French Boulle Style Tea Caddy, rectangular with cut-corners and slightly domed lid with all sides and two interior lids extensively inlaid with engraved brass and red and black colored lacquer simulating tortoise-shell in the 17th century manner. Circa 1850.

Provenance: The Cockrell Collection. (Key). (See our #555 for a related example with blue lacquer ground.) See Clark & O’Kelly, p. 109-10 for related boxes. Height, 4.5”; Length, 8.75”; Depth, 4.5.”

Rare Chinese Export Child’s Black Lacquer Tea Caddy with stepped lid and shaped body having gilt decoration of figures in courtyards and raised on carved dragon form feet. Circa 1820-1830. See our #581, #701 and #702 for related examples.
5.25” x 3.75” x 4”

Rare Antique Chinese Export red lacquer melon-form tea caddy with six loebed sides, three gilt dragon paw feet, gilt decoration of figures in gardens on body and hinged lid with carved “stem,” opening to a similarly shaped tin liner. Circa 1825. Height, 5.5”; Diameter, 6.25” Gourds and mellons had a particular significance in Chinese culture.

See: ”Antique Boxes”by Clark and O’Kelly, figure #238 and our #620 for a similar example.

#530 Antique Anglo-Indian Tea Chest, sandalwood overlaid with strips of elk horn. The box is rectangular with sloped sides. The elk horn on the top of the stepped, sloping lid arranged in a starburst pattern. The fitted interior is decorated with incised ivory panels, highlighted with lac, a similarly decorated pair of removable caddies and a circular cut crystal sugar bowl and a horn caddy spoon. (The squashed ball feet are later replacements. Lid lack support). Valtair, Vizagapatam, possibly by Chinniah, ca. 1840-50. See: Furniture from British India and Ceylon by Amin Jaffer, #61 for a similar workbox. Exhibited: The 48th Washington Antiques Show, “Inside and Outside the Box.” Height, 9”; Width, 14.75”; Depth, 8.5”.

Julius Montalant, American 1823-1878.

View of a Harbor

oil on canvas, signed l.l.

Painting: 11 x 18.
Frame: 18 x 25.

Provenance: The Lowell/Putnam Estate

Born in Virginia, probably Norfolk, Julius Montalant is known for his drawings and paintings inspired by his travels on board navy ships.

Attached to the USS St. Louis around 1844-45, he sketched ports of call he visited, including Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, and China.  Many of his works are held in the Museum of the U.S. Naval Academy.  Navy records indicate his rank as 'C. Clerk', which may mean that he held a civilian position.

During the 1850s he lived in Philadelphia, and in 1851-61 he exhibited at the Philadelphia Art Union and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.  Included were paintings of North America, Greece, China, France, Italy, and South America. The 'tropical' scenes were apparently based on sketches done on board the USS St. Louis.

In 1858 he traveled to Rome, and is recorded to have studied with J.B. Durand-Brager in 1864.  He made Rome his base until his death in 1878.

Source: Peter Hastings Falk, Editor, Who Was Who in American Art