Haviland Limoges Porcelain

David Haviland left the United States in 1842 to set up his factory in Limoges, France and since, the name Haviland has been synonymous with excellence in the field of Limoges porcelain. Haviland is at the forefront of the porcelain world for over one and a half centuries.

The noblest of world Courts, the important Heads of State cannot resist the lure of Haviland porcelain. In the United States, Presidents Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Roosevelt have commissioned Haviland designs. Quantity 400nyc ~ 1600la

Haviland Limoges Coffee and Tea Service

Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford in 1840. The Duchess become hungry around four o'clock as the household served dinner fashionably late leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner. The Duchess requested a tray of tea, bread and butter, and cake be brought to her in the late afternoon. This became a habit and began inviting friends to join her.

A fashionable social event during the 1880's, society women would change into long gowns, gloves, and hats for afternoon tea which was served in drawing rooms between four and five o'clock. Quantity 80la cups/saucers ~ 7la sugar/creamer sets

From a conversation with Foodink Catering owner Kate Paul, this collection is dedicated to her wisdom and kindness.

Early American Pressed Soda Lime and Flint Goblets

Between 1820 and 1825, American manufacturers revolutionized glassworking with the invention of steel molds and a fixed-lever press that would shape and pattern glass. The first pressed glass goblets were made in the 1840s.

Pressed glass, made by this mechanical process, became very popular. The glass exhibited a crudeness suggesting the many difficulties manufacturers had as they attempted to squeeze hot glass into predetermined shapes and patterns. By the 1860s, a less expensive soda-lime glass had been developed and patterns became increasingly delicate and representational in character. The lead, or so called "flint," glass pressed until that time was much heavier and more brilliant than soda-lime glass and emitted a beautiful, bell-like tone when struck. Quantity 200nyc ~ 350la

Reproduction Pearl and Sawtooth Glass Plate Collection

The reproduction pearl and sawtooth glass plates housed in New York City come in two sizes, 12" dinner and 10" salad. The Small Masterpiece Private Collection of authentic Early American Pressed Soda Lime and Flint Goblets and glass plates make
a fitting suite. Quantity 39la

Early American Pressed Glass Celery Vases

In the early to mid-nineteenth century, celery was considered a luxury. When served, the stalks were cut in quarters lengthwise, the leaves curled, and they were placed upright in water in widemouthed vessels. Stalks placed in water were the featured centerpiece of tables - small indicators of a home’s status and wealth. Advertisements referred to celery containers as vases, stands, or glasses. The Celery Vase was replaced by the horizontal Celery Dish once the food became more ordinary and easier to obtain. Quantity 39la

Sterling Silver Flatware

The sharp points of eating knives were rounded off in 1669 in France by Cardinal Richelieu, who was offended by guests using them to pick their teeth. Blunt-tipped table knives were used like a flat spoon to carry food to the mouth until late in the nineteenth century, when the arbiters of etiquette deemed this practice as gauche.

Spoons in the Middle Ages were primarily of wood and horn. The earliest record of
an English silver spoon is a will dated 1259. Thereafter silver spoons were noted increasingly commonly in royal inventories and in the wills of the wealthy.

The fork was accepted begrudgingly at first, its use being regarded as effeminate by some. One observer regarded it as ‘coarse and ungraceful to throw food into the mouth as you would toss hay into a barn with a pitchfork.’ Quantity 226la

Early American Pressed Glass Compotes

Compotes with lids were made and sold for desserts or fruits that had liquids, like strawberries or rhubarb. Open compotes were to serve apples, oranges, pears, etc. Any foods that had their own protective cover, like the skin on apples was safe to leave in the open. In the Victorian period, houses had poor screen windows and doors, making bugs and flies a problem. The “Covered Compotes” would keep the insects away from the liquid or cooked food. Quantity 27la

Christofle Knife Rests

The orgin, appearance, and use of the knife rest is not chronicled in dining and eating history as are the knife, fork, spoon, and other dining tools.

Knife rests appeared on the dining table during England’s early Georgian era with the increased importance of fine dining. During England’s prosperous times, the wealthy class were able to copy the customs of nobility and the gentry.

The French were particularly good at producing knife rests called “porte couteau” via Lalique, Christofle, and O.Gallia and the Russians under the famous Faberge label.

In France, and other European countries, knife rests are still used in well-established homes. They are used by all guests and are found in matching sets of up to 16. Quantity 225la

Beer Steins

Beer steins originated in Germany in the 14th century, they consist of a handle and a hinged lid to cover the vessel when not in use. Steins came about as a result of German laws requiring that drinking vessels and food containers be covered to keep flying insects from invading the vessel. These insects, as well as fleas, were responsible for spreading the deadly bacterial infection, known as the bubonic plague and killed millions of Europeans during the 14th century. The production of steins continued throughout the centuries, transitioning from mere drinking vessels to some of the most sought after pieces of art work collected today. Quantity 40la

Norway Sterling Silver Gold Washed Enamel Guilloché Demitasse Spoons

Guilloché is an engraving technique in which a precise intricate repetitive pattern or design is mechanically etched into an underlying material with very fine detail. Specifically, it involves a technique of engine turning, called guilloché after the French engineer “Guillot”, who invented a machine “that could scratch fine patterns and designs on metallic surfaces”.

These enameled demitasse spoons come in various colors and designs. Small Masterpiece has collected a sampling of various Norwegian designers, J. Tostrup, Theodor Olsens, David Andersen, Aksel Holmsen, Ottar Hval, and N. M. Thune.Quantity 40la

The Taylor, Smith & Taylor Company

The Taylor, Smith & Taylor Company, located in Chester, West Virginia, was in operation from 1899 to 1981. The china patterns that form this collection were produced in the 1950s and into the early 1960s.

John Gilkes designed many of the patterns during this time period. Some of the pattern names are Windermere, Silver Mist, Blue Lace, and the ever popular Boutonniere.

Small Masterpiece has a collection of 10 Taylor, Smith & Taylor patterns.
Quantity 230la

The Roberta Doilies

Small Masterpiece was inspired from a private client to start a collection of handmade vintage doilies. This wonderful collection of doilies come in various shapes and sizes in shades of white to ecru. Quantity 250la

Sterling Silver/Plated Napkin Rings

The napkin ring is a bourgeois invention. The first examples were probably plain or embroidered tapes created by the housewife to personalise the family’s napkins between weekly wash-days.

Napkin rings in silver were the result of the growing wealth of the middleclass.
The observations below indicate that silver napkin rings started in France about 1800. By 1840 they had spread to most western countries.

In the 19th century the dinner table was the centre of social events and where the family exhibited its wealth. The quality and quantity of a family’s table silver was a direct measure of its success. The small personal napkin ring in silver became a favourite present at christenings, weddings and silver weddings. Quantity 280la

Seletti 2-Tiered Cream Colored Porcelain
Petit Four Stands

The Petit Four Stand, part of the Estetico Quotidiano Collection designed by Selab & A. Zambelli for Seletti, uses two different 'disposable' trays to create a striking centrepiece for high tea. The collection of containers for food and drinks made by faithfully reproducing the shape of throwaway containers in durable materials, porcelain and glass. Quantity 280la

Reclaimed Bottles

These old medicine bottles were dug up from ditches full of reclaimed bottles in Battle Creek, Michigan, the site of Dr. Kellogg's Wellness Center and Postum Cereal Company circa late 1800. Quantity 280la

Vintage Handkerchiefs

Throughout history, the handkerchief became accessible outside the courts of the monarchy, but was still prized as an elegant, luxurious, and expensive symbol of class and taste. Wearing a certain handkerchief could even guarantee you a place in the posterity of the society pages, as seen in this Isle of Man Family History Society Journal, Nov 1988: "When Lady Coventry paid a call on George II she was a sight worth recording, being attired in 'black silk sack without a hoop and trailing a yard on the ground, and had on a cobweb lace handkerchief.... and a pink satin cloke'.

Small Masterpiece shows a sample of various Pastel Handkerchiefs. In addition, Small Masterpiece has Saturated Color Handkerchiefs and a selection of collectible State Souvenir Handkerchiefs. Quantity 350la