The Magazine Antiques

The Magazine Antiques The official page of The Magazine ANTIQUES. www.themagazineantiques.com America’s premier fine and decorative arts publication since 1922

At first glance it resembles a lavish jewel box, but this extraordinary bonbonnière is actually a miniature Steinkabinet...
12/05/2025

At first glance it resembles a lavish jewel box, but this extraordinary bonbonnière is actually a miniature Steinkabinett — a “cabinet of stones” distilled into palm-sized form. Crafted in gold and set with a mosaic of carefully selected hardstones, the surface becomes a glowing geological tapestry: each polished panel a tiny window into the obsession with natural wonders that gripped 18th-century collectors.

Johann Christian Neuber, Bonbonnière, Gold and hardstones (Steinkabinett mosaic inlay), c. 1780s,


Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary⁠.

In the second episode of the season, Host Benjamin Miller is joined by Laura Kugel of the Galerie Kugel in Paris to di...
12/04/2025

In the second episode of the season, Host Benjamin Miller is joined by Laura Kugel of the Galerie Kugel in Paris to discuss the fascinating art of enameling from Limoges, France.

Described by the poet Théophile Gautier in 1866 as “the immarcescible (indestructible) enamel”, these objects from the Renaissance still look as fresh today as they did when they emerged from the kiln all those years ago.

Coveted by the likes of Givenchy, J.P. Morgan and Yves Saint Laurent, these objects remain popular even today.

Listen in via the link in bio to learn more about these delightful creations.

In the second Curious Objects episode of the season, Host Benjamin Miller is joined by Laura Kugel of the Galerie Kugel ...
12/04/2025

In the second Curious Objects episode of the season, Host Benjamin Miller is joined by Laura Kugel of the Galerie Kugel in Paris to discuss the fascinating art of enameling from Limoges, France. Described by the poet Théophile Gautier in 1866 as “the immarcescible (indestructible) enamel”, these objects from the Renaissance still look as fresh today as they did when they emerged from the kiln all those years ago.

Coveted by the likes of Givenchy, J.P. Morgan and Yves Saint Laurent, these objects remain popular even today.

Listen in via the link in bio to learn more about these delightful creations.

We’ve all been there: the cake has been cut, and now it’s time for the ice cream. . . but its frozen solid. Time to reac...
12/04/2025

We’ve all been there: the cake has been cut, and now it’s time for the ice cream. . . but its frozen solid. Time to reach for the ice cream hatchet. This delightfully theatrical ice-cream server transforms a hatchet into a piece of refined table silver, marrying whimsy with true Victorian practicality. Crafted in sterling by Philadelphia’s Vansant & Co. in the 1870s, the blade was designed to cut cleanly through firm ice cream, while the elongated handle offered both balance and a dash of tongue-in-cheek drama.

Vansant & Co., Sterling silver, c. 1870s,


Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary⁠.

This Victorian pocket watch, designed to be worn as a pendant, is housed in a stunning vivd red guilloché enamel case — ...
12/03/2025

This Victorian pocket watch, designed to be worn as a pendant, is housed in a stunning vivd red guilloché enamel case — created by layering translucent enamel over fine, engine-turned metal. This produces a luminous, rippling surface that shifts with the light.

Watch pendant, Guilloché enamel, gold, diamonds, c. 1890,


Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary⁠.

This hanging basket takes the form of a cicada, rendered through an intricate combination of twining, openwork square pl...
12/02/2025

This hanging basket takes the form of a cicada, rendered through an intricate combination of twining, openwork square plaiting, and bundled plaiting in bamboo with accents of rattan, wood, and metal. Likely produced in the Kansai region of Japan between roughly 1915 and 1950, during the Taishō or early Shōwa period, the basket’s finely structured weave balances sculptural presence with functional lightness.

Basket in the form of a cicada, Bamboo (madake variety), rattan, wood, metal; twining, openwork square plaiting, bundled plaiting, c. 1915–1950,


Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary⁠.

This intriguing dealer’s sample kit — a painted tin case from circa 1920s-1940s — houses eight illuminated neon tubes, e...
12/01/2025

This intriguing dealer’s sample kit — a painted tin case from circa 1920s-1940s — houses eight illuminated neon tubes, each approximately 10″ long, connected to a working power cord, allowing potential clients to compare neon colours and the dynamic glow in real time. Despite some expected wear, it is a rare survival of early neon-light marketing and industrial design.

Neon lighting sample kit, Painted tin box with neon tubes, c. 1920s-1940s,


Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary⁠.

This early-Georgian English s***f box, dated circa 1709, pairs gentlemanly refinement with a delightfully pointed warnin...
11/30/2025

This early-Georgian English s***f box, dated circa 1709, pairs gentlemanly refinement with a delightfully pointed warning: “IF YOU LOVE MEE LEND MEE NOT.” Set into the lid’s octagonal inlay, the motto suggests that affection has limits—especially when it comes to one’s s***f.
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English s***f box with inlaid motto, c. 1709,
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Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary⁠.

This striking glass and wrought-iron piece designed by Umberto Bellotto and produced circa 1920 for Vetreria Artistica B...
11/29/2025

This striking glass and wrought-iron piece designed by Umberto Bellotto and produced circa 1920 for Vetreria Artistica Barovier (Murano) displays the iconic synthesis of bold form and material contrast that defined Venetian applied arts in the early 20th century. Bellotto’s signature technique—developed after his 1910 patent for the “connubio di ferro e vetro” (combination of wrought iron and glass)—is evident in the strong architectural outline of the object, the rich polychrome murrine decor applied to the blown glass body, and the dark-glass rim and handles that echo the iron framework.

Umberto Bellotto, Vase, Blown glass with applied murrine, black glass rims/handles and wrought-iron framework, c. 1920, Camba Casi D’Aste


Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary⁠.

This engraved nautilus shell commemorates two landmark vessels of early British steam navigation: the Great Western (lau...
11/28/2025

This engraved nautilus shell commemorates two landmark vessels of early British steam navigation: the Great Western (launched 1837) and the Great Britain (launched 1843). Its surface is meticulously incised with each ship’s dimensions and tonnage, alongside heraldic emblems including the Prince of Wales’s badge with the motto Ich Dien and the arms of the United States—a nod to the transatlantic reach of Victorian maritime ambition.

Engraved nautilus shell, after 1845,


Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary⁠.

This striking vase by the master enameller Namikawa Yasuyuki exemplifies the extraordinary artistry of Japan’s Meiji per...
11/27/2025

This striking vase by the master enameller Namikawa Yasuyuki exemplifies the extraordinary artistry of Japan’s Meiji period cloisonné tradition. Around 1910-15, just before his retirement, Yasuyuki crafted this piece—its cylindrical form widening toward the base to depict a dramatic waterfall cascading over rocks and plants. The scene is rendered with sculpted silver and shakudō wire over layers of rich blue, green, and brown enamel, an approach that transforms the wirework from mere divider into expressive relief.

Namikawa Yasuyuki, Vase, Metal with shakudō and inlaid silver wire, cloisonné enamel, c. 1910-1915,


Since 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has explored the world of collecting, with inspiring profiles, groundbreaking research, unexpected genres, and consequential commentary.

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Since its inception in 1922, The Magazine ANTIQUES has been America’s premier publication on the fine and decorative arts, architecture, preservation, and interior design. Each bimonthly issue includes regular columns on current exhibitions, personalities in the field, notes on collecting, book reviews, and more.