Snuff Bottles: What are they and why collect them?
By I.M. Chait - In the very early 18th Century (although some people might insist it was the late 17th Century), snuff, as a recreational habit, was introduced by Europeans to the Court of China. While we all may have our opinions relative to the evils of tobacco, no one can ignore the fact that European snuff boxes, made for the wealthy class, are some of the most beautiful miniature objects created. Executed in gold, enamels, often jeweled and diamond encrusted, depending on the wealth of the royal using it, snuff boxes are precious jewels in their own right. ...
Not Just A Plaything: French Dolls of the Late 19th Century
By Daniele Gair - One of the first friends a child ever has is often a simple construction of wood, porcelain, or cloth filled with stuffing and a painted-on smile. For centuries, dolls have not only kept children company, but have reflected how a society sees itself. Today, dolls of every shape, size, and color, made from the most basic materials to the most complex, are collected with an enthusiasm that reaches back to childhood. [caption id="attachment_1271" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Bisque fashion doll."][/caption] Not just simple companions, dolls have also been crafted for very serious, grown-up intentions. Dolls made for religious purposes have been ...
Caveat Internet
By Isadore M. Chait - We can all agree that in the 21st Century, things move at a rate exponentially faster than they did in the past. It becomes commonplace for inventions and innovations to be so ingrained and so part of normal operating bases as to be taken for granted. One of the most radical and progressive inventions of humankind was the printing press. It probably took one or two hundred years (or even longer) for most of the world to become “mater-of-fact” about printed books. Another such monumental invention, in more recent times, was the World Wide Web and Internet. ...
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Snuff Bottles: What are they and why collect them?
By I.M. Chait – In the very early 18th Century (although some people might insist it was the late 17th Century), snuff, as a recreational habit, was introduced by Europeans to the Court of China. While we all may have our opinions relative to the evils of tobacco, no one can ignore the fact that European snuff boxes, made... [Read more]
Not Just A Plaything: French Dolls of the Late 19th Century
By Daniele Gair - One of the first friends a child ever has is often a simple construction of wood, porcelain, or cloth filled with stuffing and a painted-on smile. For centuries, dolls have not only kept children company, but have reflected how a society sees itself. Today, dolls of every shape, size, and color, made from the most... [Read more]
Caveat Internet
By Isadore M. Chait - We can all agree that in the 21st Century, things move at a rate exponentially faster than they did in the past. It becomes commonplace for inventions and innovations to be so ingrained and so part of normal operating bases as to be taken for granted. One of the most radical and progressive inventions of humankind... [Read more]
A Great Gift: High Museum Receives 47 Works of Art
The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, recently announced a gift of 47 works of art, the majority of which are prints and posters by major artists working in fin-de-siècle Paris, from prominent Atlanta collectors Irene and Howard Stein. The Stein collection includes many rare and extremely prized works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,... [Read more]
From Russia With Love: Collecting Fabergé
By Daniele Gair - There is something about royal treasure that piques the imagination. The English Crown Jewels in London enjoy a steady stream of admirers. The contents of the tomb of King Tut, including the mummified pharaoh himself, went on one of the most successful museum tours of all time in the 1970s. But if anything speaks... [Read more]
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