Thursday, December 22, 2011

Gold


French first Empire carved and gold leafed Fire screen with it’s original silk & wool petit pont circa 1800-1810. Attributed the firm of Jacob-Desmalter and possibly a Imperial  piece of furniture. Beautiful detail of the Neoclassical carvings of Honeysuckle and rosettes, Mellow color of the original 22k gold leaf. From my collection.



My fascination with gold. I’m sharing items from my antique collection that are made of gold, Gold leafed are golden in color. I love gold! I have always loved it ever since I was small. Gold has been a valuable and highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since long before the beginning of recorded history. Gold standards have been the most common basis for monetary policies throughout human history, being widely supplanted by fiat currency only in the late 20th century.




Gold is the most malleable and ductile of all metals; a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of 1 square meter, or an ounce into 300 square feet. Gold leaf can be beaten thin enough to become translucent. The transmitted light appears greenish blue, because gold strongly reflects yellow and red. In medieval times, gold was often seen as beneficial for the health, in the belief that something so rare and beautiful could not be anything but healthy.

Even some modern esotericists and forms of alternative medicine assign metallic gold a healing power. Gold flake was used by the nobility in Medieval Europe as a decoration in food and drinks, in the form of leaf, flakes or dust, either to demonstrate the host's wealth or in the belief that something that valuable and rare must be beneficial for one's health. Colloidal gold is also the form of gold used as gold paint on ceramics prior to firing. Gold can be made into thread and used in embroidery. Gold produces a deep, intense red color when used as a coloring agent in cranberry glass.


Beautiful detail of the Neoclassical carvings of a early 19th century French Empire Fire screen, Mellow color of the original 22c gold leaf. From my collection.

Beautiful detail of the Neoclassical carvings of a early 19th century French Empire Fire screen, Mellow color of the original 22c gold leaf. From my collection.

Beautiful detail of the Neoclassical carvings of a early 19th century French Empire Fire screen, Mellow color of the original 22c gold leaf. From my collection.

5th President James Monroe’s Classical mammogram on French porcelain used by him in the White House.



A gilt bronze French tie back and the ornate base of a gold leaf pier mirror


 
A Napoleon lll gold leaf Oval mirror reflecting a Empire dresser and Federal mirror in my bedroom.


 
A collection of gold Victorian brooches displayed on "Cheveux de la Reine" silk fabric made in Lyon France in the golden strawberry blond hair color of French Queen Marie Antoinette

Detail of 18th century French ivory engagement fan with 22k yellow, green and rose gold inlay. A madden freeing birds from a cage      

Detail of 18th century French ivory engagement fan with 22k yellow, green and rose gold inlay. A Dandy holding a flute

Detail of 18th century French ivory engagement fan with 22k yellow, green and rose gold inlay. A madden freeing birds from a cage      

A ornate mid 19th century French Napoleon lll Carcel gilt brass lamp  

A gilt butterfly on a 1830’s Jacob Petit porcelain dessert plate   

A 1830’s French Old Paris porcelain brooch with ornate 18k gold frame

The back of a gold mourning/ sentimental brooch engraved and dated 1816

The 22k gold fired interior of a 1830’s Old Paris Romanic period cup

A mid 19th century engraved gold brook with golden color citrine in center  

A French aristocratic 22k gold leaf monogram on 18th century bookbinding    

A mid 19th century English Victorian gold and citrine  brooch

18th century miniature on ivory in rose gold frame.


A 18th century French Old Paris porcelain coffee can and saucer decorated in bug and butterfly pattern with gilt details and sprigs.



Detail of gold gilt decoration on the top of a ornate Old Paris porcelain vase.



A 1830's Romantic period French church banner with gold thread embroidery



A 1830's Romantic period French church banner with gold thread embroidery



A 1830's Romantic period French church banner with gold thread embroidery



A 1820's Classical Baltimore gold leaf mirror

A French gold stick pin

The Royal seal of Marie Antoinette by Pierre-Joseph Lorthior. Signed Lorthior and dated 1774.  24-karat mercury gold ormolu. These  seals were given by Marie Antoinette to close friends.  

A pair of period Empire drapery tie backs in 24-karat mercury gold ormolu and bronze with classical profiles of Roman soldiers   

Mid 19th century Old Paris porcelain gilt decoration  

Gold tone classical wallpaper border

A French Empire  clock in 24-karat mercury gold ormolu with two Charles X Old Paris porcelain coffee cups in front painted to look like tulips with gold background



A  French Napoleon lll carved gilt wood drapery tie back  

A American Daguerreotype of a young gentleman in a Rococo Revival gold frame   

A 18th century gold miniature locket case in engraved gold

A 18th century  miniature on ivory in gold  locket case

My two baby’s now in Heaven golden blonde on there favorite mid 19th century New Orleans Rosewood sofa covered in gold velvet   

Me with a golden background of gold leaf columns in the Paris Opera house

My personal home alter with early 19th century carved  gilt wood alter candlesticks

A gold gilt 1820's New York city made tea set displayed on a 1820's Baltimore fancy pier table

A gold gilt 18th century French tea pot made at Marie Antoinette's porcelain factory.



Top of a ornate Rococo Revival gold leaf pier mirror



Detail of a American Rococo Revival frame


A large ornate Old Paris porcelain vase trimmed in gold gilding.    

4 comments:

  1. You have some beautiful things, there.

    I particularly love the 18th century miniature on ivory in rose gold frame. And the 1830s French Old Paris porcelain brooch with ornate 18k gold frame. Because the objects are so small, the painting is extremely fine and the gold is equally delicate. The 18th century miniature on ivory in gold locket case is almost as fine.

    Happy holidays :)

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  2. Quite remarkable, beautiful things! I especially love the 18th century oval miniature - and the fire screen I adore; even if it turned out that the attribution isn't what we'd hope, it's still a - perfect - example of that period. I'm quite jealous! : )

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  3. Thanks Hels and Stephitius! Merry Christmas to you both. I love miniatures.

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  4. Hi Stephilius the fire screen was a great find! I can easily Attributed the fire screen to the firm of Jacob-Desmalter as similar screens with the same carving as my screen are by them. The screen part is suppose to easily slide up and out. My screen is lose but something is making it stick. The piece might be signed on the inside of this part, or not as not every piece of a large suite of furniture were marked. I think it might be a Imperial piece because of the Imperial Eagle in the center of the original needlepoint and the carvings on the screen are the same on furniture made for Josephine's private apartment at Fontainebleau. I'm contacting a specialist in France that is familiar with Imperial furniture.

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