The Magazine Antiques

Portrait of Little Boy in Red Dress William Matthew Prior (1806-1873)
Oil on Canvas, 29.5 x 25.25 inches
signed on reverse:
"East Boston, Trenton St., 3d Sec., W.M. Prior, 1849, $ ..."
Price on request

Austin T. Miller Antiques, Inc.
1224 South High Street.
Columbus, Ohio 43206

fax: 614.225.0502
Email: atmikller@sbcglobal.net
www.usfolkart.com

Bird Tree Attributed to Schtockschnitizer Simmons (active 1895-1910)
Berks County, Pennsylvania, circa 1900
Sassafras and dogwood, with original painted decoration.
height 15 inches


Austin T. Miller Antiques, Inc.
1224 South High Street.
Columbus, Ohio 43206

fax: 614.225.0502
Email: atmikller@sbcglobal.net
www.usfolkart.com

Finely woven Kashmir tapastries of this kind are modeled on the Pashmina wool "Millefleurs" or "thousand flowers" carpets of Mughal India. Although composed as an abstract pattern based on subtle, barely visable concentric and intersecting circles, the floral detailis highly naturalistic and derives from the European painting and textiles. The overall format with a kind of pointed arch or niche may derive from prayer rugs, The whole composition is meant to be seen as a delicate tree of life emanating from an amphora-like vase between sprays of palm leaves. The palm leaves sprout in turn from a shallow basin at the bottom of the design. There is a playful quality in which these barely recognizable forms recede beneath the dazzling detail of the floralsurface like the smile of Lewis Carroll's Chesire Cat.

This piece was exhibited at the Asia Society NYC, NY in 2008 during the "Arts of Kashmir" show.

It is also illustrated in the book: "The Kashmir Shawl" by Frank Ames, page 311, plate 180.
www.nazmiyalantiquerugs.com

Pair of Portraits of the Durfee brothers by William Matthew Prior,

oil on artist board, 16 3/4 x 13 in.

circa 1845.

Austin T. Miller Antiques, Inc.
1224 South High Street.
Columbus, Ohio 43206

fax: 614.225.0502
Email: atmikller@sbcglobal.net
www.usfolkart.com