Vintage Treasures

An archive of beautiful, rare, and collected art 🏛️ 🖼️ Art History 🔗 Explore the collection on Instagram

[vintage-treasures]

Portrait of a Woman, said to be of Simonetta Vespucci, tempera on panel (ca. 1480) Piero di Cosimo (Italian, 1462–1522) presents a striking profile often identified as Simonetta Vespucci, the legendary muse of Botticelli. Simonetta features an elaborate, pearl-entwined hairstyle. A small snake curls around her gold necklace, a connection to the death of Cleopatra or an allegory of wisdom.

Dark clouds and a dead tree in the background serve as quiet reminders of a life already concluded at the young age of 23. The inscription "SIMONETTA IANVENSIS VESPVCCIA" translates to "Simonetta Vespucci of Genoa". It appears at the base in a style mimicking letters carved into wood or stone, a trompe l'oeil technique famously perfected by Northern masters, such as Jan van Eyck. Loc. Musée Condé, Chantilly, France. Dim. 57 cm H x 42 cm W (22.4 x 16.5 in.).

[vintage-treasures]

The Angel of the Annunciation, oil on panel (1527) Lorenzo Lotto (ca. 1480–1556) rendered Gabriel as an iridescent, almost incorporeal figure against a dark background. This 1527 painting is the left upper panel of the Ponteranica Polyptych, a six-panel series produced for the parish church of San Vincenzo e Sant'Alessandro.

While Lotto lived during the High Renaissance, his work possesses a restless energy that distinguishes it from the balanced perfection of contemporaries like Raphael. The painting uses a vibrant, contrasting color palette, with the luminous pinks and greens of the angel’s robes emerging sharply from the shadows. While it maintains the Renaissance's logical space, the elongated, ethereal quality of the figure and the intense, artificial lighting signal a shift toward Mannerism. Dim. 75 cm H x 55 cm W (29 1/2 x 21 5/8 in.). Loc. Church of Saints Alessandro and Vincenzo, Ponteranica, Italy.

[vintage-treasures]

King René’s Honeymoon Cabinet. Oak inlaid painted panels (1860–1862) John Pollard Seddon (British, 1827–1906) designed this architectural desk for his office to house professional drawings. Manufactured by his father’s firm, Thomas Seddon, the piece features ten painted panels commissioned from Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.

These panels depict the arts through scenes from the life of King René of Anjou and Jeanne de Laval, inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s medieval romance. The cabinet represents a landmark collaboration of the Pre-Raphaelite circle, merging Gothic Revival structure with the romantic medievalism of the burgeoning Arts and Crafts movement. Loc. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. Dim. 278.6 cm H x 140 cm W (109 5/8 x 55 1/8 in.).

[vintage-treasures]

Saint Mary Magdalene before a curtain supported by angels (ca. 1525–1550) This oil on panel is a masterpiece by the anonymous Flemish artist (or a collaborative workshop) known as the Master of the Parrot. Active in Antwerp and possibly Bruges, the artist gained their nickname from several paintings showing the infant Christ playing with or feeding a colorful parrot.

Famous art historian Max Jakob Friedländer coined the name in 1949. He grouped together 15 distinct, unsigned paintings that shared the exact same stylistic quirks and visual themes. This work depicts Mary Magdalene not as a mourning figure, but as a repentant disciple, wearing a bejeweled velvet gown with slashed sleeves. The painting demonstrates the influence of Romanism, specifically the Italianate style of the generation following Quentin Metsys and Bernard van Orley. The figure’s oval face and alabaster complexion show a clear Leonardesque influence, while the elongated, delicate fingers reflect the Mannerist taste for elegant, idealized proportions.

Loc. Private Collection (Sold via Christie's, New York, June 2011). Dim. 73.6 cm H x 58.4 cm W (29 x 23 in.).

[vintage-treasures]

Turquoise-Ground Famille Rose Double Gourd Triple-Necked Vase, porcelain (1736–1795) Chinese porcelain vase produced during the Qianlong period (1736–1795. It features a six-character incised seal mark in gilt. The triple-conjoined double-gourd form represents fecundity and continuity, specifically the auspicious idiom guadie mianmian (a wish for endless generations).

This work was part of the Charles Soong (Chinese, 1861–1918) Family Collection and exemplifies the technical refinement of 18th-century imperial kilns. Loc. Private Collection. Dim. 33.7 cm H (13 1/4 in. H).

[vintage-treasures]

Barine, oil on canvas (1894) Edward John Poynter (British, 1836–1919) portrays Barine, the calculating beauty from the eighth ode of Horace’s second book. In Roman literature, she is a formidable femme fatale who grows more captivating with every broken promise and lie.

She is captured tearing a love letter in two. The cord securing the letter is rendered as a broken ouroboros, a snake eating its tail, symbolizing the end of what was promised to be infinite love. She wears a wreath of red roses, a traditional symbol of passion that contrasts with her detached, almost mocking expression. The painting is a primary example of High Victorian Classicism. Every element, from the cool marble column to the Barine's garment, reflects a rigorous academic approach to historical reconstruction. Through structural harmony and balanced light, Poynter connects the 19th-century viewer to the aesthetic ideals of antiquity. Loc. Private Collection (Via private sales and direct family/collector lineage). Dim. 63.5 cm H x 47 cm W (25 x 18 1/2 in.).

[vintage-treasures]

Casket, shell cameo, Macassar ebony (ca. 1875) These cameos, probably carved in a Neapolitan workshop, are based on ancient models as well as on works of the neoclassical sculptors Antonio Canova (1757–1822) and Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844). They are mounted in an ebony casket from the London firm Garrard & Co. Loc. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA. Dim. 32.1 cm H x 30.5 cm W (12 5/8 x 12 x 8 1/4 in.).

[vintage-treasures]

King Lear, Act I, Scene I - Cordelia's Farewell. Oil on canvas (1898) Edwin Austin Abbey (American, 1852–1911) painted this large-scale canvas depicting the opening of Shakespeare's tragedy. Abbey captures the climactic fallout of King Lear’s "love test." After Cordelia refuses to join her sisters, Goneril and Regan, in hollow public flattery, Lear disowns her and exits the scene.

While the Duke of Burgundy rejects the dowerless princess, the King of France, moved by her integrity, kisses her hand and pledges to marry her for her virtues alone. The painting won a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Abbey uses a symbolic color strategy to define the conflict, Cordelia is bathed in a luminous, pale yellow, signifying purity, while her treacherous sisters are draped in heavy reds and blacks that anchor their malice. Belonging to the American Academic Realism movement, the piece reflects the dramatic, stage-like composition and rich textile detail of the late British Victorian era. Loc. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. Dim. 137.2 x 322.9 cm (54 1/8 x 127 1/8 in.).

[vintage-treasures]

Chandelier, blown glass (ca. 1899) Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, 1848–1933) designed this leaded glass shade for the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. The piece features a bold zigzag pattern inspired by Native American basketry.

Originally created for the home of Robert and Emily de Forest, the design was chosen by Tiffany to complement their collection of Pueblo pottery. The chandelier represents an intersection of the Arts and Crafts movement and Indigenous American aesthetics. By translating woven textures into translucent blown glass, the firm bridged the gap between functional craft and high art. Loc. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA. Dim. 37.8 cm H x 66.7 cm W (14 7/8 x 26 1/4 in.).

[vintage-treasures]

Self-Portrait in an Interior. Oil on Canvas (ca. 1880–1890) Alfred Guillou (French, 1844–1926), co-founder of the Concarneau art colony, steps away from his famous Breton maritime scenes to capture an intimate glimpse of his own creative sanctuary.

Associated with late 19th-century Naturalism, this canvas rejects rigid studio idealism in favor of an unvarnished slice of the artist's daily life. The composition relies on a vibrant, warm color palette, rich crimson walls, and a gilded neoclassical table. A hanging crystal chandelier, framed artwork, and sculpted busts complete the upscale, academic aesthetic. Loc. Private Collection. Dim. 57.2 cm x 46.4 cm (22.5 in x 18.25 in)

[vintage-treasures]

Victory, marble sculpture (1851) Christian Daniel Rauch (German, 1777–1857) depicted the winged Nike just as she prepares to toss an oak wreath to a champion. This "Garland-hurling Victory" was his favorite design because it moved away from rigid military imagery to a more human and graceful goddess.

Queen Victoria of England (1819–1901) purchased this version at the Great Exhibition of 1851. She gave it to Prince Albert (1819–1861) as a birthday gift, enjoying the pun on her own name and the mythological figure. Loc. Osborne House, Isle of Wight. Dim. 214.0 cm H x 104.0 cm W x 70.0 cm D (84.3 x 40.9 x 27.6 in.)

[vintage-treasures]

The Two Crowns, oil on canvas (1900) Sir Frank Dicksee (British, 1853–1928) debuted this grand historical painting at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1900, where it was voted the most popular work of the year. The scene shows a victorious medieval king entering a city in a grand parade, surrounded by cheering crowds and young women throwing flowers.

The ruler, wearing golden armor and a physical crown of earthly power, suddenly stops and looks at a crucifix positioned above the street. The title refers to the central moral conflict of the piece. It highlights the fleeting, material crown of worldly success versus the spiritual crown of thorns represented by the figure of Christ. This contrast serves as a memento mori, reminding the powerful of the transience of earthly glory. Dicksee’s meticulous attention to the textures of polished steel, embroidered silk, and scattered rose petals exemplifies the late Victorian taste for Romanticism and the influence of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’s detailed aesthetic. Loc. Tate Britain, London (Presented by the Trustees of the Chantrey Bequest 1900). Dim. 231.1 cm H x 182.9 cm W (91 x 72 in.).

[vintage-treasures]

Gourd-Shaped Sake Bottle (Tokkuri). Porcelain (18th Century) Made during Japan's Edo period, this Arita ware sake bottle (tokkuri) features a classic gourd shape, a traditional symbol of good fortune. The piece is incredibly rare because it combines two difficult firing techniques, a blue underglaze cobalt painting of a sacred jewel and low-relief carved flowers, all finished under a soft green celadon glaze.

Loc. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Dim. H. 19.1 cm (7.5 in)

[vintage-treasures]

The Swan Maidens, oil on canvas (1894). Walter Crane (English, 1845–1915) In ancient folklore, a swan maiden is a magical being who transforms from a bird into a human by shedding her feathered robe. If a man steals her feathers while she is bathing, she is forced to marry him and loses her power to fly again.

Instead of depicting the danger or the hunter, Walter Crane paints a peaceful sanctuary. He focuses entirely on a safe moment of sisterhood, showing the women gathering on a calm lily pond as they unwrap themselves from their massive, soft wings. As a leading figure of the Arts and Crafts and Aesthetic movements, Crane rejected the hyper-realistic painting styles of his era to prioritize pure visual harmony. Inspired by a trip to the Bayreuth opera festival and Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Crane flattened the spatial depth, weaving the drooping willow branches and arching wings into rhythmic, wallpaper-like patterns. The soft, chalky palette mimics the texture of medieval frescoes, intentionally evoking a pre-industrial past. Loc. Private Collection (Sold at Christie's in 2020). Dim. 152.5 cm H x 117 cm W (60 x 46 in.).

[vintage-treasures]

Chinese Dragon Archaistic Incense Burner and Cover. Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period (1735–1795)

The Cloisonné technique consists of soldering thin metal wires into the bronze body to create individual cells. These are then filled with colored glass pastes and fired at high temperatures.

The vessel is modeled after the archaic bronze xu form. The complex layout pairs zoomorphic, gilt-bronze feet and handles with a brightly enameled body. This vessel was used during formal state rituals and court assemblies within the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Loc. Private Collection (sold at Sotheby's, 2026). Dim. Width. 18.0 cm (7.1 in)

[vintage-treasures]

Allegory of Music (The Muse Erato). Tempera on Poplar Panel (ca. 1500). Filippino Lippi (Italian, ca. 1457–1504), son of Filippo Lippi, centers this High Renaissance composition on Erato, the Muse of lyric poetry. The goddess tames a large swan with a ribbon, aided by two winged putti.

Because the swan belongs to Apollo, the god of music, whose raw inspiration can be wild and chaotic, Erato’s act of restraining it with a soft ribbon symbolizes how poetic meter, rhythm, and artistic structure master these overwhelming impulses. Nearby, a pan flute rests near an exotic lyre fashioned from a stag skull and antlers. A cool, luminous color scheme heightens the dreamlike atmosphere. Loc. Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Dim. 62.5 cm x 51.8 cm (24.6 in x 20.3 in)

[vintage-treasures]

Brooch, gold, opal, and enamel (ca. 1900) Herman Marcus (American, 1828–1899) and his firm, Marcus and Co., crafted this Egyptian Revival piece during a period of intense interest in ancient treasures. The brooch features a large white opal set in a gold frame adorned with a scarab at the top, Egyptian figures on each side, and a stylized ibis below.

Unfurled wings and lotus blossoms are decorated in red, blue, and green enamels, reflecting motifs believed to offer protection and eternal life. Marcus, a German immigrant, applied his knowledge of art and mythology to his designs after working at Tiffany and Co. and Black, Starr and Frost. As authentic ancient Egyptian jewelry was scarce, Marcus and Co. created high-quality interpretations to meet the era's demand. Loc. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA. Dim. 7.9 cm H x 7 cm W (3 1/8 x 2 3/4 in.).