Robert Morrissey Antiques and Fine Art

Let this gorgeous little porcelain milk jug inspire you to get out and enjoy this beautiful Spring day. Manufactured in Vienna in 1794, the superb painting depicts joyful children and their dog frolicking with soap bubbles. Here’s wishing you some much needed frolic time! Additional photos and info on the website, robertmorrissey.com #springday #gooddaysunshine #viennaporcelain #bubbles #dogsofinstagram #featherinhercap #raisedgilding #stlouisantiques #antiqueporcelain #yesplease @ Robert Morrissey Antiques and Fine Art

We are ever fortunate to have so many wonderful parks right here in St. Louis. Lafayette Park, with its beautiful trees, important statues and secret ‘rockery’, is also home to one of the most delightful Victorian buildings in St. Louis- Lafayette Park House. Compact in size, the details are nearly endless- just look at the patterning in those incredible slate roofs. The brickwork around the doors, windows and corners is equally complex, as is the woodwork in the eaves and gazebo. This Coronavirus is no walk in the park. But please, go for a walk in the park! Happy Easter! #walkinthepark #lafayettepark #victorianarchitecture #slateroof #rustication #gazebo #widowswalk #stlouisparks @ Lafayette Square, St. Louis

Greetings from The Cathedral Antiques Show in Atlanta! Honored to exhibit in this prestigious show, now in its 49th year, in the magnificent Cathedral of St. Philip. If you’re in the area, the show opens today and runs through Saturday. #atlanta #cathedralantiquesshow #antiques #yesplease #ontheroadagain @ The Cathedral of St. Philip

Thrilled to handle this plate from the fabulous Stowe Service, made by the Flight, Barr and Barr porcelain works in Worcester. The service was produced in 1814 for Richard Temple-Grenville, the 2nd Marquess of Buckingham, and named for his recently inherited Stowe estate, a magnificent 400 room ‘house’ on 10,000 acres in Buckinghamshire. The original set consisted of 186 pieces, each with the Marquess’ coat of arms and superb neoclassical gilding on a salmon pink ground. In h...is book, Worcester Porcelain at Cheekwood (2008), porcelain scholar John Sandon discusses the Stowe Service in some detail. Of the gilding he says, the quality of this workmanship is simply breathtaking....the gilders were not simply craftsmen but artists of the highest calibre in their own right. The amount of gold expended on this dinner service reflects the sheer wealth of the Marquess... Of the extremely complex coat of arms Sandon continues, [the] decorators had a massive task on their hands. Every shield was a work of art in its own right, not to mention the painting of the lion and horse as supporters- and the coronet and motto, too.... It’s unknown how much the service cost, but Sandon states bluntly, In today’s terms the expense would be simply astronomic, but in 1814 money was no object to the Marquess of Buckingham. But such a lifestyle can’t last forever and in 1848 Richard was forced to liquidate Stowe and its contents. The service was lot 956 in a sale held by Christie’s that lasted an astonishing 40 days! And so, a piece from this fabled service comes to the market from time to time and I’m honored to own it for a while, until it goes under the gavel at Christie’s again, in New York this time, to be sold in the Spring of 2020. It doesn’t ship until after the New Year, so feel free to stop by the gallery to see it in person! #worcesterporcelain #armorialporcelian #armorial #flightbarrandbarr #stoweservice #stowehouse #dukeofbuckingham #thatgilding #salmonpink #robertmorrissey #robertmorrisseyantiquesandfineart #yesplease @ Robert Morrissey Antiques and Fine Art

Ghostly views of the Arch. @ Basilica of St. Louis, King of France

There’s an advantage to booking small guided tours. First, you skip the impossibly long lines. Second, you learn things you might not otherwise know. For instance, Michelangelo’s David was originally intended to stand on a nondescript plinth on the left hand side of the Duomo, over 90’ off the ground (photo 4). If I ever knew that, I forgot it long ago. Our guide for the Duomo was a young native Florentine, maybe 25, who exuded pride for HIS city and HIS Duomo. It was lovely.... Pay the extra few $$ and book the smaller tours, 12- 15, tops. It was humbling to see David in person. He stands 17’ tall, carved from a single block of marble. Rightly famous for his calm determination, you can almost take his pulse. If you’re any kind of fan of medieval painting, which I’ve always liked but now I’m a little obsessed, do not miss the upstairs galleries. They’re small and uncrowded and filled with gorgeous examples, nearly all temperas on wood panel, painted before the introduction of oil paint. Just look at the colors in #5 and 6, c. 1385 and 1410 respectively. The wings of the angel look like the marbled paper for which Florence is so famous. #7 caught my eye because the geometric decoration on the side panels is absent from the center. What gives? The descriptive panel states the sides date to 1425, the center to 1475. It goes in to explain the assemblage took place around 1490. We antiques dealers usually apologize for marriages, but this one, going back over 500 years, has earned bragging rights! In the last gallery is an interesting video with Italian and English subtitles that shows the process of making these stunning works.#Florence #David #smalltours #medievalart #medievalpainting #highrenaissance #marriage #vacationofalifetime @ Academia, Statue of David