Some Lovely & Unusual Antique Miniatures Now For Sale

Today I have put up for sale one or two quite rare antique dolls house treasures and other miniature items that don't come along that often in such good condition. Some have been snapped up immediately but some at the time of writing this blog are still for sale. 

cLate 1800s/Early 1900s Art Nouveau Statuette & Mirror

I have been deliberating for days on whether to keep this gorgeous and rare Art Nouveau German statuette holding a mirror. But then I decided that as I have no suitable place to display it, it deserves to go to a new home where it can shine:)

She is marked GERMANY underneath and came with a collection of antique dolls house items dated from the late 1800s right through to the 1930s. I suspect that this dates from the late 1800s/early 1900s as it is very much in the Art Nouveau style. But I have never seen one like this before, and even after much research, I still have not been able to identify the maker. 

But she is magnificent. The main stand of the mirror appears to be a trunk of a tree (perhaps?) and as it rises, it branches out to support the mirror. The lady statuette has a long dress and hair in a bun. If anyone out there can identify the German maker, please do get in touch. When I first saw it I assumed that it had been made by Erhard & Sohne but I cannot find anything quite like it in all the literature I have about that company. So this is a bit of a mystery.

UPDATE: Thank you to the lovely lady from New Zealand who emailed to tell me that the statuette  was modelled on a famous dancer called Loie Fuller.  Apparently she had many statuettes based on her during the Art Nouveau period, both small and real life size. Sadly though, we still do not know who the maker is of this gorgeous mirror.

Amongst some other little treasures just put up for sale today is a cherry wooden Schneegas washstand and towel rail.

c1900s Schneegas Washstand & Towel Rail

Collectors of old dolls house furniture will instantly recognise this as a c1900s Schneegas piece, with marble top and back. Isn't it fabulous!

Even the tiny decorative metal handles are pretty!

There is a matching decorative towel rail made from delightfully turned wooden struts. Lovely!

Other items listed include a large scale bone brush and comb, plus an antique homemade sateen and thread covered wire screen.

All these can be found on the Bedroom Page.

Early 1900s German Wooden Piano & Stool

I have seen various pieces of furniture in this style by a German company but never a piano with stool quite like this before.

It is in a super condition and looks hardly played with. Even the original paper keys are still intact. I love the fretwork cut out front with a reddish stained piece of backing wood - gives a lovely effect.

It is quite a chunky piece so would suit an antique dolls house where scale does not matter or perhaps a larger scale dolls house

Antique German Soft Metal Rack & Glass Condiment Set

It is so refreshing to have one of these condiment sets which is fully intact. So often bits are broken or lost on these sets. 

This set consists of a soft metal rack with a vinegar bottle that has a tiny glass stopper which slots into the top. Plus there are two other bottles with metal tops that have holes in - these being the salt and pepper pots.

I love the crinkled effect on the exterior of the bottles, is so pretty.
All these can be found on the Living & Dining Room Page.

c1900s German Bisque Mignonette Dolls

Aren't these beauties! They have long hair and tiny coloured glass eyes. I love them...and these are some other old miniature delights that I have been deliberating over! Shall I let them go or shan't I?

In the end, my head ruled my heart and decided I will have to bid farewell to them. I am supposed to be running a business here and I just can't keep everything! :)

This little German doll has her original dress, silk I think, and she is in a good played with condition

However, she has been sitting down for so long....years I suspect, that her dress sticks up in the shape that she has been sitting in..it is probably a relief for her to be standing up!

This little doll has her original green fabric dress that has some smocking at the front. She also has a crocheted  hat, which she came with but I have no idea if it is original to her. It certainly looks to be very old.

She does have some slight damage to the top of her right foot and this is reflected in her price...but it has hardly noticeable, as she is so pretty.

At the time of writing this, these are currently up for sale on the Old Dolls Page.

I hope you have enjoyed taking a peek at these little treasures.

These and lots more can be found on www.ktminiatures.com
Celia

Some Not So Old Dolls House Furniture - But Still Little Treasures In Their Own Right!

Every so often, I find myself the owner of some not so old dolls house miniatures, which come as a job lot along with gorgeous antique and vintage mini delights. Well yesterday I put up for sale two such lots...and quite different from the dolls house items that I usually sell. But each set of furniture in their own right, are little treasures and both sets are in 1/12th scale. 

Old Style Chairs - Painted Plastic!

The previous owner told me that many years ago, she just happened to be passing the Hermes shop in King Street - Manchester, and saw these chairs in the shop window as part of a display, discretely placed among the most exquisite and rather expensive silk scarves. She said that they looked just right in that setting. However, when she passed again later, the window was being re-dressed. So she went in to enquire about them, and was told that they were going to be thrown out...so she had them!

When I first saw a photo of these sent by the previous owner, at first glance I thought they were the real deal! And others must have thought they were too, especially whilst they were being used to display high ended luxury silk scarves. But no, these four chairs are painted plastic and the upholstered fabric seats have been painted too - probably by the shop window dresser purely for that particular window display. 

However, even though they are just painted plastic, I think they are fabulous! And ideal for use in an old dolls house. Even though the paintwork is now a bit patchy, they still look great and I think it just adds character to the overall effect. 

At the time of writing this blog, these are available under the Living & Dining Room Page.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

c1980s  Reproduction Chinese Black Lacquered Furniture

When I first saw these not so old pieces of black painted furniture with gold decoration, I did not have a clue quite how modern they were. By chance as I was flicking through the pages of Margaret Towner's book "DOLLS HOUSE FURNITURE",  on page 61 I found a coloured photo of that same furniture which helped shed some light on these pieces. And they were a little older than I first thought.

Margaret refers to these as "one of two wooden products worth a mention for their adherence to the traditions of their respective countries." She goes onto say that from the Chinese People's Republic during the 1980's came a series of charming sets in imitation black lacquer with gold decoration, copying the furniture exported from China during the 19th century. 

However, Margaret does warn in her book that some of these Chinese furniture sets have been found to have been "antiqued" by unscrupulous people trying to pass them off as very old - so please be warned! But they have been quite well made and are nicely decorated, and in the right miniature setting could look super. 

I was not sure which category to put this assorted furniture set under, as they individually could be used in a variety of rooms, so I decided to put them under the General Section, which at the time of writing this blog, were still available.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW