Take a stroll to get a feel for what I do and get in touch if I can help you to find something out in the world.
I’m extremely happy to work with mortals, dealers and decorators alike.
Onlines stores are http://stores.ebay.com/rarebooksandpaper, http://www.etsy.com/shop/curleysden
Please feel free to contact at curleysden@gmail.com with any questions, or suggestions. Thanks so much!
What I’m thinking is that this little girl (who looks like Little Bo Peep but with original red paint) is an early advertising mascot, and that this was a custom hood ornament for a delivery vehicle? She stands 5.5″ tall, is cast like a hood ornament (a leaded pot metal) with a very early plastic face and a single (albeit somewhat thin) anchored screw/nut at her base.
She seems to be holding a padlock or a shield at her waist – multi dimensional sculpt. Terribly interesting and striking figure. Very good condition with expected wear and heavy to almost total paint loss but no scrapes/nicks to speak of. A few little dents to the rim of her bonnet in back, which I believe were cast. $295.
Beautifully cast pheasant mascot signed Dodge Inc, 1947. Metal alloy has nice patina and verdigris, one “clean” spot behind neck where the wings meet. Measures 4″ tall.
Mounted on a celluloid base, with copper engraved band “SCVFTA: PUPPY : 1/18/53 2nd PLACE.” Stands 6″ tall on base. Tagged inside base, Paul Hudson California Jeweler. $85.
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c1870s pine collar box, manufactured by the Scovill company. Extremely ornate images like this one were used in early union daguerrotype/ambrotype cases. After the civil war Scovill purchased the patterns and resized the images to serve as collar box lids. Thermoplastic, often mistaken for Gutta Perche, was used to create these lids. A thick liquid was made of melted shellac and wood pulp; then rolled into a sheet and pressed into artistic dies and cooled in that detailed pattern. Offered here is one of the hardest examples to find, Thomas Crawford’s 1858 Washington Monument; signed F. Goll in the base. SOLD.
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Nicely done post impressionist riverscape with autumn foliage on both sides of the water. Wonderful contrast in the sharp brushstrokes and vibrant fall colors.
Signed Mary Carter in red, bottom right. Identified “Brown Co. Sketch, Mary Carter” on reverse in what appears to be fountain pen on backing paper of canvas board. There are two Mary Carters, both working late 19th century, listed.
Painting appears contemporary to the stunning molded gesso Victorian Aesthetic frame. Canvas board size is 10×12″, frame 16×18″. Just a few chips to the top rail of frame. SOLD.
Table top vending box, filled from the removable top. Glass on all sides, flip lid at the back to serve from. Measures 18″ tall x 14″ including back kick and 11″ wide. Good condition, no dings or real rust. Light surface rust to the inside bottom from decades of grease no doubt!
Stenciled Dan Dee in green (ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=DDPPCC), a potato chip company operating under that name between 1928 and 1940 in PA/OH. SOLD.
Drop dead gorgeous chromolithograph, of an early rugby or football game. Measures 17″ x 22″ including original frame. Signed Robinson, Bristol Ltd at lower left.
Very small chips to the print upper right corner, mostly falls under the frame’s lip. Glass appears to be replaced. Extremely rare subject matter with only minor foxing / toning from wooden backboards. Seems to be some long since passed repair to the frame, please see photos. SOLD.
Amazing graphic, could be modern! Accompanying envelopes date this to 1885, Penny Dreadful or Vinegar Valentine. Love it! SOLD.
Twenty 1″ victorian die-cut scrap figures including Ben Franklin leaving the church on the hilltop, women with brooms, drunks with empty bottles in their pockets (!), a man with a tiny circus poster under one arm and all the usual genre trappings on top. Two of the four miniature feather trees has scrap birds perched and a few dogs sit underneat their owners throughout.
Four miniature buildings, the highest is 2″, all hand painted and carved. Wonderful winding bridge adds to the depth. Glitter everywhere! Wonderful piece, in remarkable condition. Has been some very minor breakage to the individual rails of the bridge. I’d date it 1830-40 based on the style of architecture and the lemon gilt on the frame/mount and back reminiscent of a wallpaper box. Rare to see these at all, rarer still to see American construction. $495.
Beautiful layered / screen printed color and flocked clouds. Measures 8×10, likely dates to the late 1930s. Nice condition, save one >tiny< chip to left. $125.
Easily the rarest cocktail shaker that I’ve come across. Marked E&JB Nickel Silver, PAT. May 18, 1926. The patent was held by William L. Bass in the middle of prohibition, for the “Convertible Liquid Container.” The actual patent with illustrations is up for view at the Museum of American Cocktails website.
This model is what is pictured on the original patent, however the applicant stipulates that the patent could be applied to liquids hidden in “loving cups, water pitchers, vases, or similar articles.” That is to say he was awarded a patent not for the design but for the concept of hidden cocktail shakers in the middle of prohibition.
Four piece construction. The loving cup unscrews from the stem/base which conceals a removable lid/pour. That stem conceals a gorgeously engineered juicer/strainer with a cork rim that fits snugly into the actual base with an indention for the tip of the juicer. A drink is prepared by adding the stem to the top of the loving cup (and the cork fits snugly there too) and poured from spout.
Incredibly generic engraved name plate / award on the front to add to the charade. Very nice condition, slight loss of plating to plaque. Nothing else. SOLD.
