18th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Antique map titled 'L'Asie Suivant les Nouvelles Decouvertes (..).' Interesting and very unusual map of the Asian continent. The map is based primarily on Dutch sources, particular...

Antique Map of Northern Palestine with Tribal Divisions, Bachiene, 1763 The cartouche bears the title: “’t Noordelyke Gedeelte van het Geheel Palestina Benevens het Noordelyk en Zui...

18th Century Medical Syringe For historical medical use and dating from the 18th century, and certainly from the beginning of the 18th century. This hand-crafted example is made to...

Antique print titled 'Karavane by het dorp Coraming - Brug over de rivier Kiesilosan - Het Dorp 't Sargabrand'. Old print with three views, two of which unidentified villages in Iran, and a bridge over the Kiesilosan river. This print originates from 'Cornelis de Bruins...

Antique Holy Land Map, Twelve Tribes of Israel – Robert de Vaugondy, c.1750 Description This finely engraved and hand-colored map depicts Judea, or the Holy Land, divided according ...

18th-19th Century Portrait Miniature of Mother and Child 4x2.75x.1/8

Antique map titled 'Rama'. This maps shows a view of Ramma (Ramallah?) in Palestine or the Holy Land. With Dutch legend. Source unknown, to be determined. Artists and Engraver...

Map of Syria and Mount Lebanon – “Carte de la Syrie”, c.1760 This finely engraved 18th-century map, titled Carte de la Syrie nouvellement corrigée, presents the region of Syria and ...

Antique print titled 'This New Design of my Invention, is most humbly inscrib'd to the Rt. Honble Robert Walpole (..)'. Old print depicting a new de...

Spectacular and very decorative piece. Large carved wooden reliquary bust of a Saint. Beautiful weathered paint and gilding. Small losses / old repairs and without the relics. Italy ...

Carte de la Terre de Canaan ou Terre Promise Cartographer: Le St. Robert Date of Publication: 1750 This exquisite 18th-century map, 'Carte de la Terre de Canaan ou Terre Promise', w...

"18th Century Maritime Hourglass 30 Second Stopwatch" 18th-Century Maritime Sandglass 30-Second Log Timer Hand-Blown Glass, Original Wood Frame, Nautical Navigation Instrument Heig...

Scarce subject, antique Greek Orthodox hand painted rondel icon depicting the Touching of Thomas or Doubting Thomas Late 18th- early 19th century The first Sunday after Easter comme...

Decorative and tactile, late 18th century mortar set. Mortars have been used for centuries by private people and by people in certain trades. In the kitche...

Antique, 18th-19th century mounted in solid 22k gold museum-quality Islamic Middle Eastern - Arabian, Arab sword "Saif" in the form of the Indo-Persian saber shamshir in a characteristic Arab style, with 17th - 18th century Indian Mughal blade with late 18th century Arabian Peninsula gold mounting. The sword, wooden scabbard and hilt are enclosed in solid 22k gold. A hilt comprises a grip with camel bone grip scales, enclosed by solid gold straps and wrapped in a solid gold wire at the base, rising to a solid gold cup-pommel, jeweled with faceted ruby stone. Solid silver cross guard with bud-shaped terminals is embellished with solid gold repousse plaques adorned with arabesques design. The wooden scabbard is clad with solid gold mounts formed from several separate elements, made of 22 karats solid gold sheet, it is embossed and engraved with typical Arabic tribal motifs and mounted with two large bulging solid gold suspension mounts (rings missing). The Damascus steel blade of the sword is made in Mughal Indian Empire in late 17th - early 18th century, in characteristic of this period time Indian sword blades made in the style of the European blades by Genoese and Styrian sword smiths. Those blades were imported to India during the late 16th -early 17th century and known in Mughal India by the name Firangi. FEATURES OF THE BLADE: The blade is made of hand-forged welded mechanical Damascus steel with a watered pattern with a slightly visible welded Damascus pattern with horizontal lines known as the Muhammad’s ladder pattern (see the last two photos in the listing). Long, slightly curved, sturdy, blade is cut on both sides with a broad ,full-length fuller and a short, slender fuller along the back edge. The spine near the cross guard is stamped with pseudo-European makers marks comprising series of Latin alphabet letters: Ɪ o Ɪ o Ɪ o Ɪ o Ɪ o Ɪ o Ɪ o. The ricasso of the blade near the cross guard is bounded in reinforcing steel collar since as valuable old Mughal Damascus steel blade was removed from the old hilt and remounted into the newer gold mounted Arab hilt. This procedure of the remounted old expensive blades and reinforcing the ricasso by collar can be seen in the many Turkish Ottoman swords with old blades mounted with 18th-19th century hilts. These exceptional qualities, gold-mounted Arab swords "Saif " are classified as "Royal Sabers" that belonged to Arab kings, sultans, or sheiks, sometimes they were presented to very important persons (other monarchs). In Muslim culture, the offering of the sword is an act of definite friendship, loyalty, trust, and mutual protection between the giver and beneficiary. Most of these royal swords...

Antique map France titled 'Etat de la Gaule (..)'. Beautiful old map of France. This map originates from 'Atlas Historique de la France Ancienne et Moderne' by M. Rizzi Zannoni. ...

Inverary set of fifteen leather bound books. The Annual Register or A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the year comprising the years 1765-1792: volume 8, 9, 10, 11,...

Description: Rosewood crucifix with Jansenist Christ in ivory with silver details and splendor. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Mark: Absent. Weight: 483.00 grams. Dimensions: 23....

Pocket globe London, between 1775 and 1798 Re-edition of the globe of Hermann Moll (1678-1732) dated 1719 The globe is contained in its original case, which itself is covered in shark skin. There are slight gaps in the original paint on the sphere. The case no longer closes. The sphere measures 2.7 in (7 cm) in diameter whereas the case measures 2.9 in (7.4 cm) in diameter. lb 0.22 (kg 0.1) The globe is made up of twelve printed paper gores aligned and glued to the sphere. In the North Pacific Ocean there is a cartouche with the inscription: A Correct Globe with the new Discoveries. The celestial globe is depicted on the inside of the box and is divided into two hemispheres with the cartouche: A correct globe with ye new cons relations of Dr. Halley & c. It shows the ecliptic divided into the days of the zodiacal calendar and the constellations represented as animals and mythological figures. On the globe are delineated the equinoctial line, divided by degrees and hours, the ecliptic and the meridian (passing west of Greenwich). The continents are shaded and outlined in pink, green and yellow. It shows: the Cook routes; a wind rose in the Southern Indian Ocean; Antarctica without land; Africa with Negroland (Hermann Moll is considered the first geographer to name the West African region in his 1727 map. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, ed. 1902, under "States of Central Africa"); Tartary in Central Asia; the Mogul kingdom in northern India; in North America only New England, Virginia, Carolina, Florida, Mississippi are identified; California is already a peninsula; the northwest coast of America is "unknown parts" (Alaska is not described and it is only partially delineated, it was to become part of the United States in 1867); Mexico is named "Spain"; Central South America "Amazone America". Australia (which was to be so named after 1829) is called New Holland. The route of Admiral Anson is traced (1740) and the trade winds are indicated by arrows. (See Van der Krogt, P., Old Globes in the Netherlands, Utrecht 1984, p. 146 and Van der Krogt, P. - Dekker, E., Globes from the Western World, London 1993, pp. 115.) Elly Dekker, comparing Moll’s 1719 globe and his re-edition (of which the one described above is a sample), identifies the differences between them: the two editions are quite similar to each other, but in the "anonymous" globe, compared to the previous globe of 1719, California looks like a proper peninsula - the reports of the Spanish explorers of the region had given rise to uncertainty over whether it was connected to the mainland or not. The geographical nature of California was confirmed after the explorations of Juan Bautista de Anza (1774-1776). The routes of Dampier's journey were partially erased and the route of Captain James Cook's first voyage was superimposed on them, and the geography of Australasia was adapted accordingly, including the denomination of the Cook Strait. See Dekker, Elly, Globes at Greenwich, 1999. An important ante quem element is represented by Tasmania: it is not separated from Australia by the Bass Strait...

Antique portrait titled 'Thomas Muntzer'. Portrait of Thomas Müntzer. Thomas Müntzer was an early Reformation-era German theologian, who became a rebel leader during the Peasants' War. He turned against Luther with several anti-Lutheran writings, and supported the Anabaptists. In the Battle of Frankenhausen, Müntzer and his followers were defeated. He was captured, tortured and decapitated. This print originates from 'Historie der kerken en ketteren van den beginne des Nieuwen Testaments tot aan het jaar onses Heeren 1688 ... In het Neederduyts vertaald' by G. Arnold. Artists and Engravers: Gottfried Arnold (1666 – 1714) was a German Lutheran...

From the cabinet de curiosité of a Florentine amateur, pair of pedestal-mounted warthog tusks dating from the 18th century. Africa has always fascinated explorers of all times, co...

Antique map titled 'Diversa Orbis Terrae. Visu Incedente per Coluros Tropicorum, Ambos Ejus Polos, et Parciularis Sphaerae Zenith, in Planum Orthographica Projectio (..) Plat Ontwerp van verscheyde Aert-klooten (..)'. One of the earliest Dutch World Maps to focus on a more modern cartographic style, based on Carel Allard's map of 1696. This map represented a noteworthy shift from the traditional decorative Dutch 17th century maps where the margins would be full of classical mythological...

Pocket Globe Nicholas Lane London, post 1779 The globe is contained in its original case, which is covered in leather. The sphere measures 2.75 in (6.9 cm) whereas the case measure...

A scarce antique ecclesiastical architectural hand carved and painted wooden church - cathederal tabernacle door. 18th century or earlier, early Medieval European Romanesque Gothic style, facade with elaborate arched header atop partial quartfoil, hinged tabernacle door panel which would have opened to important religious niche...

Greece and the Danube Basin Map c.1720 – Antique Engraving of the Balkans This remarkable early 18th-century map presents a sweeping view of southeastern Europe, centering on the co...

18th century Altar Modell, South Germany, with original painting, wood A rare altar model with original painting, in the middle Jesus Christus and on the ...

Antique print titled 'Le Baptême de Rhinsbourg'. This print depicts the baptism of Christians in Katwijk-Rijnsburg in The Netherlands. Source unknown, to be determined. Artists an...

Nice collection of five extremely weathered vellum books, Spain 18th/ 19th century. Weathered, small losses and old repairs. H:20,5-21,5cm W:2,5-4cm D:15,5cm

4th Edition of the magnum opus of the Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith. Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations London: A. Strahan and T. Cade...

Antique print titled 'Belegering van Jerusalem door Nebucadnezar (..)'. This original antique print shows the siege of Jerusalem by King Nebucha...

A very fine, large fire-gilded bronze church chandelier in Louis XVI style, France, late 18th century. This wonderful piece is finely elaborate in precise detail decorated with elega...

Wonderful craftsmanship, deeply carved, solid oak, Gothic Revival wall coat rack. Anyone who has ever visited a Gothic (Revival) church or another Gothic style building will immedia...

Nice collection of six extremely weathered vellum books, Spain 18th/19th century. Weathered and small losses. H:20,5-22cm W:2,5-5cm D:15cm . More photo's are available on request.

Embroidered Holy Spirit panel. Antique embroidered doubled sided panel in paper with original antique seeded glass and gilt carved frame, Italy, l...

Antique print, titled: 'Gezicht van het eiland en de haven van Pathmos (…).' This plate shows a view of the city and harbour of Pathmos, Patmos or Patimo in Greece. This plate or...

Antique map titled 'Les Isles Antilles et le Golfe du Méxique'. Original old map of the Caribbean, Gulf Coast and Central America. With inset map of Bermuda...

Rare decorative engraved map of the Dutch East Indies, or nowadays Indonesia. Title (in old Dutch): NIEUWE EN NAUKEURIGE KAART DER OOST-INDISCHE ...

Antique map titled 'Les Iles de Banda (..).' (The islands of Banda, Indonesia.) Extremely rare in this edition. This plate originates from the very scarse: 'La galerie agreable d...

Dutch Golf Engraving By Jacques-Philippe Lebas, Vuë De Santvliet Village De Hollande. Rare 18th century Dutch golf engraving by Jacques-Philippe Lebas depicting Dutchman playing the early form of golf on the ice. The Kolf engraving is entitled 'Vuë De Santvliet Village De Hollande' (View Of Santvliet Village From Holland). The scene shows a group of four Dutch gentlemen in the foreground playing kolf, the forerunner of golf. There are people skating on the ice and a gentleman can be seen kneeling whilst fitting on his ice skates. Paintings of life on the frozen waterways of Holland were very popular and many artists, usually known for painting rivers or landscapes, produced them. Extra print details:- in the bottom left 'Van Drever pinx', on the right 'Jac. Ph. LeBas sculp'. In the center a coat of arms with the words "Virtus Ariete Fortior". Dédié à Monsieur Norregs Bertie, Par son très humble et très obeisant Serviteur Jac. Ph. Le Bas. Beau pays, ou fleurit une utile industrie, On croiroit que chez toi L'eau se transforme en glace, Et dont les habitants peuvent toute leur vie Pour offrir un plus ample et plus commode espace Suivre a vec liberte leurs innocents desires, A tous les Voyageurs, à tes divers plaisirs, Par M. Moraine. A Paris chez Le bas Graveur du Cabinet du Roy rue de la Harpe...

Antique map titled 'Regni Gothiae (..)'. Detailed map of South Sweden. Embellished with beautiful title cartouche with scale and coats of arms. Published in Amsterdam by Covens & Mor...

18th Century Hand Carved Pair of Angels Dimensions in inches: H 24” x W 26” x D 9” Age: 1780 Origin: Unknown Condition: Aged Overview A rare and highly decorative pair of late 18th...

AUTHOR: BLACKSTONE, William. TITLE: Commentaries on the Laws of England. In Four Books. PUBLISHER: London: At The Clarendon Press, 1770. DESCRIPTION: FOURTH EDITION. 4 vols., squ...

Rare Museum-level 18th Century carpenters tool, an antler hand plane, hand-carved to look like a lion. Signed with initials and dated 1791.

Antique map titled 'Descriptio Paradisi et Terrae Canaan'. Original antique map of Canaan, Armenia, Syria, Mesopotamia and Arabia. It displays the Middle East from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf...

Persian Manuscript Page depicting a garden scene. Circa 18th century. Hand painted scene depicts a hilly outdoor landscape where people are congre...

Set of Edo Period Samurai Armor Box Covers (Yoroi Bitsu Covers) with Gold Family Crests Japan, 18th century (Edo period) Dimensions: Approx. 40 × 40 cm, H 53 cm An extremely rare se...

Antique map titled 'L'Ancien Monde Et Le Nouveau en Deux Hemispheres' - Double hemisphere map of the World, showing the contemporary geographical...

A magnificent example of 18th-century Italian Baroque craftsmanship, this grand polychrome and gilded wooden niche embodies the opulence and theatricality of the period. At its cente...

A precursor of Benjamin Franklin's famous and popular POOR RICHARD's ALMANAC Rider, Cardanus Rider's (1726) British Merlin; Adorned with many delightful Varieties and Useful Veritie...

Nice collection of five extremely weathered vellum books, Spain 18th/ 19th century. Weathered ,small losses and old repairs. More photo's available on request. H:20-21cm W:2,5-4,5cm...

Intricately carved and rare late 18th Century carved wooded scroll, bearing the letters INRI - Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews). A magnificent ...

"Rare 18th Century Equatorial Sundial And Compass By Johann Nepomuk Schrettegger," Rare 18th-Century Equinoctial Sundial & Compass by Johann Nepomuk Schrettegger, Augsburg Maker: Joh...

Two leather bound volumes published in Dublin, Ireland in the mid 1700's. The Journals of the House of Commons of the Kingdom of Ireland from the Eleventh Year of King James the Fir...

An 18th century wax seal in brass with boxwood handle with a nice aged old patina Important noble coat of arms Height 8.5 cm, surface area of the seal 3 cm, diameter top boxwood gri...

Ptolemaic armillary sphere Charles-François Delamarche Paris, ante 1798 Wood and papier-mâché covered with printed and partly hand-colored paper It measures 16.37 in in height x Ø 10.94 in (41.60 cm - Ø 27.80 cm) It weights 2.33 lb (1,058 g) State of conservation: consistent with its age and use, the paper shows some signs of use, stains and abrasions. The sphere is Ptolemaic, with the Earth placed at its center, surrounded by the Moon and the Sun mounted on two metal arms. The sphere is composed of six horizontal and two vertical rings (armillae), each bearing graduations and its own name. The first horizontal ring is illegible. The others, in descending order are: North Pole, Tropic of Cancer, Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, South Pole. The vertical rings consist of two double meridians. The sphere is then connected to the large meridian by two pins, a vertical ring inserted perpendicularly into the circle of the Horizon, in turn supported by four semicircles connected to the turned and black-stained wooden base. Each element is covered with printed paper. It contains various pieces of information: latitudes, length of days, names and zodiac symbols, calendar, wind directions, etc. The vertical circles mention the latitudes and longitudes of different cities: Rome, Bordeaux, Madrid, Boston, Batavia (Jakarta), Acapulco, etc. Even the small terrestrial globe is covered with printed paper: continents and oceans appear with numerous geographical markings indicating the most recent explorations. In the Pacific Ocean, west of South America bears the following inscription: GLOBE TERRESTRIAL à Paris chez Delamarche Géog Rue du Foin Jacques Au Collège de M.e Gervais The North American coasts are well delineated and California appears correctly as a peninsula - reports from Spanish explorers in the region had given rise to confusion as to whether it was connected to the mainland or not. The geographical nature of California was confirmed after the explorations of Juan Bautista de Anza (1774-1776). Alaska is not described and is only partially traced; it would become part of the United States in 1867. Various Pacific islands are indicated. Australia (the name definitely used from 1824) is called "Nouvelle Hollande." Tasmania is still represented as a peninsula and this is an important detail for the dating of our armillary sphere. The island is separated from Australia by Bass Strait, which was crossed by Matthew Flinders for the first time in 1798, showing that it was not a peninsula. Delamarche certainly would not have waited a long time to update such an important geographical datum: presumably he did so shortly after receiving the news. Charles-François Delamarche (1740-1817) founded his laboratory around 1770 and, in a few years, he became the most famous French cartographer and globe maker between the 18th and 19th centuries. After having acquired the laboratory of the late Didier Robert de Vaugondy (1723-1786; himself a renowned cartographer who continued the family business founded by his grandfather Nicolas Sanson in the seventeenth century) and after having purchased, between 1788 and around 1800, the businesses of Jean-Baptiste Fortin (1750-1831) and Jean Lattré (around 1750-1800), he began to call himself "Successeur de MM. Sanson and Robert de Vaugondi, Géographes du Roi and de M. Fortin, Ingénieur-mécanicien du Roi pour les globes et les sphères." Thus, at the end of the eighteenth century, Delamarche possessed the warehouse stocks, as well as the manufacturing skills of the globes of his main rivals in Paris. In addition to this aggressive acquisition policy, the key to its success also lay in the combination of high-quality cartography combined with extremely attractive globes and armillary spheres; and, of course, its famous red paint finishing touch. His laboratory was located on Rue de Foin St Jacques "au Collège Me. (or "Mtre") Gervais" in the Latin Quarter of Paris until around 1805, when he moved to rue du Jardinet No. 13. On the death of Charles-François in 1817, the reins of the company passed to his son Félix (1779-1835), who continued to publish, often in collaboration with the engraver Charles Dien, Sr. In 1835 the company first moved to rue du Jardinet No. 12 and a little later to rue du Battoir No. 7. Bibliography: Dekker, Elly, et al. Globes at Greenwich...

Silva: or, a Discourse of Forest-Trees, and the propagation of timber in His Majesty's Dominions; As it was delivered in the Royal Society on the 15th day of October, 1662, upon Occa...

A lovely antique Spanish Colonial hand carved and painted wood santo altar figure - religious folk art sculpture. 18th/19th century, possibly earlier, most likely depicting Saint F...

Antique Map of Tibet and Latac by D’Anville, Paris, 1737 This antique engraved map is the ninth and final sheet of Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville’s monumental Carte générale du...

A large and atmospheric 18th century carved wooden statue of Saint Margaret, most likely originating from Spain. Executed in chestnut w...

Russian (18/19th Cent) ornately painted and carved sleigh with carved shell front sleigh