Boxed Twin Set of Bjorn Wiinblad Playing Cards - With Original Leather Presentation Box - Pre-Owned Vintage VGC - 1970s Originals - TC1/102

SOLD

Danish artist and designer Bjorn Wiinblad (1918-2006), probably best known for his ceramic work for Rosenthal and Nymolle porcelain company, designed this very rare set of colourful playing cards which were produced by the Austrian firm Piatnik in the late 1970s. The four figures shown on the box (left) are full-length, but the playing cards inside the box, except the three gorgeously coloured and designed Jokers, are double-ended designs. Also, the colour schemes are subtly different for each suit. Both sets are complete.

This special Designer Set of Cards from the 1970s is in Very Good Vintage Condition - the cards show signs of use and the case has the marks of handling, but overall the condition is great for cards that have been played with for over forty years. A great gift for any card collector or a fan of the works of Wiinblad himself. In recognition of his works that were shown in various exhibitions and won many awards, Bjørn Wiinblad was named "Man of The Year " in New York in 1985 and was awarded the American-Scandinavian Foundation Cultural Prize in 1995.

The price including worldwide shipping €150 roughly $180 US

Ornate Napoleon III - 17" French Wall Crucifix late 1800's to early 1900's - Gothic Rosewood and Ebonised Wood - Filigree Details - R3/60

This is a simply stunning wall crucifix - French, from the late 1800's, it has been crafted from very fine materials - the shaped, French Gothic curved cross that backs the crucifix is in a very smooth, ebonised wood with a beautiful sheen. The crucifix, attached to the ebonised background, is of fine Rosewood, cut in a smooth, nearly 1.5 inch wide, gently domed shape with the four parts of the cross meeting at the central point of the cross. At each point of the cross is a filigree metal decoration and the central point of the cross is also decorated with metalwork, representing the eternal flame. The Body of Christ, the Corpus Christi, is cast in an aged silver metal, extremely well sculpted and finely detailed right down to the cord the ties Christ's loin cloth. The crown of thorns is not a part of the moulding but has been worked entirely separately and stands above the head of Christ. The plaque marked "INRI" is a gentle scroll in a bronzed colour, attached by a single studded nail, as are the hands and feet of Christ. At the back, there is a metal loop attached, for wall hanging.

This is an amazing item, from a Chateau on the confluence of the Vienne and Liore Rivers - the craftsmanship is beautiful and the mix of woods with intricate metalwork is simply superb.
Overall dimensions of the crucifix: 17"(43cm) high by 10" (25.5cm) wide and a depth of 1.5" (3.5cm); the weight unpackaged is 0.45 kg.

Your purchase will be very carefully packed in recycled packaging where possible, and despatched via the Irish An Post postal service. *** THE PRICE INCLUDES TRACKED DELIVERY ***
WE DISPATCH PROMPTLY BUT ANY POSTAL AND COURIER DELIVERY DELAYS DURING THE PANDEMIC ARE COMPLETELY OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL.

The price is €185 inc worldwide shipping

Five Inch Silver Plated Sugar Cube or Pickle Picker in Box - French Antique from 1920s - Sugar Tongs - K3/319

We love to come across these sugar tong pickers quite in France, as although the French still use sugar cubes daily for their coffee, they consider them old fashioned. We think they are superb!  These elegant  French vintage Pickers from the 1920's are fun to use even if you don't take sugar. Push down on the end of the handle and the claws open smoothly to pick up your chosen item...... sugar cube..... Pickles  ..... or something a bit more interesting......in their slightly serrated three-pronged jaws. 

This high quality antique picker, is made in French Engineered Stainless steel with a classy etched zig-zag pattern along the shaft. The prongs are well aligned and the pusher is in good working order. The finger rest is in a daisy shape. The picker is antique and shows signs of use; the plating has some marks that may polish out. The Hallmark and Maker's mark are in the centre of the jaws and can be clearly seen when the picker is open. A very nice antique item that comes in a beautifully decorated box; the box is the original, in heavy card with a white 'linen' finish and golden and green images of Paris - most notably, the Eiffel Tower. The picker is protected by the lid and in addition a folded acetate type of early plastic cover. 

Your purchase will be very carefully packaged with recycled materials where possible and despatched via the Irish An Post postal service; THE PRICE INCLUDES TRACKED SHIPPING.

WE DISPATCH PROMPTLY BUT PLEASE BE AWARE OF POSSIBLE POSTAL AND COURIER DELIVERY DELAYS DURING THE PANDEMIC WHICH ARE COMPLETELY OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL.

Price is €60 inc worldwide shipping

Antique 19th Century French Imperial Style Extendable Fireplace Fender - Rococo Late Baroque Style - Original Condition - D3/FD101

A superb example of a French Antique Fire Fender in completely unrestored, original Gilt Bronze condition. This beautiful item came from a family-owned Chateau in the Loire Valley in France. This fender is a quality item, bearing both a Foundry Mark and a Pattern Number. Extremely versatile in that the width can be extended up to a maximum of 1.25 metres, so is as suitable for a cosy bedroom or nook fireplace as it is for a medium lounge or dining area. Made of solid cast bronze with a gilt finish and inlaid marble, this decorative fire fender is in completely original condition. In the Paris antique quarters we have seen similar, restored - re-gilded - items priced at over 5,000 euros. We prefer the honest, original condition and patina that reassures that this is a fine, pre-loved antique. We are happy to answer any questions or supply further photographs.

Appearing from the two tall thin fluted columns on either side are two curved arms, these would be used to rest your fireside tools against, making this a stylish superbly designed and innovative piece for its time. However for us the best and most unusual features are the two outer feet in the form of Asian inspired open mouthed leaf dragons with scrolling leaves almost like a green man in design.

Designed in a Baroque or late Rococo style, the foundry has a mark similar to a clasp of small leaves gathered together, quite pretty. And can be found on the attached feet to the rear of the main bodies. The gilt has worn over the many years that it has been in the Chateau, leaving a superb patina; underneath the decorative finials the original bright colour of the gold can still be seen. It has backings to both bottom piers of wonderful blocks of white marble to accentuate the golden scrolling acanthus leaf decoration. Easily assembled from an original French antique 'flat pack' design (ahead of their time, those French!), it can be transported quite easily although it is naturally quite weighty.

Height: 70 cm  27.5"
Width: 125 cm 49.5"
Depth: 14 cm 5.5"

A very special French Louis XV style item indeed, with gorgeous details - like the tiny scowling faces at each side. With a height of 27.5" or 70cm, width extending to 49.5" or 125cm and a depth of 5.5" or 14cm., the ensemble weighs just under 12 kilograms or around 26 pounds.

Price is €1850 including worldwide shipping

 

A very rare set of Hermès No's 1 to 6 Knotting Cards plus the Soft Cover Book, New Old Stock - Hermes Knotting Cards - FF3/008

A very rare set of Vintage Hermès No's 1 to 6 Knotting Cards Plus the Soft Cover Book,  we also have some individual numbers extra should you wish to buy just one please contact us.

A very rare set of Vintage Hermès Knotting Cards: the set comprises numbers one to number six of these boxed collector cards.  Brand New Old Stock in their boxes; as can be seen in the photographs, these boxes are now highly collectable in their own right - with the highest prices paid for the earlier versions. These are in perfect condition. They would make a fantastic gift for anyone who loves Hermès. The price is for set of five boxed card collections and the soft cover book that is entitled LE CARRÉ HERMÈS or The Hermes Square.

These cards are a practical aid, showing how to tie your scarf etc., in many stylish and innovative ways - so they not just interesting but also a highly useful item and very collectable.

This completely original set would make a perfect gift for the girl who has (almost) everything - or a serious Hermes collector.

They are around 11.5cm / 4.6"  x 6cm / 2.5" each and the book is 11cm / 4.4" x 11cm / 4.4" and 1cm / 0.4" deep.

Found packed away in a stock room of a designer fashion shop local to us in France, that had been closed and is only now being refurbished:- Hermes Knotting Cards, No1 to No6 plus Book. The photos show only sets 1 to 5 but we have now found some number 6 so this means you will have all the ones that Hermes produced.

Price inc worldwide shipping €375

Antique Irish Taxidermy - Irish Grey Partridge - dating from 1920s - 1930's

 This very beautiful example of a  Grey Partridge comes from County Waterford in the Republic of Ireland on its original base, made of paper maché. Originally mounted in the Nineteen-Twenties, this little Partridge and its friend a Long Eared Owl ( see separate listing ) spent most of their time on display in a public house / shop in a village in County Waterford. During that time they were usually displayed in the show window of the pub, and became a little faded on one side from exposure to sunshine.  This only adds to the story and character of the birds. Older, more traditional pubs here in Ireland often have display windows - to stop people being able to look in and see if their husband (or someone else's husband!) was inside drinking in the middle of the day. These show windows were filled with all sorts of items from foodstuffs to small farm implements. We have seen many that have remained with the same items untouched and uncleaned for more than ten years. This lovely Grey  Partridge has been posed by a professional taxidermist and set in a very natural position. This is an excellent specimen in lovely condition. A beautiful bird to add to, or start, a fine collection.

Taxidermy items on this site are vintage and often antique. The Grey Partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes. It is sometimes known as the English Partridge, to distinguish it from the French or Red Legged Partridge. The Grey Partridge is believed to be in decline across its range here and is now on the red list of endangered birds, however things are starting to look up with an increase in numbers in the Offaly region of Ireland.

The price inc worldwide shipping is €175

Irish Taxidermied Long Eared Owl - Asio Otus

This very handsome Long Eared Owl comes from County Waterford in the Republic of Ireland. Originally mounted in the Nineteen-Thirties, this and its friend the Grey Partridge ( see separate listing ) lived most of their time on display in a public house / shop in a village in County Waterford. During this time they were on show in the show window of the pub and became a little faded on one side, which only adds to their charm and character. Lots of the older, traditional pubs in Ireland use their windows for display items with some type of solid shutter as a backdrop behind them, in order to stop people being able to look in and see if their husband - or someone who should not be there -  was inside drinking in the middle of the day. These show windows were filled with all sorts of items from foodstuffs to small farm implements. We have seen many that have remained with the same items untouched and uncleaned for more than ten years. This handsome little guy has been posed on a paper maché base by a professional taxidermist, and set in a very natural position looking off to the distance, as if for prey. This is an excellent specimen in lovely condition, a fine example that enables us to see how the design of its feathers make it able to fly without making a sound. A beautiful bird to add to, or start, a fine collection.

The name "Long-Eared Owl" comes from the long feathered “ear-tufts” on top of the bird’s head, that the bird can raise and lower at will. These actually have absolutely nothing to do with the birds' ears, - but together with the piercing orange eyes they make the Long-Eared Owl unmistakeable when at rest. 

This bird is about 15.5 inches high including the mount and weighs 663 grammes without any packaging.

Ireland only has two resident owl species – the Barn Owl and the Long-Eared Owl. Of the two the Long-Eared Owl, also known as the Lesser Horned Owl or Cat Owl, is by far the most common, and is found across most of the country. It is a shy and elusive bird however, whose nocturnal habits coupled with excellent camouflage make it very difficult to spot.

Long-Eared Owls are medium body sized owls, which is smaller than you might expect – somewhat similar to a Wood Pigeon in size. The average body length is about 35 cm (c. 14 inches) and the wingspan is between 90cm and 100 cm (35 inches and 40 inches). As with most owls the females tend to be noticeably larger than the males, and have darker plumage.

 

 The price including worldwide shipping is €325

 

Antique Sacred Heart - Stunning 13-Inch Paper Mache French or Italian Polychrome Coloured Bust with Glass Eyes on Wall Plinth c1890

A beautifully made, antique paper or wood fibre bust of The Sacred Heart, made in France in around 1890. The bust measures 13" in height, including the gold coloured plinth and is 8" wide. 

This representation of Jesus Christ is very serene and the eyes, in glass, are set so that He is looking straight ahead - initially quite startling, they are very expressive. The polychrome decoration is in bright colours which have held well over the years as there is a base layer underneath extending the life of the top colours and the material of the paint itself. As yet we have not cleaned the bust, but would be happy to do so if required by a buyer. Jesus Christ is portrayed in a cream coloured robe with large golden crosses, over which there is a red cloak with gold lining. His hands, clearly pierced, are pointing to The Sacred Heart which has a chain around it and fire coming from the top, from which there are rays of light emanating. A lovely artefact, a hand painted religious figure beloved of those of the Catholic Faith. This is an early original bust, extremely well painted and not a later copy.

The plinth is ornately patterned and gilded in a matt golden colour. The bust has a strong metal ring inserted into the back for wall hanging. The weight is just over one kilo, without any packaging. The condition is good antique, with some chips to the colour but no more than would be expected - it is in great antique condition.

Price - Including Worldwide Shipping - 449.00 Euros