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Learn about and understand the items, manufacturers, designers and periods as well as the specialist terms used in describing antiques and collectables. Either click one of the letters below to list the items beginning with that letter, or click on a category on the left side of the screen to list the items under that category.
A compendium is usually a wooden box that has several compartments and drawers for storing the various items. A stationery compendium would be used for storing and organizing various personal or business items including documents, business cards, passports, and other items that need to be organized and easily accessible. It is typically a wooden box t
A compendium for correspondence would usually have pockets for holding different sizes of envelopes, and sometimes may have a built-in address book or a calendar. It can also have a pen loop or holder, and sometimes a calculator.
Obelisks were first erected in ancient Egypt circa 2100 BC and were the sacred symbol of the sun god of Heliopolis. The shape, a tall four-sided narrowing square section, each side incised with heiroglyphics, and topped with a pyriamid were representitive of a shaft of sunlight. They usually stood in pairs at the entrance to temples.
In the 18th century, oblisks on pedestals appeared as a garden ornament and by the end of the 18th century were also become popular as funerary ornaments in tombs or memorials.
During the Victorian period a pair of miniature obelisks became a favourite souvenir of the Grand Tour. Common sizes varied between 35 cm and 80 cm and they were usually made in various coloured marbles, and more uncommonly in rock crystal, malachite, slate and onyx.
If the description of an obelisk does not include a date, it is likely the item is modern.
The pomander was the forerunner to the vinaigrette of the Victorian era, and its use can be traced back to the Middle Ages. A pomander was a small ball made up of perfumes such as musk, and was worn or carried in a container also called a pomander.
The containers were worn around the waist or suspended from a chain or around the neck. They were of one or two compartments with a pierced silver or gold grill to allow the fragrance of the costly solid perfume or aromatic inside to be dispersed.
The substances carried inside pomanders were valued for their medicinal and protective powers against plague and other diseases. They also assisted in masking unpleasant odours.