Ernest Johnson Antiques

Eccentricities
~ Partial Inventory ~

A Charming 20th Century Austrian Cold-Painted Bronze Grouping, Circa 1920
Modelled as a frog and a duck huddling under an umbrella.
In original un-touched condition. Height: 1’

	*A Rare Early 20th Century ‘Black Forest’ Spirit Decanter. Swiss / Austrian, Circa 1920* The well proportioned, hand carved model of a seated bear featuring a removable head with glass eyes and a mouth fitted with a spout, set atop a body that encases its original glass liner. Height - 9.75”

An Amusing & Erotically Carved Wooden Nut Cracker, 20th Century
Length - 13.25”

An Early 20th Century ‘Trench Art’ Brass and Copper Snuff Box. British, Circa 1920
Modelled as an officer’s cap, the front centred by a badge with the British coat of arms bordered within a garter and bearing the motto for the Order of The Garter… "Honi soit qui mal y pense" (Shamed be he who thinks evil of it), the copper brim decorated with applied brass oak-leaf clusters, the hinged top opening to a burnished interior.
Height: 1.25”, Width: 2.5”, Depth: 2.75”

	*A Rare Black Forest Humidor Carved in the form of a Monkey’s Head.* Swiss, Circa 1900 The head with pierced ears, rising from a ruffled collar and wearing a cap – the hinged cap opening to a recessed interior, the face carved with an amusing expressive grin. Height - 6”

	*An Early 20th Century Novelty ‘Glove-Holder’ Swagger Stick. Austrian, Circa 1900* The fruitwood shaft terminating to a carved handle in the form of a monkey’s head having a sprung, articulated jaw. Length - 31”

A Miniature Set of Four Leather Bound Translation Dictionaries
Each measuring 3” high, with English translations to and from French, German, Italian and Spanish, bound in pebbled calfskin with marbleized edges and set within a brass gallery fitted with an accompanying faux tortoiseshell magnifying glass.
Published by Burgess & Bowes Ltd., London, England.

SOLD

	*An Amusing Anthropomorphic Earthenware Jug* The highly glazed body of baluster form and having a tri-corn spout, showing applied decoration modelled so as to depict a robust mustachioed figure. Height -10.5”

An Early 19th Century Anatomical Lithograph of a Skull
Titled ‘Malattie delle Articolazioni’ drawn by Antonio Muzzi (1815-1894), printed by Batelli, dated 1839.
This large plate originates from an ambitious 1839 treatise published in Bologna which dealt extensively with known examples of diseases and malformations of bone structures.
Printed on early 19th century woven paper with full margins and fronted by an acid free mat set within an ebonized frame. Dimensions, 16.5” x 10.5” (sight).

	A Highly Whimsical 20th Century Chalkware Fishbowl, Continental Circa 1930 The polychrome-painted figure of a young Dutch girl shown standing atop a naturalistically modelled rocky mound fishing above a globular glass fishbowl. Height 25.75" high.

*A Charming Group of Early 20th Century Dutch Silver (.835 fine) Miniatures* All bearing marks, the group consists of the following…
	*‘A Rotating Carousel’* 3.5" high
	*‘Woman on a Swing’* 2" high
	*The Balloon Seller’* 1.75" high
	*‘Boy on a Rocking Horse'* 2” long
	*‘Boy with Dog & Cart’* 2.5" long

A 19th Century Gothic-Inspired Pine Pulpit
The structure surrounded by richly carved & arched gothic panels intersected by vertical pillars, raised atop a conforming base accessed by an independent stepped platform. Circa 1890. Height - 70”

(This would make a highly interesting design element if incorporated into the access point of a stairwell or onto a 2nd floor landing)

SOLD

An Early 18th Century Double Bladed Brass Fleam
The twin steel blades and lancet set within a brass case, signed in script ‘Thomas Phillips’ Retaining it’s original wave-embossed leather sheath. Length 3.5”, sheath 3.75” English, Circa 1720 Distress to sheath consistent with age & use.

Fleams were bloodletting devices used to make an incision in a large vein. Used through the 17th to 19th century, occasionally on humans but most often as a veterinary tool.

SOLD

An Early 20th Century Hall Chair in Solid Ebony
The frame showing a richly carved back and seat with front supports carved in the form of elephant heads with ivory tusks. India, Circa 1920

SOLD

‘Skull’
A Carved Miniature Bone Model of a Human Skull Height: 1.25” Length: 1.75”

Ceremonial Set of Samurai Armour.

The set consists of a (kabuto) helmet, (mempo) face & neck plate, gilt & black lacquered (do) chest-plate, (o-sode) gauntlets, embroidered thigh guards and shin guards.

Japanese, Showa Period. (1926-1940) SOLD

A Most Unusual, Anthropomorphically Inspired Gilt Bronze Vide Poche
Previously affixed to a marble base. Height - 2.5” Width - 5.5”
Austrian or French, Circa 1920

A Finely Carved Hardwood Pipe-Bowl in the Form of a Turkish Man’s Face
Length: 5.25”. Continental, Circa 1900

An 18th Century Carved Burl Root Treen Figure
Height: 2.25” Length: 2.75”. Continental, Circa 1790

An Anglo Colonial Rosewood Truncheon
Initialed WRP on handle. Length: 18.5”
India or West Indies, Circa 1890

An Amusing 19th Century Gilt Bronze Table-Top Cigar Lighter
The bust of a satyr shown with a cigar in his mouth that serves as a wick holder, a hinged portion at the top of his head opening to a reservoir. Raised upon a turned & ebonized wooden column. Height: 7.25”.
Continental, probably French. Circa 1870

An Intriguing Treen Element Carved in the Form of a Human Skull
Purportedly carved by a tradesman from material excavated from HMS Victory during it’s restoration in dry-dock at Portsmouth in 1922. Height: 3” Length: 3.25” Width: 2.25”
Provenance: Purchased from a private collector who obtained directly from the carver’s family.

A Pair of Mid 20th Century Pal Bell Googie or Populuxe Bronze Ashtrays. The bodies with dimpled interiors and classic verdigris-enameled exteriors, raised on twin pronged supports. Designed by industrial designer Maurice Ascalon (1913-2003). Height: 3”. Israel, Circa 1950.

An Early 20th Century Cold-Painted Bronze of a Lovebird. The lovebird perched atop a ‘bird-bath’ fashioned from a scallop shell raised atop a painted pewter base. The underside of the bird’s tail marked Geschutzt. Austria, Circa 1920. Height: 5.75”

A Finely Cast Viennese Gilt-Bronze Figure of a Belgian Griffon.

The underside stamped Vienna, ST.B (Makers marks for Sefan Buchinger).

Circa 1900. H - 3:” L - 2.75”.

Viennese bronzes decorated entirely in gilt are relatively rare as most were finished in ‘cold-painted’ detail.

Four Early 20th Century Vienna Bronze Miniatures in Original Parcel Gilt & Cold-Painted Detail. Circa 1910.

	A Reclining Arab Smoking a Pipe, marked Austria Geschutzt. 1.8” high x 2.25” long SOLD
	A Grouping of a Reclining Arab and Donkey, marked Austria Geschutzt. 1.5” high x 2.25” long SOLD
	A Kneeling Arab Smoking a Pipe, marked Geschutzt. 1.75” high x 1.75” long SOLD
	A Grouping of a Standing Arab and Donkey, marked Austria. 2” high x 2.25” SOLD

	A Finely Carved Ivory Okimono of Mice and a Snake. The pair of mice shown ripping open an ear of corn, exposing a re-coiling snake. The bodies of the mice finely scored so as to replicate hair, the eyes with stained pupils. Japanese, Meiji Period (1868-1911). Height: 2.5” Width: 2.25”