A circular lidded box with compartments used for jewelry and other valuables included in the dowry of a Vietnamese bride, c 1900 or earlier. Rosewood with mother-of-pearl inlays of flowers, butterflies and birds. Note: Diameter "8 3/4/ 22 cm, height "4/ 10 cm. Condition: loss of inlays to the lid, still beautiful.

Stranded high and dry in sunny Southern California, and wanting very much to go home to the east coast: a very large (35" by 39" extreme dimensions) clipper ship diorama/shadowbox. There is no glass---probably long since missing...

Hand made Shaker table mat with multi colored field and a wide brown border. The mats were the product of left over scraps from the sewing rooms in Shaker communities. This mat is 13" by 15" and is in excellent condition. C. 1900

This doll is a tough little cookie. She is heavy and round and firmly stuffed with rags and something else that add up to being heavy for her size. She has spindly arms, very sturdy legs with fabric boots sewn on. She is all stockinette. Her slip and panties are sewn on. Her dress is a red calico print and is mended on the front with a red panel and one arm of the dress is badly torn. Her face has with button eyes and a pinched raised nose, and a very tiny red embroidered mouth...

This is a great 1890 mohair cat that stands nicely on its own. He has about 70% of his mohair. He has a loved face with a bit of a pushed up nose. I think he is a Steiff but is without a button. He is 13" long and 9" tall to the top of his head.

A charming hooked rug depicting a woman holding a flower and sitting in a chair beside a large kettle over an open fire. The wall behind her shows a painting and a window through which can be seen a church. Rugs of this size and this period showing an interior scene are quite uncommon.

The 21" by 17" rug is mounted in a museum approved manner on acid free board. The condition is excellent, with no issues.

A striking and extremely rare hooked rug featuring a peacock displaying its beautiful plumage. This is a very graphically strong depiction, striking in its design.

One of the factors that contributes greatly to the rarity is the use of silver metallic threads circling the "eyes" of the peacock's feathers. The color range in the rug is beautiful, with no jarring clashes. All dyes are natural, with no use of artificial coloring...

A PAIR of antique watercolors circa 1880, the subject violets and other delicate, small plants of the woodland floor, in identical worn gold frames. Each watercolor painting measures 6" by 5 1/2" (shaped top) and the works as framed measure 12 3/4" by 12 1/4". The artworks are in excellent condition; backing to which they are affixed need to be replaced due to damp stain at lower portion. These survivors of the Victorian Age reflect the care with which the anonymous artist created them...

From the Southeastern US, a Salesman's Sample of Louvers to ventilate Tobacco Barns. A Great Folk Art Display, measures about 15 3/4" by 23" by 3". Brass knob is patented January 24, 1860. One louver is slightly detached and knob does not adjust louvers as it did originally. You probably will not see another.

Folk Art Duck Decoy hand carved from wood with yellow eye created from a thumb tack, 19th century. The bird is painted black with white highlights and a grey bill. It has a leather strap on the base for pulling the decoy in the water.
CONDITION: signs of wear on leather and on the base of the decoy, as well as paint chip on the bill, hole behind the strap. The yellow thumb tack is probably a later replacement.
MEASUREMENTS: Total length: 14 ¾ inches...

A charming tinsel (foil) painting depicting a variety of flowers in an urn placed on a stone slab. Dating from the last half of the 19th century, the painted frame, worth a bit of money on its own, is likely earlier, with a wood backboard The painting is in fine condition, with only some very small minor speckles in the black background. The frame could use a little spiffing up. Sight size is 9 1/2" by 13 1/2", and the framed size is 13 1/4" by 17 1/8".

A wonderful and amusing hooked rug depicting an aardvark. I have collected many rugs featuring animals but have never seen another with an aardvark. Well, at least I think this is someone's interpretation of an aardvark, or possibly a beaver, armadillo or pangolin. Whatever the craftsman was aiming for, one has to smile at this, and at the pinkish salmon background color surrounded by a scalloped teal border. Cotton yarn and with original burlap foundation.

The size is 43" by 30 1/2"...

Nineteenth century classic folk art, an American weathervane of a galloping horse, dimensions 28" by 15" by 3", with contemporary birch wood block mount for display. The piece was acquired in Connecticut. Weather vanes are not my specialty. I know that there are recognized makers (Harris?) but cannot attribute this to any particular source. The piece had bullet holes that have been fixed and smoothed over, so, work has been done to this...

This is quite the scrap book. The back and front are cloth covered in blue and white calico. The pages are also cloth with stitching around all the edges. The trade and advertising cards are glued down on both sides of the fabric. The pages are bound together by three holes and each page and tied with a yellow ribbon. There are 11 pages, 22 sides, and one 1/2 page that is original and not cut but just a 1/2 page with cards on both sides...

A sweet tinsel (foil) painting of a large bouquet of flowers. The painting itself is in very good condition, with no chips, breaks, or image loss. The period or earlier gilded wood frame has normal expected wear. Period wood backboard. The sight size is 11 1/4" by 9 5/8", and the overall size is 12 3/4" by 11".

NOTE: Between September 12, 2012 and January 13, 2013 the American Folk Art Museum held an exhibit on this art form. The following is excerpted from the catalog of that exhibition: "T...

A beautifully limned tinsel, or foil, painting, reverse painted on glass. The subject matter is a white urn, filled with a an array of various flowers, including a large rose and a lily. The period and probably original frame is of high quality.

This good-sized painting is in overall excellent condition, as is the frame. The sight size is 14 5/8" by 12 3/8", and the framed size is 19 5/8" by 17 1/4".

NOTE: Foil paintings were done primarily in the second half of the 19th century, and ...

A charming watercolor on paper of a house amid a group of trees, signed "JDT" and dated 1896. Excellent condition. Sight size 8 1/4" by 5 3/4".

A totally charming box from, and decorated in the style of, Snyder County, Pennsylvania; grain painted with gilt and gray highlights; polychrome stencil painting of fruit on top; terrific painted keyhole escutcheon; 9 1/2" by 6 1/2" by 5 1/4"

Top has scrapes and scratching, but 99% of the paint is still intact, and the uncommon nature of the overall decoration on this piece far outweighs the damage