Cherished heirloom
Silver compote was popular bridal gift in late 1800s,
I have a painting I’m thinking of selling and thought you might shed some light on it. It is signed 1890 by T. B. Hardy and was a gift from an uncle in the 1960s. We had it reframed but kept the original frame. The original glass is still with the picture. It measures 29 by 50 centimetres. I would appreciate any advice you can offer. GAIL, Lanark
Thomas Bush Hardy (1842 to 1897) was a British painter who left us with many beautiful marine and coastal paintings. He worked largely in watercolour, creating memorable beach and harbour scenes depicting locations in England, France, the Netherlands and Italy.
Born in Sheffield, Hardy was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists. His subjects included sailing ships and human activity on associated beaches.
Your piece offers crisp detail and vivid colours in a scene filled with ships and people involved in daily coastal life. The condition of your painting is excellent and I would say it has a value of $2,000. I have come across a unique dog knocker titled “Le chien d’or” (the golden dog). What history I could find seems to indicate it has origins in Quebec, but I wonder if you have ever come across anything like it. The French inscription translates roughly as “I am a dog that gnaws a bone. In gnawing it I take my rest. A time will come which is not yet, When I shall bite him who has bitten me.” It measures 8.9 cm high by 7.6 cm wide. LISA, Windsor
Talk about opening a door on the past. The “golden dog” motif has a long and storied history in Quebec, although its origins are somewhat murky.
From what I’ve been able to uncover, the image — which always includes a dog with a bone between its paws, along with the four-line stanza promising a sort of canine revenge — first appeared as a stone carving in 1688 on the home of Quebec City surgeon Timothy Roussel.
That original carving has since been moved and now resides in the Louis S. St-Laurent building, formerly the old post office.
It’s not known why Roussel had the original image carved, but the vengeful dog is said to have inspired William Kirby’s important novel The Golden Dog, written in 1873 and set in 18th-century New France.
Some say the dog later became a secret symbol of political resistance in New France. Regardless, your door knocker depicts the dog carving in an open-hearth fireplace — an unusual and very handsome design. It’s difficult to date exactly, but has the good patina and detail of an item from the 1920s or early ’30s. Your dog’s history, eye appeal and collectibility give him a solid value of $90. We inherited this silver piece from grandparents. We are particularly interested since we could find no helpful markings. The only mark we could find on this piece is “4007” on the bottom. MONICA, Toronto
What you have here is a very attractive compote. These decora- tive serving dishes, used for candy, nut bowls or even jelly, were popular bridal gifts from the mid-1880s to about 1900. Your piece features a clear pressed-glass bowl atop a silver-plated base. The base, in turn, is decorated with highly detailed leaves and the ever-popular cow — both decorative motifs popular in late-Victorian Britain.
Your base, as mentioned, is silver-plated, although some more expensive versions were made with bases of sterling silver. Your piece is in very good shape and should fetch $175 today.