen rolled candle-sockets, and two decorative fleur-de-lys finials, on a knopped...

This superb George III longcase clock is veneered throughout with patinated figured mahogany of excellent colour. The base, trunk with openin...

A good, bold silver on bronze pricket stick. German, mid-18th century. Baluster standard to triangulated base with paw feet. 16 1/2" h., 6 1/2" x 4" base. Whitehall Antiques is a fa...

This large, antique earthenware olive oil jar was created in Biot, Provence, Southern France, circa 1760. Made of blond clay and neutral in color, the terracotta vase has a tradition...

Meissen gorgeous rococo mantel / table clock made of gilded / gilt bronze, excellently decorated with sculptured figurines made of porcelain. Manufactory: Meissen Hallmarked: Blue M...

A Very Good Quality 18th century, Georgian Mahogany Rectangular Tea Caddy, Having Original Brass Handle To Hinged Top, Enclosing Divisions, With Unusual Glazed Panels To Front Bearin...

An 18th century porcelain snuff or trinket posx, hand painted with a gilt bronze rim and hinge. Made in Germany by Hochst porcelain with a gold pinwheel hallmark dating this to 1740...

A fine antique Dutch Delft vase or jar. The body decorated with cartouches of stylized peony bouquets on a latticework ground. The shoulder decorated with alternating cartouches of ...

English Georgian cast brass cannon barrel candlestick with external push-up. The candlestick is a seam cast construction and the shaft has been peened to the circular domed base. En...

George III longcase clock by Francis Whitton, circa 1740. The case is made from the finest English oak, the long trunk door typical of ...

Wooden bust of a knight. A wonderful armored knight carved from lime wood. The knight is well carved with the face (with moustache) looking out of the ...

This exceptional, larger-than-life bust is an impressive work in Carrara marble, crafted in Amsterdam around 1740. It depicts Omphale, the Lydian queen, identifiable by Hercules’ lio...

These exquisite hand-painted Delftware dishes, made in Bristol, England, circa 1760 and inspired by Chinese blue and white porcelain, are a perfect example of the mid-18th-century En...

A fine example of an eight day longcase clock with wonderful full brass dial, moon roller and date hand. The superb mahogany case has a cross banded door veneered in flame mahogany w...

Circa 1750 George II period Pair of Brass Candlesticks. Swirl base; cast in 2 parts for each section. The decorative knob is also swirl cut reflecting the bases, while the bobeches a...

Lovely 18th century Georgian lidded jar or condiment pot hand carved and turned from a beautiful piece of yew wood. Rich and warm patina from age and use...

18th century 36cm blue and white Chinese porcelain tureen cover, with rock form scrolling handle to lid and lotus pods to the b...

A large and impressive Dutch Delft jar of octagonal shape with fluted sides, mark for Johannes Van Duijn, De Porceleyne Schotel Factory, 1764 - 1773, Delft, Holland, the Netherlands....

Near Pair of Chinese Archaic bronze Gu vases. 18th century Late Ming Period, Measures: Height: 11.4 inches. Diameter: 6.4 Inches Condition: Very good with ...

Hallmarked in London in 1767 by Robert Albin Cox, this striking, George III, Antique Sterling Silver Basket, features pierced and punched bead decoration to the sides, shaped gadroon...

Staffordshire, England, circa 1745 – 1760 This charming and unusual figure depicts a seated cat, its body marbled in tones of buff, grey, and warm brown, the patterns flowing like fur beneath a translucent salt glaze. From the crown of its head rises a small candleholder—an enchanting, functional variation that transforms the cat into a decorative light for the Georgian home. The salt-glazed surface has a gentle satin sheen, enlivened by a cobalt wash brushed across the ears and shoulders, a subtle touch of colour that draws the eye. The figure is compact and beautifully balanced, exuding both humor and grace: a work of wit and craftsmanship meant to charm and amuse as much as to illuminate. As a pair, this cat with candleholder and its companion cat carrying a mouse form a dialogue of light and life—one playful, one practical—representing the Staffordshire potters’ genius for turning everyday subjects into artful curiosities. Attribution and Significance Within the history of English ceramics, agateware animals represent the marriage of experimentation and domestic charm. They were objects of conversation—proof of a potter’s technical mastery and a household’s refinement. This cat, with its delicate candleholder, captures that artistic playfulness and innovation. The glaze’s clarity, the elegant pose, and the subtle marbling make it not only an artifact of mid-18th-century Staffordshire but also a small masterpiece of whimsy and craft. Scholarly Analysis and Authentication The figure is made from laminated clays of contrasting colors, known as laid agate, a technique perfected in Staffordshire workshops during the 1740s and 1750s. Strata of buff, pale grey, and iron-bearing brown clay were rolled together, pressed into a two-part mold, and luted along the spine before firing. The cat’s body thus shows true through-body marbling: the veining continues through the thickness of the clay, not merely applied on the surface. The candle socket, made from a single buff clay rather than agate, was luted to the head before glazing. This practical choice prevented distortion during firing and was a typical workshop economy seen in other mid-18th-century functional animal forms. The piece was salt-glazed in a wood- or coal-fired kiln into which common salt was introduced near peak temperature. Sodium vapor combined with the silica of the clay to form a thin, glassy coating. Here, the glaze is smooth and even, suggesting the cat was fired within a protective sagger. The underside of the figure is open, revealing the pressed-clay interior. Two or three minute stilt contacts are visible on the bottom ledge, confirming that the figure rested on kiln props during firing rather than being supported from beneath a closed base. The cobalt wash was brushed under the glaze before firing. It fuses permanently into the surface, creating soft haloes of blue wholly consistent with decoration on salt-glazed figures from the Whieldon circle circa 1750-1760. Later 19th-century reproductions employ overpainted enamels that sit atop the glaze. The open underside, authentic stratified body, integrated socket, and original cobalt staining collectively identify this as a genuine product of Staffordshire’s mid-18th-century agateware tradition, most plausibly from the orbit of Thomas Whieldon at Fenton Vivian or a closely related potter. The measured height, modelling, and marbling correspond closely to examples in the Burnap Collection (nos.. 362–363, Nelson-Atkins Museum) and Sotheby’s (2015) — “A Staffordshire agateware cat-form candlestick, circa 1755. Provenance / Condition: Current Condition: Excellent, with one ear repaired at the tip and restoration at the top of the candleholder; the glaze remains bright and continuous across the body and socket. References: Burnap Collection, English Pottery 1675–1825, nos. 362–363. Sotheby’s (2015) — “A Staffordshire agateware cat-form candlestick, circa 1755. Christie’s, London 2010, lot 82. 1stDibs “Staffordshire Agateware Pottery Saltglaze Figure of a Cat,” item ref LU95812370442 Price: $4,482.16 Chipstone Foundation, Marbled Agateware: Techniques and Identification, 2005. Henry Sandon, Staffordshire Pottery, 1970, pp. 52–54. John Howard Antiques, Antique Agateware...

Bronze Buddha depicted in meditation pose sheltered by a Naga (a seven-headed snake). I two parts. Naga's body coiled up to serve as a cushion for the Buddha with 7 pronged head prov...

Fine 8 day tall case clock by Thomas Smith of Norwich, the three original giltwood urn finials over arched hood having molded cornice, the brass dial with engraved boss reading "Tho’s Smith - Norwich" the dial with second dial and calendar ring...

An Italian maiolica berrettino-ground riser from 18th century, central Italy, probably Faenza origin. In the central part of the riser a ruined tower is painted within a mountain lan...

Circa 1740-60 George II period brass candlestick. Petal base form with conforming bobeche. Cast in 2 parts. Warm color & excellent condition. 7.75" x 4 7/8" diagonally. We are a fam...

A Delightful Pair Of 18th Century, Hepplewhite Period, Georgian Mahogany Pair Of Knife Boxes, Or Cutlery Boxes, Having Elegant Serpentine Fronts, Superbly Figured Lift Up Lids, Enclo...

Elegant and particular tureen in white majolica with polychromes produced around 1760 - 1770 by the ancient Pasquale Antonibon Manufacture based in Nove di Bassano, in the Veneto reg...

18th Century Large Delft Urn / Vase , with beast decorated handles, painted in blue with river landscapes, a courting couple and bridge, within foliate an...

18th century English treen mortar and pestle hand turned and carved from yew wood with the rich and warm patina that only comes with age and use. Beautifully carved by hand from a si...

Important, beautiful gilded and carved wooden frame with typical 18th century French motifs Excellent condition Internal dimensions cm 20.8 x 26.8 This artwork, never before on the...

18th Century Meissen Porcelain Figurine 'Pair of Lovers' 'Liebespaar' circa 1745 Sitting lovers, designed by Johann Joachim Kaendler, above a base covered with plastic flowers and l...

A mounted antique carved wooden cartouche mould from the Tucker collection. This is one of many moulds we are selling from this vast collection assembled by British make-up artist, C...

One of a kind sculpture of Crucified Christ in carved wood and crystal eyes (one of them its loose), 18th century Hispano Filipino School. The crown, ...

Pair of Chinese porcelain cats, circa 1750.

French perfumed scents necessaire from the 18th century. This is a fantastic and very rare 18th century necessaire box for perfumed scents, created in the kingdom of France during t...

A rare and captivating 18th-century hand carved sculpture in limewood, depicting a noble or royal figure — probably King Louis XV — shown in heroic posture with one hand clasped to h...

George III solid burr yew wood box with original spurred carrying handle and standing on bracket feet, the interior with three dividers and lined with original marbleized paper.

Mid 18th century swedish pine baroque metal bound box circa 1740. Good quality oval baroque period decorative box.  Profusely decorated and bound by iron strap work, edging and hing...

19th century English embroidered centerpiece from an antique chasuble with a Sabina Fay Braxton gaufrage mat. It is her signature printed velvet, se...

This is a large and exquisite lacquered wooden tray, with floral decoration and polychrome rural scene, on blue background. The curved shape of the tray, on the front and on the sid...

Swedish Turned Birch Bowl, ca 18-19th century Beautiful bowl with a silky smooth surface and deep patina on inside, with some bark still remaining. Made from birch wood. Height: 1...

Exquisite Indian craftsmanship made of teak with a patinated surface and extraordinary intricate Brass work. Made during the latter part of the Mughal Empire, Southern India circa 1780

18th Century Rose Medallion Large Vase sourced from our Paris Offices at Chateau de Vitray. This is a larger early Rose Medallion Vase with early repairs. See photos. very good old r...

18th century Italian hand carved and painted wood Madonna statue depicts the virgin Mary in contemplative prayer, and poised in triumph over evil. Orig...

Nevers Faience 'Pot a Oranger' adorned with painted Asian house scene and a flowered decoration in shades of blue (camaieu bleu). Circa 1750 tin-glazed p...

Louis XV wood planter cachepot jardiniere. Antique unpainted blonde wood Louis XV period cachepot planter of near square form with brass pierced gallery at top enclosing original zin...

Rare Scottish George III corporation treasury box, dated 1772, of caddy form, the lid with cove molded edge, the front with polychrome decoration commemorating the Edinburgh Corporat...

Decorative 18th century wooden Phoenix bird with polychrome lacquer. From Henan Province, China. Untouched original condition. Measures: Height bird 21...

Antique 18th Century Bilston Enamel Etui / Sewing Box Case, decorated with pink enamel and gilt Rococo cartouche containing romantic figural and animal ...

This is a charming Derby figure of a shepherdess with a garlanded lamb, made in or shortly after 1760. The figure is one half of a set called the "Garland...

An 18th century Chinese Nanking cargo blue and white and cafe -au-lait porcelain bowl, decorated to the interior with sprays of flowers and leaves, with ...

This is a charming frill vase made by the Chelsea Porcelain factory in about 1760. The vase is in the Rococo style and it speaks for itself why this style of vase is called a "frill" vase. This vase has undergone restorations (although it still holds water perfectly) and is therefore offered As Found (A/F) at a reduced price. Chelsea was one of the very early adopters of porcelain in the British china industry. Founded in 1744 the Chelsea pottery was for about 40 years the leading maker of fine chinaware, excelling in their sense of style, perfection and constant innovation and inspiring many following generations of china makers. The company was started by French silversmith Nicholas Sprimont and you can see the influence of the French style of silverware...