Decorative Objects

Technically skilled enthusiasts of the 1930s loved to race the legendary B.B. Korn cars around the club tracks. Called tether cars or spindizzies, they reached incredible speeds, and inspired thousands to improve and invent. The founder of the B.B. Korn Manufacturing Company, Barney Korn, produced several tether car models that now, as vintage antiques, achieve astounding sums at auction. For the children of his clients Mr. Korn designed and built "The Indianapolis," a non-powered pre-war giveaway. It was meant to enthuse children and get them to participate in motoring activities. Our Indy ëtoyí car pays homage to Kornís legacy with detailed dash, rubber tires, and hand-polished aluminum body. Learn More

The 1930s saw the rise of hand built model racecars, known as spindizzies or tether cars. Miniature racecars built by hobbyists zoomed around banked wooden tracks at speeds approaching 150 miles per hour. Resembling the full-size racers of their day, several spindizzies competed at once, tethered by cables to a central pole. Powered by model airplane engines, spindizzies raced against the clock. Incredibly detailed and aerodynamic, these miniature racecars were beyond toys: they were pieces of art representative of the best pioneering technology of the era.†Constructed using original blueprints our Bantam Midget model resembles the original down to the smallest detail. One look and youíll be ready to join the competition. Learn More

Bring out the Burgundy, light a pipe, and set the game board. A beautiful table is not available when youíre on safari. Folding Mombasa chairs and a campaign box will have to do: after all your camping out in the Serengeti. Glints of exquisitely varnished cherry, matching aged bronze. Hand blown oversized marbles in white and black complete the palette. Independently beautiful, it pays off to take things along. Learn More

The game of Solitaire is reputed to have been invented by a nobleman confined in the Bastille prison during the early years of the French Revolution. The game is played with 36 marbles. The object is to eliminate all but one marble, which should ideally end up in the center of the game board. Solitaire Di VeneziaÖindividually hand blown glass marbles, full of color, against a solid ebony board. Art in itself, functional and fun as solitaire. Learn More

Its origin was from ancient China. Considered an instrument of magic by many, it was used primarily for Feng Shui purposes. Taken to the West it introduced open-sea navigation. Sailing vessels no longer needed to hug the coast. Learn More

Classic campaign glasses used by Victorian gentry and Army & Navy to observe while able to take notes and sketch. Sturdy 19th C. binoculars on elegant beautifully crafted mini-tripod. Binoculars were a Victorian invention and were much easier to use than the one lens drawn out telescope. Learn More

After dinner, having enjoyed garoupa combined with chilled Chardonnay, nothing else in more relaxing than observing birds and wildlife or neighbors with a tripod mounted telescope. After all, one never knows when the TV might give out. Instrument quality brass. Stand in rich rosewood, with adjustable legs and solid brass fittings. Magnifies 20X. Doubles a striking and bold dÈcor. Learn More

Collectable because of their combined historical and practical value. Some glasses measured up to two hours, used at a time when church pews were designed by the Inquisition to torture the human back. Shipís hourglasses were calibrated to the half hours of the shipís watch, and if the helmsman didnít turn the glass too early it actually doubled in defining longitude. Navigators tried to keep count of the hours: the galleons wrecked on the Western Australian reefs remind us of the perils of incorrectly kept time. To appreciate the important symbolism of the hourglass observe, Renaissance painted still lives, also called Vanitas, filled with symbolism and morals. They very often depict hourglasses. Learn More

Head and shoulders above the rest from the Atlas Mountains, handcrafted in Morocco is this unique highly polished petrified rock egg. It features natural embedded fossils of shells and organisms from past centuries as well as highlighting various shades of ancient gray rock. A gorgeous decorative piece that makes a great paperweight as well as a wonderful gift. Learn More