It is always interesting to see when art crosses mediums, from an 18th century painted portrait to a late Victorian re-interpretation. ​Sir Joshua Reynolds portrait lives on and can be seen at Greene & Greene Antiques.

Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 - 23 February 1792) was an influential eighteenth-century English painter, specialising in portraits. He was one of the major British painters of the 18th Century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on the idealisation of the imperfect. He was a founder and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, and was knighted by George III in 1769.

We don't only love art and history but a story to go along with it. This fine quality English hallmarked sterling silver tea service has a very interesting story to match.

The tea service in the original oak box with dedication on a brass plaque on the lid includes a heavy quality hand raised, chased and repoussee rococo revival tea pot with matching tea pot stand, sugar basin and a milk jug. With original gilt washed interiors and manufactured by Eames & Bernard of London 1828-29. The lid shows the original retailers details "Hamlet Goldsmiths & Jewellers to his Majesty". Each piece is engraved with the recipients initials. This piece was a gift from the parishioners of a small village in Norfolk as a token of appreciation. Extraordinarily the original parchment is included with details of the gift and its recipient. The parchment reads:
​
"To the Reverend Henry Jowett
Sir, the Parishioners of Little Dunham; of which you have been Rector nearly forty years being desirous of expressing  their sense of your seal for the cause of Religion - your care of, and benevolence to, the poor, your uprightness of Character, and your obliging & gentle demeanour towards all, are desirous of presenting to you the accompanying silver tea-service, which they hope will be long possessed by yourself, and afterwards preserved by such of your family as you may think proper to bequeath it to, as a proof of the estimation, in which they hold you, and of the affection with which they regard you, and at the same time as an expression of their humble opinion of what the duty of a Minister of the Christian Church is, and ought to be - "to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unsupported from the World."
February 2nd 1829."

This piece comes from a country estate and was probably bought in the 1920s as a wedding gift. It is interesting to wonder how and when it came to Australia. However it goes to show the tradition of giving a silver tea service to mark a special occasion and the taking of tea have never gone out of style.

Do you also love to hear a great story over a nice cup of tea? Come and visit us in store here at Greene & Greene Antiques, Woollahra for a wide range of tea services and tea drinking paraphernalia.

Join us on the 7-11th of September in the Kensington Room, Royal Randwick Racecourse, Alison Road for the annual Sydney Australian Antique & Art Dealers Association (AAADA) Fair and fall under the spell by the variety of art and antiques from Australia's finest dealers.

Wednesday 7 September (Gala Preview)                                 6pm – 9pm
Thursday 8 - 10 Saturday September                                    11am – 6pm
Sunday 11 September                                                                11am – 5pm

Tradition never goes out of style at Greene & Greene Antiques. We recently purchased this delightful Coalport bone china tea service for six. It's in mint condition and has probably never been used and comprises an eight cup tea pot, milk jug, lidded sugar basin, six tea cups, saucers and side plates and a useful little cake bowl. It is called "Hong Kong" pattern and was made from 1970 and discontinued in 1993. This particular set was purchased at Thomas Goode & Co. of Mayfair in 1976 for which we have the original invoice (pictured below). The pattern is very reminiscent of 18th century Chinoiserie designs depicting birds, butterflies, dragonflies and oriental flowers in the Imari palette of cobalt blue and iron red with gilded highlights.

As afternoon tea has become so fashionable, it would be our recommendation for a generous gift that would become a family heirloom for future generations. Come and visit us in store here at Greene & Greene Antiques, Woollahra for a myriad of engagement and wedding gift ideas.

Peridot is said to host magical powers and healing properties to protect against nightmares and to bring the wearer power, influence, and a wonderful year. As peridot is a gemstone that forms deep inside the earth and brought to the surface by volcanoes, in Hawaii, peridot symbolizes the tears of Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes. 

This gemstone comes in several colour variations ranging from yellowish green to brown, but most consumers are attracted to the bright lime greens and olive greens. Peridot, in smaller sizes, often is used in beaded necklaces and bracelets.

The pieces pictured below to celebrate the August birthstone of Peridot are a 15ct yellow gold bar brooch set with a large square central peridot in original box by Mappin & Webb, c1930; An Art Nouveau peridot and natural keshi pearl pendant in 9ct yellow gold on a 10ct gold chain, c.1890; And a contemporary large tumbled and polished peridot string of beads with interspersed amethyst.

Come and visit us in store here at Greene & Greene Antiques to celebrate the August birthstone Peridot and all its wonders.

Last Sunday we celebrated Mothers Day here in Australia and we consumed a fair amount of tea and cakes. If you go through the slideshow below you can see our festivities throughout the day, from morning and afternoon tea to a sophisticated supper with something rich and chocolatey. Nothing better than to be surrounded with your loved ones while enjoying great food on some elegant antiquities.

Join us on the 5-8th of May in the Royal Exhibition Building, Nicholson Street Carlton for the annual Australian Antique & Art Dealers Association (AAADA) Fair and fall under the spell by the variety of art and antiques from Australia's finest dealers.

Thursday 5 May (Gala Preview)                                6pm – 9pm
Friday 6 May                                                             11am – 7pm
Saturday 7 May                                                         11am – 6pm
Sunday 8 May (Mother’s Day)                                   11am – 5pm

General admission is $20. For more information about the AAADA fair, click here.

Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), and the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Come and visit us in store here at Greene & Greene Antiques, Woollahra to help us celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
 
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians also attend church services and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.

We have an array of Irish made antiques from Irish silver to Irish themed goods. The photos below just show two examples of our Irish range. The left photo is a hallmarked sterling silver brooch with connemara (Irish) marble depicting the Belfast crest amusingly made in Birmingham 1905. And, the right image shows a set of 6 hallmarked sterling silver fiddle pattern entree forks, Dublin 1844 with beautifully clear Dublin hallmarks with Hibernia and a crowned harp.

Last week we sold a fabulous Irish silver dish ring by West & Co. Unfortunately we didn't take a photo so it couldn't be featured in the blog.

Come and visit us in store here at Greene & Greene Antiques, Woollahra to help us celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

As of a 2007 study, cats are the second most popular pet in the world by number of pets owned, behind the first, which is freshwater fish. Goes to show we've been CAT CRAZY for generations and here at Greene & Greene Antiques we've got plenty in store for our cat collectors.

Since cats were venerated in ancient Egypt, they were commonly believed to have been domesticated there, but there may have been instances of domestication as early as the Neolithic period from around 9,500 years ago (7,500 BCE). A genetic study in 2007 concluded that domestic cats are descended from Near Eastern wildcats, having diverged around 8,000 BCE in West Asia. A 2016 study found that leopard cats were undergoing domestication independently in China around 5,500 BCE, though this line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domesticated populations of today.

The three images below are just an example of our diverse cat collection: (Left) 18 carat white gold cat ring with sapphire eyes and diamond teeth, Italian c.1990. (Right) 18 carat yellow gold cat brooch with ruby eyes and pearl collar, c.1970. 

(Below) Heavy quality hallmarked sterling silver tea tray, Sheffield 1929 made and retailed by Hardy Bros with (close-up) unusual hand engraved crest in centre depicting a cat passant, above a torse or wreath.

Need a piece of our cat collection right Meow! Come and visit us at Greene & Greene Antiques, Woollahra.