Learn about and understand the items, manufacturers, designers and periods as well as the specialist terms used in describing antiques and collectables. Either click one of the letters below to list the items beginning with that letter, or click on a category on the left side of the screen to list the items under that category.

Caithness Glass

Caithness limited edition paperweight, 'Windfower Ruby'

Caithness Glass was founded in Wick in North East Scotland in 1961. In 1962, Paul Ysart, who had worked for Moncrieff glassworks (Monart) in Perth, Scotland, and whose father was a glassblower, joined as supervisor and the company started producing paperweights.

Its early tableware and decorative production was very similar to the Scandinavian glass popular at the time, being mould blown with thin rims, heavy bases and strong colours. Colours were inspired by the Scottish landscape, hence names such as ‘heather’.

Before 1968 few pieces were engraved. Some engraved pieces were produced after that year when Colin Terris, who had studied in Norway, joined the company. Most designs are abstract, but some ranges were inspired by natural or marine subjects, and lead to the realease of a new modern style range of paperweighs.

Tableware remained in production until the 1980s, when the factory began to concentrate further on paperweights, with a few decorative glass ranges still being made, primarily in mottled coloured glass and often with ‘painted’ enamel effects.

In 1988, Caithness bought the Wedgwood Glass factory at King’s Lynn and at one point had three factories. In 1996, the company, now with headquarters in Perth, was taken over by Royal Doulton and then by glqass tableware producers, Dartington Crystal in 2006. and is still in production today, primarily producing paperweights.

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Campana Form Vases or Urns

A campana form vase or urn is a type of ceramic or metal container that is characterized by its reverse bell-like shape. The shape is typically wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with a curved or flared opening at the top. The vase or urn may have a handle or handles on either side of the opening.

The campana form was popular in ancient Greece and Rome, and the design has been revived in various forms throughout the history of art, including the Renaissance and the Art Nouveau period.

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Card Cases

In the early 19th century etiquette dictated that upper class ladies and gentlemen should carry a visiting card, also known as a calling card, being a small paper card, about the size of present day business cards, printed with the individual's details, and often bearing an artistic design.

In 19th century England, the caller or the footmen accompanying the caller (if he or she was very important) would deliver the visiting cards to the servants of their prospective hosts, introducing the arrival of the card bearer.

Card cases solely for the purpose of holding visiting cards were introduced at this time and etiquette dictated that ladies should always carry their cards in a card case, although it was acceptable for a gentleman to carry his cards in the breast pocket of his jacket.

Reflecting the fact that card cases were mainly used by ladies, the designs were feminine in nature.

The early card cases were made of silver and leather with fine gilt tooling. The earliest French cases, c1760, were made of gold, silver and enamel, sometimes with ivory panels or beadwork. Eventually they were made in a variety of materials, including silver, gold, ivory, enamel, mother of pearl and tortoiseshell.

With the advent of popular tourism in the 19th century, card cases were made to depict places of interest and examples include silver castle-top cases, Scottish Mauchline ware and tartan ware and, from Ireland, Killarney ware.

Among silver card cases, castle-tops are the most valuable, with versions of Windsor, Warwick, Kenilworth and Abbotsford popular. Rare examples fetch much higher prices.

The most prolific makers of silver card cases were Nathaniel Mills, Yapp & Woodward and Taylor & Perry.

Most card cases had a lid that was hinged to one side, but there were a variety of other opening methods.

The use of visiting cards declined at the end of the 19th century, reducing demand for and consequently the production of card cases.

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Chalice

A chalice is a large cup or goblet that is used in religious ceremonies, particularly in Christian liturgical traditions. It is typically made of precious metal such as gold or silver, and is used to hold wine during the Eucharist, which is the central sacrament of the Christian Church. The chalice is also called the "cup of salvation" and is a symbol of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

In the Christian tradition, the chalice is a symbol of the blood of Jesus Christ, which is offered to the faithful as a means of grace and salvation. The chalice is used to hold the wine that is consecrated during the Eucharist and is considered to be a sacred object.

In the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist, it's passed around to the faithful, and the believer drinks from it to partake in the sacrament. Chalices are also used in other liturgical celebrations such as baptism, confirmation and anointing of the sick.

Chalices come in different shapes and sizes, from simple cups to highly ornate and decorative vessels, some of them are adorned with precious stones and intricate engravings. Chalices can also be used for other purposes, such as for holding holy water for baptism, or for the distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday.

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Champleve

An enamelling technique in which the pattern is formed by scooping depressions into the metal surface to be decorated, each of which will contain a single colour, added in powder form and then fired until the enamel melts. When the item has cooled, the surface is polished sothat the enamel is flush with the metal surface. The uncarved sections of the surface remain visible, framing the enamel design.

In technique, champleve differs from cloisonne where the troughs are created by soldering metal strips to the surface of the item.

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Enamelled Boxes

Enamelling is the art of decorating articles with a layer of glass melted with enamel oxides, and fused onto a host surface such as gold, silver, copper, or ceramics.

In the early nineteenth century the art of enamelling snuff boxes, pill boxes and other small items fell into disuse in England and was not revived until the late 1880s when Alexander Fisher, who was largely self taught, began producing enamelled boxes for Liberty.

The art of enamelling was also revived in France in the late 19th century, while in Switzerland enamelling had never died out and continued to flourish with the production of fine enamelled jewel-boxes in Neoclassical designs, which continued to appear until well into the present century. These included fantasies modelled in the form of butterflies, birds and fishes. Enamelled boxes with geometric patterns in the cloisonne technique were produced in Vienna at the turn of the century.

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Judaica

Historical objects, especially in silver, and literature relating to the Jewish faith.

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Millefiori

A vintage millefiori glass vase, baluster shape with tall neck and frilled rim.

Millefiori, which translates from the Italian as "a thousand flowers" is a method of decorating glass with slices of coloured canes in flower design, embedded in clear molten glass.

The technique was known as far back as the first century BC and was revived and modified in Venice in the 16th century.

The process was used to make paperweights in Venice and Bohemia in the 19th century, and the technique spread to France, England and the United States.

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Plumbago Drawings

Plumbago by David Loggan, of a young man plainly dressed, noted as 'Col. James Grahame', signed and dated 1668

Plumbago drawings are finely executed graphite drawings from the 17th and 18th centuries.

These drawings were executed with the utmost dexterity and with marvellous minuteness, the fine lines expressing the intricacies of a lace ruffle or the curls of a wig being perfectly reproduced.

David Loggan (1635-1700) was one of a group of 17th and 18th century artists whose works are is remarkable for their exquisite portraits, and was a pupil of a master of the art of plumbago, Simon Van de Pass (1595-1647).

Many of these drawings may have been prepared as the source for plates for engravings. However this is not always the case, as there is one representing Charles II, set in a beautiful gold snuff box, which was given by the King to the Duchess of Portsmouth, and a similar set portrait of Cromwell. Plumbago drawings very rarely appear on the market.

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Pontil Mark

A pontil mark, also known as a pontil scar, is a distinctive mark or scar found on the base of certain types of glass. It is a remnant of the glassblowing process and is particularly associated with handcrafted items made prior to the widespread use of automated manufacturing.

The pontil mark is created during the final stages of production. After the glassblower has shaped and formed the glass object, it is removed from the blowing iron. At this point, the glass object is often attached to a solid rod called a pontil rod or punty for further shaping, finishing, or attaching additional components. The attachment point is typically at the base of the object.

Once the glass item is complete, it is detached from the pontil rod, leaving behind a mark or scar on the base. This mark can take various forms, such as a rough or irregular surface, a concave or slightly recessed area, or a small circular scar. The presence of a pontil mark indicates that the item was handcrafted rather than mass-produced.

Collectors and historians often use pontil marks as clues to determine the age, authenticity, and production methods of glass or ceramic pieces. Different types of pontil marks may suggest different techniques used in the production process. For example, an open pontil mark is one where the scar is left as an exposed, roughened area, while a closed pontil mark occurs when the scar is smoothed or covered in some way. It's important to note that not all handcrafted glass items have pontil marks, as some artisans developed alternative methods for finishing their work. In Edwardian times the pontil mark was oftern ground off leaving a concave circle in the centre of the base of the object.

The use of pontil marks diminished with the advent of industrialization and automated manufacturing processes in the 19th and 20th centuries.

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Pyx or Pyxis

A small round metal receptacle used to carry the Eucharist to the sick.

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Sulphide

A sulphide is a small opaque white medallion, usually depicting a figural group or a bust, made of china clay or glass paste and enclosed within transparent glass. Sulphides are found in paperweights, glass dumps (similar to paperweights) and jewellery.

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Tea Caddy

In the 17th century, tea was first introduced to Britain from the East Indies by the Dutch East India Company who had a monopoly on this trade, as well as some of the spices now in common use. As a result, the leaf tea from which the drink was made was an extremely expensive commodity, and so had to be appropriately stored and safeguarded. The tea caddy was devised for this purpose.

The first tea caddies, sometimes called tea canisters, as they were only single compartment vessels, were often of silver, and bottle shaped with a removable top that could be used to measure tea into the pot.

In the 18th century, taxes were imposed on tea making it even more expensive, and to safeguard the contents a lockable box was devised. The simple forms of these boxes had a removable receptacle to store the tea. The larger examples housed two receptacles side by side. The tea containers were often lined with a silver paper like substance presumably to protect the tea from moisture. The tea receptacles were often separated by a glass bowl, usually referred to in auction catalogues as the "mixing bowl" or "blending bowl", the idea being that each of the two containers held a different variety of tea, and they were blended in the bowl in proportions suitable to the maker, before being added to the teapot. Others, however, believe the bowl was used for sugar.

The most common material used for tea caddies in the 18th century was silver, and in the 19th century was wood, but tea caddies are also commonly seen finished in pewter, ivory, tortoise-shell, mother-of-pearl, brass, copper, papier mache and silver.

Befitting their status, the finest materials and craftmanship were used in the manufacture of tea caddies, emphasised by the complicated shapes which were variations on a square, rectangle or casket.

In 1784 the tax on tea was reduced from over 100% to 12.5%, and at the same time the monpoly on supply of tea by the Dutch East india Company was beginning to wane. As tea grew cheaper, there was less concern with safeguarding the contents, and as a result the of the tea caddy slowly declined. Most tea caddies avaiolable on the market were made before the mid 19th century.

A variation on the tea caddy is the teapoy, where a larger version of the tea caddy was mounted on a stem and base to form a small table.

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Vinaigrette

A fine sterling silver vinaigrette by Nathaniel Mills, Birmingham 1827, the cover chased and engraved with an imposing manor house.

A vinaigrette is a small tightly-lidded box, usually finely worked in gold, silver or enamel, with an often elaborate pierced grate beneath the outler lid, with the interior holding a sponge soaked in aromatic vinegar, its purpose being to disguise odours caused by poor hygiene and drainage. Vinaigrettes were used from the late 18th century until the late 19th century.

To prevent corrosion by the vinegar, the interior of the vinaigrette was usually gilded. Occasionally the grille is made of gold, a rare and desirable feature although often difficult to distinguish from gilt.

They were usually rectangular in shape, but are found in other shapes iincluding fish, bells, helmets, beehives books and so on. The most common material used was silver, but they were also made in other materials including precious stone, shell, ivory, enamel, agate, pearl and combinations of these.

Among the most collectable are the silver vinaigrettes known as "castle-tops" where the lid has an embossed image of a topographical scene including a recognisable castle, abbey or country house.

One of the most prolific makers of vinaigrettes was Nathaniel Mills & Sons of Birminham, who specialised in all types of boxes including snuff boxes and card cases.

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