A Finest German Porcelain1928 Graf Zeppelin Plaque of the LZ127 Graf Zeppelin. By Heinrich & Co.

A Rare 1928 Graf Zeppelin Porcelain Wall Plaque
Depicting the LZ127 Graf Zeppelin. By Heinrich and Co. Inscribed on the reverse Forrngebung Fachoberiehrer, W-Veit Decoration Facheihrer Otto Keitel, Entwurf begutachtet una genehmigt von der Luftshiffbau Zeppelin Gmbh Friedrichshafen 1928, Ges Geschutzt -- 9.75in. (25cm.) diameter
The LZ-127, Graf Zeppelin, was arguably the most important zeppelin ever, the airship that put post WW I German aviation back on the map. Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin inaugurated German lighter-than-air aviation at the turn of the 20th Century. His zeppelins caught the German public?s imagination, and they became extremely popular. During WW I, his zeppelins flew for both the Army and Navy. Once more, the zeppelins caught the German people?s imagination. Even civilians and military officers who were bombing targets, both on the continent and in England, were impressed by the giant machines. Graf von Zeppelin died in 1917, and his company, which passed to Hugo Eckner?s management, faced difficult times in post WW I Germany. As a part of Germany?s war reparations, the Zeppelin Company built and delivered the LZ-126 (eventually renamed the U.S.S. Los Angeles) to the U.S. Navy in 1924. Eckner personally commanded the LZ-126 on the flight to the U.S. The engendered excitement allowed the company to build the LZ-127, eventually known as the "Graf Zeppelin." It was placed in service in 1928.
The Graf Zeppelin remained in service from September 1928 until a month after the Hindenburg exploded in New Jersey in May 1937. During this time, the "Graf Zeppelin" flew almost six hundred flights and covered more than one million miles. With the destruction of the "Hindenburg," the zeppelin era sadly came to an end. During her nine years of flight, the LZ-127 circled the globe, flying from Europe to the USA and on to Asia. She even had numerous voyages to South America. It was travel on a grand scale for less-than-thirty lucky people at a time. A crew of about twenty-four served the passengers. Trips from Germany to the U.S. were much faster than any other vessel of the time. Life aboard the "Graf Zeppelin" was very gracious.  read more

Code: 22597

A 1st Edition, Ist Impression Charles Dickens Bleak House Printed 1853 Leather Bound in Light Brown Calf and Black Title With Gilding & Marbled End Boards

Bradbury & Evans, first edition, with Ist impression imperfections and plates as called for ( pages with expected age foxing/staining), leather bound with marbled end boards.

A chance to own a rare first edition, and Ist Impression, of one of the great classics of English literature. Printed and first read before the Crimean War in Russia, and before the 'Charge of the Light Brigade' became infamous in British military history.
Original printing imperfections and flaws are detailed in Walter E. Smith and his wonderful work 'Charles Dickens in the Original Cloth'. Smith's comprehensive bibliography of each of Dickens's works enabled all to describe the flaws in the first impression.
The first edition of Bleak House is highly desirable. We have encountered a fair number of examples over the past 50 to around 100 years, in both the original cloth and bound in various bindings. Most of these bindings date from near the time of publication and most are before around 1880.

The edition points required for the first impression of the first edition are fairly definitive. The edition points are as follows to qualify as the 1st impression:

1) "elgble" misspelling for "eligible" on pp.19 line 6

2) "chair" misspelling for "hair" on pp.209 line 23

3) "counsinship" misspelling for "cousinship" on pp.275 line 22

There are also another issue present, in only a few of the first impression copies, namely pp.230 with the "2" in the page number complete. This copy has that scarce point

Basic premise: Jarndyce vs Jarndyce is a suit which has being going through the Court of Chancery for decades and decades and decades. Chancery is this old court to do with contested wills which has long since been reformed because it was impossibly incompetent and once you were in Chancery there was no getting out of Chancery and all costs are taken from the estates being contested, meaning that the Court benefited from drawing out proceedings. The young wards of Jarndyce are Richard Carstone and Ada Clare, young cousins. They are sent to live with their cousin Mr John Jarndyce and with them goes the orphan Esther Summerson, an orphan with a mysterious past. Mr Jarndyce advises them all to forget the suit, particularly as Richard and Ada fall in love, yet Richard struggles to settle to any profession with the suit still undecided. Simultaneous to this, the sinster lawyer Mr Tulkinghorn serves Sir Leicester Dedlock, Baronet and his wife Lady Dedlock, a woman desperately bored with her life. She also has a claim in the Jarndyce suit and faints dead away when Mr Tulkinghorn shows her a piece of legal writing written in a strangely familiar hand … cue much to-ing and fro-ing and the occasional untimely death. Nobody does tragic death scenes quite like Dickens, you end up really feeling the tragedy. Subtle he is not. Bleak House shows us a world where kindness is hard to find. Mr John Jarndyce tries to protect those he loves, but even he cannot prevent them being drawn in to the fogs of London. As usual, Dickens preaches against the workhouses and the ineffectiveness of charity, Mr Jarndyce is the sole positive charitable figure in the novel, his is a doctrine of love. It is the day to day cruelties that people inflict on each other that grind people down. The unrelenting legal profession, the way in which young men can be educated about poetry but not in how to work, that children can run wild on the streets and never really know that they are loved, this is a world where a man who has lost everything can die and barely be missed. Esther makes it clear that she feels herself to have been saved by the love of those around her – but Ada’s love could not save Richard, nor could Sir Leicester’s love save his Lady. All they can do is keep loving them still, no matter what the world may say. The bleakness of the title goes much deeper than the name of the house. 8.75 inches x 6 inches x 2 inches.  read more

Code: 25198

An Absolutely Perfect Discerning Collectors Piece, by Charles Dickens. A Fabulous 3 Volume Charles Dickens Ist Edition, The Old Curiosity Shop & Barnaby Rudge, In, Master Humphrey's Clock. London: Chapman and Hall, 1840-41,

Alongside A Christmas Carol, the Old Curiosity Shop ranks as a true iconic tale of Victorian England, and ideal for the Christmas season.

Could one imagine anything better than settling down to read, or better still, to be read to, over a few cosy candle lit nights, a succession of Dicken’s short stories. These are the very first, original volumes, that were read at the very same time, in the very same same way, but some two centuries ago in Victorian England, and likely, dozens of times subsequently since by their various, most fortunate owners.

First edition of this collection of short stories. Large octavo, 3 volumes bound in red half morocco over marbled boards with gilt tooling to the spine in five compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, engraved frontispiece to each volume, illustrated by George Cattermole and Hablot Browne. In very good condition.

Master Humphrey's Clock was a weekly serial that contained both short stories and two novels (The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge). Some of the short stories act as frame stories to the novels so the ordering of publication is important. Although Dickens' original artistic intent was to keep the short stories and the novels together, he himself cancelled Master Humphrey's Clock before 1848, and described in a preface to The Old Curiosity Shop that he wished the story to not be tied down to the miscellany it began within. Most later anthologies published the short stories and the novels separately. However, the short stories and the novels were published in 1840 in three bound volumes under the title Master Humphrey's Clock, which retains the full and correct ordering of texts as they originally appeared.

First edition in book form of what Gordon Ray describes as "the pinnacle of Dickensian Gothic". He goes on to note that Phiz (H. K. Browne) "is in excellent form" and that George Cattermole's "wonderful clutter of antiquarian or architectural detail is well suited to Dickens's chosen subjects".

Master Humphrey was a publishing experiment on Dickens's part, unique in his canon, of issuing two novels together: The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge.

3 volumes, large octavo (256 x 173 mm). Contemporary red half morocco, marbled sides ruled in gilt, spines lettered, ruled, and tooled in gilt, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, green silk bookmarkers.

Printed frontispieces and 194 woodcut illustrations, of which 154 are by Browne, 19 by Cattermole, and 1 by Daniel Maclise.

Covers rubbed, slight rubbing and wear to extremities, vol. I front joint split at foot but remains firm, light foxing to margins, small marks to a few pages, generally bright. A superb set.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Eckel, p. 67 ff; Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914, 60; Smith I, 6.  read more

Code: 24092

An Amazing & Rare Original Souvenir of German Tank Warfare in WW2. A German 88mm Tiger Tank Shell, Superior Early War Brass Case Type, High Explosive, Diglykol-Röhrenpulver (Digl. R.P.), Ground Combat, Impact Fuze AZ23 Dated 1940

Perfectly safe, empty and inert. No restrictions apply as a rare, vintage, original WW2 collectors item.

Shell case in brass, with steel impact fuze ground combat, fully waffenamt stamped throughout and dated.
Once fired in combat the cases were ejected from the 88mm cannon, then gathered by the panzer grenadiers and transported back to Germany, or the occupied territories, for re-arming, loaded with powder and fitted with new shell heads, sometimes many times over. German 88mm shells used smokeless, tubular nitrocellulose-based propellants, primarily Diglykol-Röhrenpulver (Digl. R.P.) and Gudol-Röhrenpulver (Gudol R.P.). The term Röhrenpulver (abbreviated RP) means "tube powder," referring to how the propellant was extruded into long, hollow cylindrical tubes to control its burn rate and pressure curve

The early war 88mm shell cases were brass, the late war were painted steel.

Photo in the gallery of Hitler inspecting different forms of 88mm rounds.
Rare German WW2 88mm Shell Used by the German 88 mm Tiger Tank I Cannon during WW2.

A simply superb example, impact fuze AZ23 with a 1936 brass shell case, initially made for the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil war in 1936, then returned to Germany for re-loading re-arming and re-issue for use in WW2.

The world famous 88's were the bane of the Allies in WW2. The 88 millimetre cannon and the Tiger Tank 88 cannons fired these huge shells. Superb maker codes stamps etc. with full Waffenamt Nazi Eagle markings. To get an impression of the difference between the size and power of Allied shells against the German equivalent, in 1942 an Allied Tank Round was approximately the size of a small Coca Cola bottle, the German Tank Shell was the size of a small child!. The 88 performed well in its original role of an anti-aircraft gun, and it proved to be a superb anti-tank, and anti-soft skinned vehicle gun as well. Its success was due to its versatility: the standard anti-aircraft platform allowed gunners to depress the muzzle below the horizontal, unlike most of its contemporaries. During the initial stages of the war, as it was becoming increasingly clear that existing anti-tank weapons were unable to pierce the armour of heavier enemy tanks, gunners were more likely to put the weapon to use against enemy tanks, a situation that was aided by the prevalence of the 88 among German forces.

Similarly to the anti-aircraft role, as an anti-tank weapon the 88 was tactically arranged into batteries, usually four guns to each. The higher-level tactical unit was, most commonly, a mixed anti-aircraft battalion (Flak-Abteilung, gemischte). It totalled 12 such guns on average, supplanted by light cannons.

The German Condor Legion made extensive use of the 88 in the Spanish Civil War, where its usefulness as an anti-tank weapon and a general artillery piece exceeded its role as an anti-aircraft gun.The success of the 88 caused the Allies to take steps to defend against it in new tank designs. On July 18 and 19 1944 a Luftwaffe 8.8 cm anti-aircraft battery was re-purposed by then Major Hans von Luck to attack British tanks near Cagny taking part in Operation Goodwood. 20 tanks were killed by these guns within the first few seconds and at least 40 tanks were knocked out by 88's during the engagement.

The single largest tank battle in history was the Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in south western Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in a Soviet victory, marking the decisive end of Nazi Germany's offensive capability on the Eastern Front.

The Battle of Kursk is the single largest battle in the history of warfare. It ranks only behind the Battle of Stalingrad several months earlier as the most often-cited turning point in the European theatre of the war. It was one of the costliest battles of the Second World War,the single deadliest armoured battle in history.The opening day of the battle, 5 July, was the single costliest day in the history of aerial warfare in terms of aircraft shot down.The battle was further marked by fierce house-to-house fighting and hand-to-hand combat.

German Forces. Roughly 900,000 troops, 2,700 to 3,000 tanks and assault guns (including new Tiger and Panther tanks, and Ferdinand tank destroyers), and 2,000 aircraft.

Soviet Forces. Roughly 1.3 to 1.9 million troops, 5,000 to 6,000 tanks (backbone: T-34 medium tanks), and 3,000 to 4,000 aircraft.

The Battle of Prokhorovka. Fought on July 12, 1943, this famous engagement on the southern flank has often been called the peak tank-on-tank collision of the battle. While earlier myths claimed over 1,500 total tanks clashed head-on in a chaotic field, modern research shows roughly 186 German armor units faced off against over 600 Soviet vehicles, resulting in massive losses on both sides

Diglykol-Röhrenpulver (Digl. R.P.): This was a double-base smokeless propellant made from nitrocellulose and diethylene glycol dinitrate, stabilized with centralite. It burned cooler than earlier nitroglycerin-based powders, which significantly reduced barrel erosion and extended the life of the 88mm gun tube.

Gudol-Röhrenpulver (Gudol R.P.): This was a triple-base propellant introduced later in the war that added nitroguanidine to the nitrocellulose and diethylene glycol dinitrate mixture. Adding nitroguanidine further lowered the combustion temperature, minimized barrel wear, and substantially reduced the bright muzzle flash that could give away a tank's position.

Depending on the specific round—such as the standard armour-piercing PzGr. 39 or high-explosive Sprgr.—a single 88 × 571mmR brass or steel cartridge case held roughly 2.5 kg to 2.9 kg (5.5 to 6.4 lbs) of propellant tubes.

We can bright polish the brass case for display in its full beauty, or historiccally, left as is.

Not suitable to export, for sale to over 18s only, safe inert and empty 37 inches high  read more

Code: 26437

Some of The Best Ideas For Christmas Have Come From The Lanes Armoury, Britain's Favourite & One Of The Oldest Families of Antique Collectors Shops. Our 105th Christmas, and Still Counting

Now is the time to choose that perfect gift for Christmas, even if it's for yourself!!

Unique, ancient, antique and vintage beautiful items are our speciality, and be sure and certain that anything from us will be the best choice you can make this Christmas time.

Every item will be accompanied with our unique, presentation quality, 'Certificate of Authenticity' that will not only fully certify it's genuineness, but it will detail the circumstance of it's origin, and where and when it may have been used in it's specific or generic history.

And please be further assured, all gift purchases may be changed after Christmas for any form of suitable alternatives.

"Doesn't someone you know deserve something unique from The Lanes Armoury"

The Lanes Armoury once described by the 'New York Times' as one of the very best stores to visit when in Europe.
A living, breathing gallery containing a huge ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ containing thousands of original pieces from the ancient long past, to the near recent.

We are certainly not the biggest premier store in Europe recommended by the New York Times, in fact we are probably the smallest, but what we lack in size, apparently, we more than make up for in amazement, and, we have been doing so for over 100 years

For example, we added recently items that range from an Ancient Roman Republic centurian's bronze shield boss, some incredible samurai swords, many museum pieces, plus a sword once used by one of Napoleon's generals, and numerous other Napoleonic wars swords.  read more

Code: 24523

A Very Fine, Classic Example Of An Original Type 98 Mounted, Signed Shingunto Japanese Officer's Sword, Literally Untounched Since Its Surrender in 1945. Good Blade with Fine Hamon Signed Maekawa Masatugu

Signed Maekawa Masatugu
Maekawa Masatsugu (often associated or identified with Maekawa Kanetsugu / Genichi Maekawa, born 1904) was a notable swordsmith who forged military swords during World War II in Seki, Gifu Prefecture, Japan born in 1904 and died in 1951

Traditional 98 pattern WW2 Japanese officers shingunto swords, made for and used in WW2, are without doubt the best and most popular swords for collectors from the 20th century. Their supply is, naturally, ever diminishing but their desirability for collectors is ever expanding. Due to our position as one of the worlds leading sources of original Japanese swords from the past 900 years we are fortunate to obtain {and 99% of them from former private collectors} great pieces of both ancient samurai, and, Japanese military history, including WW2 swords surrendered to their former family member’s combat veteran. This one is just one of those historical swords.

Historical records show intriguing discussions regarding Maekawa Kanetsugu‘s signature, with collectors noting he is often signed as Kanetsugu or Maekawa Masatsugu saku, belonging to the group of fine wartime Shōwa-era smiths working out of Seki. His arsenal stamped blades being regular swords, and his non-arsenal stamped blades likely traditionally forged. This sword bears no arsenal stamping.

Typical regulation type 98 shingunto officers mounts in very nice order and condition. The blade is also in jolly good order, showing a super hamon, yet with the usual WW2 combat surface wear as to be expected.

The sword retains its full Type 98 Shin-Guntō koshirae mounted for Imperial Japanese Army officer service during WW2. The saya is of wartime olive-brown painted steel, entirely consistent with mid-war officer production, retaining its suspension mount and carrying ring.All traditional fittings to the saya, including the koiguchi, suspension band, and kojiri, remain matching throughout and retain nice original detail The handmade deluxe raindrop pattern copper habaki shows good age patina and fit to the blade. Another nice traditional feature is the mekugi ana is a hand punched hole, non traditional blades often have drilled out ana.

The coppered kabutogane retains its sarute loop

The Type 98 Shin-Guntō was introduced by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1938 as the standard officer’s sword of the Second World War. While many wartime blades were newly produced, officers frequently mounted older traditionally made blades into regulation military fittings for active service. Such swords combined traditional Japanese sword-making heritage with modern military mountings, resulting in highly distinctive officer weapons balancing martial tradition with wartime practicality.  read more

Code: 26434

A Very Attractive & Most Handsome Samurai Daisho With Edo Blades and All Original Edo Period Koshirae Han Dachi Mounts. Plus, a Very Fine Pair Of Bronze Mokko Gata Form Shakudo Tsuba Depicting Shishi on a Nanako Ground with Gold Highlights

The daisho is dressed in a fine full daisho suite of eleven original and matching handachi iron mounts, that are featuring inlaid gold and silver tendrils, that belong to the traditional Japanese art of metal inlay, most notably associated with techniques like Higo zogan (an ancient craft originating in the Higo Province) or Hizen nunome-zogan work, in silver copper and pure gold inlays.

Edo period bronze pair of mokko gata-form shakudo tsuba depicting shishi on a nanako ground with gold highlights. Mokko-gata describes the form of a rounded quatrefoil, often seen in Tsuba. The name is derived from the melon tree flower

Under the imperial white silk tsuka-ito are two pairs of takebori, patinated copper dragon menuki above traditional samegawa giant rayskin, and a pair of fine raindrop pattern engraved copper habaki {blade collars}.

Han-dachi originally appeared during the Muromachi period when there was a transition taking place from Tachi to katana. The sword was being worn more and more edge up when on foot, but edge down on horseback as it had always been. The handachi is a response to the need to be worn in either style.
It has a singularly beautiful and most scarcely seen colour combination of 'Red Devil' red and imperial white. Known as Ika-zoku or "The Red Devils" (Ii's Red Gotei / Aka-zonae). White ito binding being the prerogative of only those of the highest level of status, due to it's obvious difficulty to maintain in pristine condition when worn regularly. Rich, so-called 'Red Devil' red ishime lacquer, was the distinctive colour, and famous in Japanese samurai history, as the Li clan family’s colour, depicted with their imposing red lacquered suits of armour and weapons.
Rich red, as opposed to the more usual black and brown, was worn by all from the lord down to the foot soldiers, and it marked them out on the battlefield and advertised their origin to those who stood opposed to them. Known as the 'Red Devils', the samurai adorned in red urushi lacquered armour and weapons, under the rule of the Li family, played an integral part in the battles that ended the civil war and raised Tokugawa Ieyasu to the office of shogun, gaining great fame and a fierce reputation. Distinguished warriors, adorned in devil red, known as the most fierce-some, and, most fearless in all Japan.

The Sengoku period was initiated by the Onin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga Shogunate. Various samurai warlords and clans fought for control over Japan in the power vacuum, while the Ikkō-ikki emerged to fight against samurai rule. The arrival of Europeans in 1543 introduced the arquebus into Japanese warfare, and Japan ended its status as a tributary state of China in 1549. Oda Nobunaga dissolved the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573 and launched a war of political unification by force, including the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War, until his death in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582. Nobunaga's successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed his campaign to unify Japan and consolidated his rule with numerous influential reforms. Hideyoshi launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592, but their eventual failure damaged his prestige before his death in 1598. Tokugawa Ieyasu displaced Hideyoshi's young son and successor Toyotomi Hideyori at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and re-established the feudal system under the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Sengoku period ended when Toyotomi loyalists were defeated at the siege of Osaka in 1615.

The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: 関ヶ原の戦い; Kyūjitai: 關ヶ原の戰い, Hepburn romanization: Sekigahara no Tatakai) was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, Japan, at the end of the Sengoku period. This battle was fought by the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu against a coalition of Toyotomi loyalist clans under Ishida Mitsunari, several of which defected before or during the battle, leading to a Tokugawa victory. The Battle of Sekigahara was the largest battle of Japanese feudal history and is often regarded as the most important. Mitsunari's defeat led to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Tokugawa Ieyasu took three more years to consolidate his position of power over the Toyotomi clan and the various daimyō, but the Battle of Sekigahara is widely considered to be the unofficial beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan for another two and a half centuries

Ii Naomasa, served as one of Tokugawa Ieyasu's generals, and received the fief of Hikone in Omi Province as a reward for his conduct in battle at Sekigahara. The colour of their armour meant that they were the easiest to recognise on the painted screens that depicted the great events of Japanese history, showing that the Ii family understood the benefits of good public relations. The Ii and a few sub-branches remained daimyo for the duration of the Edo period.

The family remained at the heart of events until 1860 when Ii Naosuke, the last of the lords of Hikone was murdered by anti-shogun and anti-Western rebels. He was deeply involved in the negotiations between the shogunate and the Western diplomats concerning the opening of Japan to trade.

Although the history and story of this daisho was not retained for posterity {this is far more common than not} they were likely presented to an esteemed visitor.

The blades are in the process of being cleaned and old lacquer removed. The shoto is finished and the daito {long blade} will be finished next week. You should be able to see in the gallery the long blade is covered in clear uneven hand brushed lacquer but the short blade is now fine.

The original Edo vermillion urushi lacquer is around eighty percent+ good, but, it does have small areas of losses. We recommend keeping it as is to show its beauty, with its natural age and life wear, but, it could be relacqured by us in ishime, but not in bright vermillion. The original Edo imperial white silk tsuka-ito is perfect on both swords.  read more

Code: 26433

A Deeply Convex Domed Moghul & Sikh Indian Hand Forged Steel Shield, Decorated With Koftgari Work

Just returned from over 40 hours of specialist hand cleaning and polishing with final conservation . This Indo-Persian Dahl is a circular, convex shield used in military combat or as an ornamental item, originating from the Indian and Persian regions. These shields, also known as Sipar, were typically made from steel or leather and were adorned with elaborate floral designs, often using koftgari (gold and silver inlay), and featured four domed bosses.

a style of shield as popular with the Moghul and the Sikh empires

The Mogul-Sikh Wars were a series of conflicts between the Sikh community and the Mughal Empire, primarily during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The tensions began with the growing popularity of Sikhism, founded by Guru Nanak in the Punjab, and escalated with the persecution of Sikh leaders, particularly under Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Key figures, such as Guru Hargobind and Guru Gobind Singh, played pivotal roles in militarizing the Sikh community in response to Mughal oppression, leading to the formation of the Khalsa, a collective of Sikh warriors devoted to defending their faith.

The conflicts intensified with the rise of Emperor Aurangzeb, who targeted the Sikhs due to their increasing power and influence. Following significant battles, including the siege of Anandpur, the Sikhs faced heavy losses, but their resolve only strengthened, leading to notable victories against Mughal forces. The eventual execution of Sikh leader Bandā Bahādur and subsequent massacres highlighted the brutal nature of these confrontations. Ultimately, the resistance of the Sikhs contributed to the decline of the Mughal Empire, as they established a robust martial tradition and expanded their influence throughout the Punjab region, fostering a sense of unity and resilience within the Sikh community.  read more

Code: 25900

Ancient Viking, Gemstone, Clawset Bronze Ring {Gemstone Not Present}. Circa 9th Century. 1820 Grand Tour Souvenir from Northern France, Recovered From The Seine Around Paris

Like many of our selection of antiquities, many originally arrived in England as souvenirs of a Grand Tour, from around 200 years ago. Two such pieces are gemstone claw-set Viking rings, around 1200 years old from Normandy, Northern France. This one has no stone remaining, the other, likely for a female Viking one, does

Bronze mount and claw set. This first ring of the two we acquired from the same original location, was likely for a female Viking


Richard Lassels, an expatriate Roman Catholic priest, first used the phrase “Grand Tour” in his 1670 book Voyage to Italy, published posthumously in Paris in 1670. In its introduction, Lassels listed four areas in which travel furnished "an accomplished, consummate traveler" with opportunities to experience first hand the intellectual, the social, the ethical, and the political life of the Continent.

The English gentry of the 17th century believed that what a person knew came from the physical stimuli to which he or she has been exposed. Thus, being on-site and seeing famous works of art and history was an all important part of the Grand Tour. So most Grand Tourists spent the majority of their time visiting museums and historic sites.

Once young men began embarking on these journeys, additional guidebooks and tour guides began to appear to meet the needs of the 20-something male and female travelers and their tutors traveling a standard European itinerary. They carried letters of reference and introduction with them as they departed from southern England, enabling them to access money and invitations along the way.

With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months or years to roam, these wealthy young tourists commissioned paintings, perfected their language skills and mingled with the upper crust of the Continent.

The wealthy believed the primary value of the Grand Tour lay in the exposure both to classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European continent. In addition, it provided the only opportunity to view specific works of art, and possibly the only chance to hear certain music. A Grand Tour could last from several months to several years. The youthful Grand Tourists usually traveled in the company of a Cicerone, a knowledgeable guide or tutor.

The ‘Grand Tour’ era of classical acquisitions from history existed up to around the 1850’s, and extended around the whole of Europe, Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and the Holy Land.

There were two Norse sieges of Paris. The first was in 845; and though a fairly minor affair in terms of battle, it had great symbolic significance. The second was roughly two generations later, in 885-886; was much larger (and deadlier); and had greater direct ramifications. Before the first siege, Viking raids were a new and growing problem for the peoples of Western Europe; but hitherto raids had been made by relatively small war bands bent on plunder. The Scandinavian adventurers might sack monasteries or villages, but would usually shun larger, better defended targets (Churchill, 1956). However, success was making the Norsemen bolder.

Aware of this growing threat, the aging emperor, Charlemagne, built a series of maritime defenses to protect his coasts and rivers from these new dragon ships. For the first few decades, the defenses worked; but the Vikings were growing in number, ability, and ambition and a new breed of leaders was coming to the fore. One of these leaders was a man the Frankish chroniclers call Reginheri; but who has since been widely equated with the semi-legendary figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Dzhak, 2016). Under Ragnar, Vikings were ready to step foot on the world stage. They were ready to capture the jewel of Western Europe, the city of Paris.

So, in Spring of 845, 120 dragon ships carrying about 5000 Scandinavian warriors, broke through the late emperor’s defenses and surrounded the walled city of Paris (Dzhak, 2016). In the ninth century, Paris was already more than a thousand years old. It was wealthy from its position as a trading center, and was the seat of one of Charlemagne’s three competing heirs, Charles the Bald. At this time, the heart of the city was confined to the islands in the center of the Seine, the Île de la Cité where the cathedral of Notre Dame stands today. This position made Paris eminently defensible in the eyes of the Frankish elite that ruled there; but it made it easily surrounded by the ship-born Vikings.  read more

Code: 26432

Fabulous Louis XVI Style, 19th Cent. Portico Clock, Signed François-Pierre Jolly Known as Gaston-Jolly in White Marble and Gilt Bronze Ornamentation, Enamel Dial Bearing a Large Laurel Wreath Sumounted by Four Columns. Napoleonic Directoire Period Maker

Each of the four columns are encircled with very fine gilt bronze foliage, rich decoration of urns, flowers, acorns and chains, radiating mask pendulum, small toupie feet, from the late 18th century to early 19th century Napoleonic era clock maker.

François-Pierre Jolly, known as Gaston-Jolly, is one of the most important Parisian horologists of the late 18th century and the early 19th century. After he became a master, on May 6, 1784, he established his workshop in the rue de Arcis and quickly earned a reputation among Parisian horological connoisseurs. During the Directoire and the Empire, he created several clocks, which were sought-after due to the quality of their movements and their original compositions. He is recorded first in the rue Pavée Saint-Sauveur from 1810 to 1820, then in the boulevard Poissonnière in 1820. Certain of his creations were recorded during the Empire as belonging to important collectors of the day, such as the wife of Charles-Philibert-Marie-Gaston de Lévis, comte de Mirepoix, la comtesse Alexandrine-Marie-Julie-Félicité de Montboissier-Beaufort-Canillac. See picture five in the gallery of her portrait in the Louvre. She is widely believed to be the subject of Jeune femme attachant un bouquet de fleurs (around 1784), a miniature portrait painted by Jacques-Antoine-Marie Lemoine. The piece is housed in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the Louvre Museum. Her father, Philippe-Claude de Montboissier-Beaufort-Canillac, marquis de Montboissier was executed by guillotine in 1794, during the French Revolution.

Another famous collector of Jolly's clocks was Bernard-Charles-Louis-Victor, Marquis de Lostanges, Napoleon’s Chamberlain. During the First Empire, Lostanges-Béduer was noted among Parisian connoisseurs and collectors of luxury decorative arts, notably acquiring fine horological works from renowned clockmakers such as François-Pierre Jolly. Lostanges-Béduer died in 1812, the same year as Napoleon's ill-fated Russian campaign, in which many officers of the Imperial Household participated.

Picture 5 in the gallery is a portrait of renown Gaston {François-Pierre} Jolly clock collector, now in the Louvre 'Jeune femme attachant un bouquet de fleurs (around 1784), a miniature portrait painted by Jacques-Antoine-Marie Lemoine.'

Steel Suspension Spring pendulum. Clockmakers transitioned from fragile silk threads to thin, flexible steel suspension springs during the 19th century. Replacing thread with a flat spring leaf reduced friction, prevented stretching from humidity, and allowed for much easier regulation. Many older silk-suspension clock movements were later retrofitted or "converted" by horologists to use steel springs when the original silk mechanisms could be improved by upgrading

Overall 19 inches high, 9.5 inches across, 5 inches depth.

Small aged hairline in the marble by the top of the front right collumn  read more

Code: 26430