New Orleans Auction Galleries is proud to offer the collection of our late colleague and friend, Ellis Joubert. One of the South’s most accomplished silver- and metalsmiths, Joubert’s personal collection includes a trove of 19thcentury New Orleans silver, flintlock and percussion firearms, edged weapons, 20th-century militaria, African and Oceanian artifacts and much more. The broad scope of Joubert’s collection reflects his eclectic taste and inquisitive nature and vividly brings his deep reverence for history to life.
The Estate of ELLIS SIDNEY JOUBERT III
FEBRUARY 3-12, 2025
BIDDING
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Ellis Sidney Joubert III
Photo by Cedric Angeles
A Letter from Charles C. Cage
Fine Silver Specialist
Ifirst met Ellis Joubert in 1994. I was researching early New Orleans silversmiths, and all of the experts – Carey Mackie, Pat Bacot, John Keefe – told me that I needed to speak with Ellis. I met him at his cavernous workshop, which was surprisingly tucked away Uptown on Jena Street, near Pascal’s Manale. Large cabinets lined the entryway, stuffed with anvils and stakes, and rows of hammers and chisels adorned the walls. I was immediately captivated by a large bowl: a neoclassical cauldron with the head of an enormous, snarling alligator erupting from its side –all in gleaming silver.
It was, of course, Ellis’s most famous piece. I told him it was magnificent; he ignored me. “Cage,” he said. “Are you any kin to Pulaski Cage?” I had asked around and knew that Ellis –conservator of edged weapons for pretty much any museum within a 1,000-mile radius– had worked on the sword belonging to Pulaski Cage, veteran of the War of 1812 and builder of Jasmine Tree Hill in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. “Distantly,” I replied. “He and my third great-grandfather were brothers. I know that you repaired his sword.”
My appreciation for history and genealogy and the conservation of historic pieces impressed him, and his taciturn demeanor melted into a font of loquaciousness. We spent the afternoon looking through his impressive collection of New Orleans silver curiosa – each piece punctuated by his keen observations: a handle cast from a Hyde & Goodrich cup, clearly – he explained – from a twopiece mold, a Delarue spoon through the backstamp of which he insisted he could see a French hallmark, another spoon perfectly flattened and marked “I.V,” which he concluded could only have been that of Jacques Vitaut. (I was skeptical at the time, but more unflattened flatware has turned up since, and I am now convinced that Ellis was right, as usual; see lot 86.)
We thenceforth became colleagues and friends. When I began working at New Orleans Auction Galleries in 2007, I was not surprised to find that Ellis was
a friend to the gallery. Any time we needed identification of a weapon or ironwork, or repair of a piece of silver or information on some obscure piece of New Orleans ephemera, Ellis was there to help. His frank and expressionless demeanor belied not only his expansive knowledge of metalwork, warfare and history, but also his cordial, impish and ofttimes bawdy nature.
Ellis was born in Stuttgart, Germany on February 17, 1953, while his father Ellis, Jr. was stationed there with the Army in the last days of the Korean War; the elder Joubert had also served in World War II. One might assume – as I always did – that it was his father’s service that was the origin of Ellis’ fascination with militaria, but rather, it was that venerable French Quarter institution Le Petit Soldier on Royal Street that was the impetus. The tiny shop, brimming with toy soldiers, swords, weapons, medals and royal ephemera was captivating to
anyone who entered, and Ellis was no exception; he bought his first medal there, the first of literally hundreds.
His young manhood was spent like many of his generation: choosing to backpack Europe and postpone higher education. When time came for the latter, it was the offbeat elective metalworking at LSU that forged his path. His talent was immediately recognized, and his skills were ever after honed and perfected. For a time, he studied metalworking in China, where, once again, I presumed he had learned the Chinese language and culture. And again, I was wrong; he learned those on his own as a teen by sheer dint of his curiosity and discipline.
Ellis’s love of all things military extended from medals to swords, and guns to the nascence of aviation and warships at sea. His respect for history – and New Orleans history in particular – was not limited to times of war, but extended to culture, customs and architecture. His metalworking skills merged with these interests to such an extent that he was eventually the only local source to repair edged weapons or old firearms; to revive the lacy wrought-iron fences and balconies of old homes; or to repair or replace a treasured piece of the family silver.
Since New Orleans Auction Galleries was first given the honor of presenting this spectacular collection, we have affectionately referred to it as “the Ellis sale.” Certainly, it is the Estate of Ellis Sidney Joubert III – silversmith, metalsmith, weapons conservator and collector, with hundreds of lots comprising his expansive interests: guns, swords, powder horns, silver, uniforms, historical ephemera, ethnographica and early aeronautica (plus the occasional euphonium or light-up Mardi Gras helmet). But for us, these are Ellis’s things. Each and every one, as we inspected and catalogued it, brought us delight and curiosity and, ultimately, a renewed affection for our treasured friend who continues to instruct and amaze us.
We hope that we have been able to do him justice – after all, for literally every lot in this sale, our first call would have been to Ellis himself for assistance. We are honored to offer his collection to inspire a new generation and place it in the hands of those who will treasure it as he would have.
Charles C. Cage Fine Silver Specialist
504-566-1849
charles@neworleansauction.com
FIREARMS
Joubert curated a broad collection of long- and shortarms tracing their history through the 18th and 19th centuries. Flintlocks, percussion and cartridge pieces are all placed in their historical context as weapons of war, tools of survival and equipment of sport.
61
English Blunderbuss Pistol
London, ca. 1750-1780, with brass barrel, trigger guard and butt cap, barrel octagonal to round to flared blunderbuss, with carved decoration on the top of wood stock and engraving on the brass fittings, lock marked “S. Stanton “, top of barrel marked “W&M-Beadel”, with crown proof and view marks.
I. 16-1/4”
$6,000-$9,000
Note: By repute, this gun was found on Chalmette Battlefield and subsequently (in Joubert’s notes) “owned by generations of the family, who would pawn and redeem it when they needed money.”
Exhibited: “The Terrible and the Brave: The Battles for New Orleans, 1814-1815”, Historic New Orleans Collection, May 17, 2005January 8, 2006, Case 3, item B. (See page 14 of the exhibition catalogue, a copy of which accompanies this lot.)
14
Marshfield (New England Club Butt) Fowler
ca. 1770-1790, with English locking and the original American-made bayonet, with Dutch-influenced engraving and silver eagles on large brass side-plate, with reliefcarved maple stock. l. 54-3/4”; bayonet l. 17-14”
$3,500-$5,000
From Ellis Joubert’s Notes: “Bought in 1998/99 at auction . . . it was mounted and set up as a lamp with original bayonet and 8-10” of wood missing from fore stock. Restored wood by Louis Parker of Jackson, MO. Militarized by remaining large brass nose cap and wood cut back.”
16
Revolutionary War Flintlock Musket
a contract piece made of salvage pieces refit into new stock, with 1763 French Charleville locks tumbler, ramrod and iron furniture, missing one lock plate screw.
l. 58-1/2”
$1,800-$2,500
From Ellis Joubert’s notes: “Medad Hills (1729-1808) of Goshen, Connecticut was the maker according to Roger Gonzales of Warren, Connecticut. Cherry stock showing French influence. From the Albert Baloni Collection.
358 German Cape Gun
ca. 1850, by G. & W. Pistor, Schmalkalden, serial number 5053, double barrel with the right rifled and the left smooth bore for combination rifle/shotgun usage, partial checked stock, excellent pineapple decoration in front of the trigger guard and unusual nipple protectors, lacking the wooden ramrod, part of the carved finger support from behind the trigger support loose.
l. 45-3/4”
$700-$1,000
355
U.S. Model 1841 “Mississippi” Remington Percussion Rifle
1849, Herkimer County New York, .54 caliber, the lock engraved “Remington’s / Herkimer / N.Y.” and dated “1819”, with extra nipple in the brass patch box, the stock cracked. l. 48-3/4”
$1,200-$1,800
New Orleans-Retailed Philadelphia Deringer
1850s, by Henry Deringer, Philadelphia, the standard size deringer with nickel silver fittings, the barrel and lock both marked “Deringer/Philadel.”, the top of the barrel faintly marked “Hyde & Goodrich / N.O.”. l. 7”
$2,500-$5,000
Literature: For details regarding Deringer’s association with Hyde & Goodrich and an illustration of a similar pistol, see R.L. Wilson & L.D. Eberhart, The Deringer in America, vol. 1: The Percussion Period (Lincoln, RI: Andrew Mowbray, 1985), p. 26, fig. 17 & pp. 161-162.
ca. 1873-1875, one of about 2,000 made by conversion of Civil War-era small frame percussion revolvers, with brass trigger guard and backstrap, marked with patent dates (July 25, 1871 AND July 2, 1872), “36 Cal” and matching serial numbers “17905”.
l. 9-1/2”
$700-$1,000
Colt 4-1/2” Octagon Barrel Revolver
365
Remington New Model (1851)
Percussion Navy Revolver and Components
.36 caliber, serial No. 30390 on bottom of barrel, “MB” stamped on left side of brass trigger guard, presented in the remains of original case with original and contemporaneous components: a slant-spout New Model powder flask, a Colt’s Cartridge works 6-round packet for revolving belt pistols with two visible orginal rounds visible through torn top of packet, an Eley Brothers, London, percussion cap tin with thirteen caps, an unmarked .36 caliber bullet mold for one round ball and one pointed projectile, and an unlidded tin with several loose caps and one pointed projectile, all in a later wooden case. pistol l. 13-1/4”; flask l. 6-1/2”; case 2” x 7” x 153/4”; outer case 5-1/4” x 9” x 18”
$4,500-$7,000
Note: Accompanying the lot is a copy of the November 2003 issue of American Rifleman, which includes the article “Civil War Remingtons” by John D. McAulay, where a similar cased example is shown on pp. 60-61.
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POWDER HORNS
A horn’s organic shape and natural properties make it the ideal material to store gunpowder. Its narrowing curvature forms a natural funnel and its composition is waterproof but malleable. The perfection of cartridge ammunition in the 19th century saw the precipitous end of the powder flask, but Joubert’s collection illustrates the infinite variety of these once-ubiquitous artifacts.
352
Large, Rare New Orleans Silver-Mounted Powder Horn
second quarter 19th century, probably Hyde & Goodrich, with molded silver collars at the cap and spout, both with wide strap swivel, with steeply domed wood end cap, the bulbous spout with silver tip.
l. 13-1/4”, dia. 3”
$900-$1,200
Note: The metal band, steeply domed cap and wide strap rings are all characteristic of New Orleans powder horns. See Tom Grinslade, Powder Horns: Documents of History (Texarkana, Texas: Scurlock, 2009), p. 140. The silver banding here is quite rare and, at the time, Hyde & Goodrich were the only outlet in New Orleans likely capable of producing such an item.
36 Powder Flask
18th century, probably German, with reeded brass mounts, the bulbous spout of octagonal section with steel lever and spring, the mounts with four rings for the cord (possibly original).
l. 7”, w. 3-1/2”
$250-$400
Small Powder Horn
the spout with indented-carved strap mounts, the slightly domed wood end plug fixed with brads and with detachable figural wood loading finial in the form of a human head.
l. 7”, w. 2-1/4”
$300-$500
late 17th century, French, comprising two pieces of leather stitched to a central strip banding the perimeter, the strip with leather strap rings and spout collar, the spout of turned horn with large threaded cap and smaller interior friction plug.
l. 9-1/4”, w. 4-1/2”
$250-$400
31
Leather Powder Flask
37
Scottish Jacobite-Era Ram’s Horn Powder Flask late 17th/early 18th century, with geometric decoration, brass spout and iron strap rings. l. 8”, w. 3”
$300-$500
Powder Horn
19th century, nicely carved with two roosting owls and a diving swallowtail kite, with domed wood end cap, steel collars at the cap and tip, the latter between turned annular bands and with strap ring, with bulbous tip.
l. 13-1/2”, dia. 3”
$400-$700
35 Powder Horn
18th century, Continental, of elongated octagonal section, with glat horn end cap fixed with brads, steel shell-decorated belt hook with single strap ring, brass collar, and volume-adjustable steel spout with spring loader, the spout plate hinged for re-filling.
l. 10-3/4”, w. 3-3/4”
$300-$500
Note: An unusual and sophisticated design, probably for an officer.
361 Colt 1851 Silverplated Slant-Spout Navy Powder Flask
brass with steel closing spring, retaining much of its original silver plating, embossed on both sides with eagle, flags, cannon and militaria.
l. 6-3/4”, w. 3”
$1,200-$1,800
SWORDS
With their almost alchemical transformation of iron and carbon to gleaming, sharpened steel, edged weapons held a special appeal for Joubert. Long after their ubiquity on the battlefield, they remain a highly decorative and powerful status symbol.
11 18th-Century British Colichemarde Small Sword
with pierced and parcel-gilt sterling silver guard and pommel, the finger guard hallmarked London, 1754 (one guard lobe missing and losses to the pommel), the grip wrapped in several types of fancy wire. blade l. 31”, overall l. 37-3/4”
$800-$1,200
French Small Sword
ca. 1777, the silver handle with pierced decoration and flat wand twisted wirewrapped grip, the trefoil blade with parcelgilt etched decoration of the sun, fleurs-de-lis and “vive le Roy de France”. blade l. 30-1/4”, overall l. 37-1/4”
$2,000-$4,000
Note: A very high-grade and important 18th-century sword.
5
Rare Mid-18th-Century Plug Bayonet
probably Spanish, with turned and tapered wood handle, round brass cross guard, brass re-inforced rear of blade, the blade spine half-notched and half-sharpened, with line decoration.
blade l. 8-3/4”, overall l. 13-1/4”
$1,200-$1,800
American
Federal Lancer’s Sabre
Philadelphia assembled, ca. 1820, the steel blade by Weyersberg, Solingen, curved and fulled on both sides, etched with patriotic American symbols on one side and “Honour and My Country” on the other, the iron hilt with stirrup guard and eagle’s-head pommel; no scabbard.
blade l. 26-3/4”, overall l. 32-1/2”
$1,200-$1,800 70
U.S. Model 1840 “Wrist Breaker” Cavalry Sabre
the cast brass hilt with two-arm hand guard, the wood grip lacking its leather cover and wire wrap; no scabbard.
blade l. 32-3/4”, overall l. 39”
$100-$200
Joubert notes of this lot: “Given to me by an old girlfriend in the mid-1970s. She found it in an old abandoned cabin. Kept it wherever I lived in Baton Rouge”.
Ames Model 1832 General & Staff Officer’s Presentation Sword
the double-edged blade engraved with trophees, urns, American Eagles, etc., one ribbon with maker’s mark “N.P. Ames / Cutler, Springfield”, the left side of the blade with inscription “Maj. J. Mountfort / U.S. Army”, the gilt brass hilt with silver wire binding; the original leather scabbard with gilt brass fittings.
blade l. 30-1/2”, overall l. 36-1/2” (37-1/4” with scabbard)
$1,200-$1,800
Note: Major John Mountfort (1788-1851) was an artillery officer in the War of 1812 and saw engagement at Little York (Toronto), Plattsburg, and at Fort Niagra. He later served in the Seminole Wars, and was promoted to Major in 1829 for ten years’ faithful service. The same year he married Matilda D. McNeil (ca 1805-1859) of New Orleans, where the couple resided after Mountfort’s retirement in 1838, as well as maintaining a home in Biloxi, Mississippi. Montfort died on a visit to his native Massachusetts on October 22, 1851.
French Model 1771 Eaglehead Artillery Short Sword
the blade double-fulled on the upper third and single-fulled on the lower two-thirds, with brass cross guard and eagle’s-head hilt, inpsector’s marks on the ricasso and underside of the hilt.
blade l. 18-3/4”, overall l. 24-1/2”
$400-$700
U.S. Model 1840 “Wrist Breaker” Cavalry Sabre
the cast brass hilt with two-arm hand guard, the wood grip lacking its leather cover and wire wrap; no scabbard. blade l. 32-3/4”, overall l. 39”
$100-$200
Joubert notes of this lot: “Given to me by an old girlfriend in the mid-1970s. She found it in an old abandoned cabin. Kept it wherever I lived in Baton Rouge”.
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303 Rare Set of Six New Orleans Silverplate Coquille Seafood Dishes
third quarter 19th century, by Pierre Casimir Rouyer (1813-1887), each of coquille form, with beaded acanthus handle and three peg feet.
l. 5”, w. 3”, h. 1-1/2”
$300-$500
New Orleans SILVER
Like the city itself, New Orleans silver was formed in a unique melting pot of cultures: refugee Creoles from Saint-Domingue, industrious merchants from the North and expatriate Germans fleeing political turmoil. These are all represented in Joubert’s collection, as are, of course, some pieces crafted by his own hand.
90 New Orleans Creole Coin Silver Tablespoon
first quarter 19th century, by Jean Pierre Bellanger (1767-by 1845), in the traditional “Uniplat” pattern, monogrammed “F” l. 8”; 2.43 t. oz.
$250-$400
Four New Orleans Creole Coin Silver Teaspoons
second quarter 19th century, by Jean Baptiste Adam (1784-1861), in the traditional “Pointed” pattern, monogrammed “R”.
l. 5-1/2”; 1.54 total t. oz.
$200-$400
95 New Orleans Coin Silver Cup
second quarter 19th century, by Anthony Rasch (1778/80-1858), with thistle-form body, crested scroll handle and acanthus-knopped pedestal foot with milled anthemion base.
h. 4-1/2”, l. 4-1/8”, dia. 3-7/8”; 4.13 t. oz.
$300-$500
291
New Orleans Neoclassical Coin Silver Pitcher
second quarter 19th century, by Horace E. Baldwin & Co., the baluster-form body with waisted collar and integral spout, decorated with milled leafy heart banding, with branch-crested arched handle.
h. 12-1/4”, l. 8-1/4”, dia. 6”; 31.43 t. oz.
$800-$1,200
Provenance: Purchased by Joubert from these rooms September 13, 1997, sale 9705, lot 902.
92
296
New Orleans Coin Silver Cup
ca. 1855, by Christopf Christian Kuchler (1820-1894), the cylindrical body decorated with a repousse floral cartouche with engraved leaves, with crested scroll handle and milled beaded rim and ovolo base, engraved “M. J. Scannell”. h. 3-5/8”, l. 5-3/8”, dia. 2-1/4”; 3.32 t. oz.
$300-$500
New Orleans Creole Coin Silver Ursuline Convent Tablespoon
second quarter 19th century, by Jean Noel Delarue (1776-1842), in the traditional “Uniplat” pattern, engraved “SU/No. 1/” above a star. l. 8”; 2.31 t. oz.
$800-$1,200
Provenance: Neal Auction, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 22, 2014, lot 460.
Exhibited: “A Visible Presence, A Legacy of Service: 275 Years of the Ursulines”, The Historic New Orleans Collection, May 2003.
Note: Marie Josephine Scannell was born in New Orleans on October 5, 1855, the daughter and first child of St. James parish sugar planter Edward Scannell and his wife Mary Josephine Swarthou. On January 17, 1882, she married Abraham Luria (1833-1901), a cashier at (and later Vice-President of) the Louisiana National Bank. She died on New Year’s Eve, 1931 and is buried the Luria family tomb in Metairie Cemetery.
299
New Orleans Coin Silver Presentation Goblet
dated 1856, by Adolphe Himmel (1824-1877) for Hyde & Goodrich, the ovoid bowl decorated with repousse floral-framed cartouches of forest scenes with deer, bear and beaver, above a gadrooned calyx, ovolo knopped standard and domed foot decorated with repousse birds, squirrels and mice, engraved on one cartouche “Presented to / O. E. Hall by Col. Lija / Jan.y 1st 1856” and (later) “and given to his Daughter / Jeannie Hall Battle / Jan 1st 1886”.
h. 8”, dia. 4-1/2”; 11.15 t. oz.
$800-$1,200
Note: Orson Eddy Hall (1815-1871) was the proprietor of the famous St. Charles Hotel, having started as its bookkeeper in 1845. He became co-owner, with his brother-in-law David Hildreth, of the new hotel rebuilt after the fire of 1851, and sole proprietor after Hildreth’s move to New York after the Civil War. “Col. Lija” was Hertz Verdel Lija (ca. 1807-1871), a Swedish optician and long-time resident of the St. Charles Hotel. Hall’s daughter Jeannie (1858-1909) married Frank Lyon Battle, a hardware merchant, in 1885.
300
New Orleans Coin Silver Water Pitcher
ca. 1855, by Adolphe Himmel (1827-1877) for Hyde & Goodrich, the bulbous pear-shaped body decorated with repousse flowers centering opposing cartouches, with scalloped collar, curved spout, grape cluster-crested double scroll handle and milled foot ring, engraved on one cartouche “Dr. B. H. Moss / from / Little Alec”. h. 8-3/4”, l. 10”, dia. 7”; 31.76 t. oz.
$1,000-$1,500
South Carolina native Benjamin Hart Moss, M.D. (1817-1873) graduated medical school there in 1839 and by 1849 had moved to New Orleans where he enjoyed a long and prosperous career. He died on April 7,1873 and is interred in Metairie Cemetery. The identity of “Little Alec” remains unknown.
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CURIOSA
Joubert’s sensibility would have delighted in the most eccentric Victorian cabinet of curiosities. Unusual forms, unexpected materials, iconic artifacts, even the simply odd or amusing... all found their way into his virtual museum of the fascinating.
mid-17th century, wrought steel with hinged three-bar visor, fixed lobster tail and cheek pieces with replacement leather straps, presented on a wooden stand. h. 14-1/4”, w. 7-3/4”, l. 15-1/2”
$500-$800
Note: The iconic harquebusier’s helmet of the Roundheads (though the myth that it was used exclusively by the Parliamentary forces is a Victorian invention).
2 English Civil War Lobster-Tailed Pot Helmet
James Monroe Presidential Service Soup Bowl
ca. 1817, unmarked, porcelain gilt rim, gilt monogram “M” in shield on border, and handpainted federal eagle surrounded by 20 stars at center. dia. 7-1/2”
$100-$200
Notes: This pattern (commonly called Monroe’s “other” service to distinguish it from his betterknown crimson-bordered service with painted allegorical vignettes) was used by Monroe and his wife Elizabeth at 2017 I Street while the White House was undergoing repairs from damage incurred during the War of 1812, and later at the Executive Mansion itself.
19th-Century Pique-Couille
with short spear-point etched blade, steel guard and balloon-shaped carved handle with mother-of-pearl inset boss at the finial; no scabbard.
blade l. 3-1/2”, overall l. 6-5/8”
$75-$125
228
Argentine Armadillo Tail Gaucho Knife
second half 20th century, La Movediza, Tandil, with notched steel blade stamped “La Movediza / Industria Argentina”, the hilt with stacked plastic ferrule and butt with armadillo tail grip; no scabbard.
blade l. 6-1/4”, overall l. 10-3/8”
$100-$200
120
Hohner Sextuple Kreuzwender Tremolo Harmonica
ca. 1817, unmarked, porcelain gilt rim, gilt monogram “M” in shield on border, and handpainted federal eagle surrounded by 20 stars at center.
l. 11-1/2”, dia. 3-1/2”; box 3-1/2” x 11” x 4”
$200-$400
131 Victorian Bosun’s Cosh or “Persuader”
19th century, with needle-hitched twine lead finial, malacca shaft and brass ferrule.
l. 16-1/4”
$100-$200
Three Iconic Men’s Hats
including: a fez, by Rex, Old Medina, Casablanca, size 8, brim 6-3/4” x 7-3/4”; a straw boater, Ecuadorian “Supernatural”, Italian for the Eduadorian Panama Hat Co., New York, with hat box, size 7, brim 13-1/2” x 11-3/4”; and a pith helmet, Vietnamese for Village Hat Shop, San Diego, adjustable, brim 14-1/2” x 12”; the latter two retailed by Meyer the Hatter, New Orleans.
$200-$400
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375 Czech Napoleonic War Era Silver Campaign Candlestands
1813, Prague, by Josef Fortner (1768-1849; Master 1794), 13 lot (.813) silver, each with a saucer-shaped base and detachable cannon-form nozzle, opposingly threaded to permit the bases to be screwed together, the nozzles inside, for travel. h. 2-3/4”, dia. 4”; 9.99 total t. oz.
$400-$700
327
Iron and Brass Weight-Driven Tournebroche
18th century, comprising a motor, spit rod, and support, with turned wood blocks and bell.
$300-$500
Four Dutch Steel and Silver Fob Seals of the Van Kinschot Family
17th/18th century, including:
a silver example with figural dolphin standard and intaglio engraved with the arms of Gaspar Van Kinschot (1592-1654), h. 1”, seal 3/4” x 5/8”;
a steel example with addorsed acanthus scrolls standard and intaglio-engraved triple-swivel seal with the arms used by Gaspar Van Kinschot (1676-1759), including the impaled hereditary arms of his parents, Gaspar Van Kinschot (1676-1759) and Sara Tromp (1655-1711), his full achievement, and his marital arms with his wife Catarina Cornelia Van Kinschot (1675-1762), h. 2-1/2”, seals 7/8” x 3/4”;
a steel example with hammer-shaped standard and intaglioengraved seal of the marital arms of Johan Swrijters (d. 1747) and Catharina Margaretha Van Kinschot (1695-1758), h. 1-1/8”, seal 7/8” x 3/4”; and
a silver example with openwork addorsed scrolls standard and intaglio-engraved seal of the marital arms of Roelant Van Kinschot (1712-1747) & Wilhelmina Louise Hesselt Van Dinter (17161794), h. 1-1/4”, seal 1” x 7/8”.
$200-$400
TROMP-VAN KINSCHOT Geneology The
Among the many items in Ellis Joubert’s collection of historical artifacts is an extraordinary assemblage of items relating to Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp (1598-1653), a pivotal figure in the Dutch Navy during the Dutch Golden Age.
Tromp’s leadership and victories during the Eighty Years’ War and the First Anglo-Dutch War, especially against the Spanish Armada in the Battle of the Downs (1639), cemented his reputation as a naval hero.
Tromp’s legacy continued through his son, Cornelis Tromp (1629-1691), himself an esteemed admiral who served with distinction in various naval battles, including the Four Days’ Battle in the Second Anglo-Dutch War and the Battle of Texel during the Franco-Dutch War. His career further solidified the Tromp family’s naval excellence. Sara Tromp (1655-1711), Maarten’s grand-daughter and Cornelis’s niece, married
lawyer Gaspar Van Kinschot (1633-1678), the largest landowner in Delfland, near Delft. Sara’s will directed that only Tromp descendants should be buried in the family tomb in Delft, so careful genealogies were kept to ensure the right to interment there.
Joubert’s collection of Tromp artifacts include a portrait of Maarten Tromp, his mulberry gin chest, a first English edition of Cornelis Tromp’s memoirs, letters patent of their ennoblements, several genealogies, table silver, handsome fob seals with intricate intaglio armorials of the Van Kinschot family, and a portrait of what is presumed to be Maarten Tromp’s seventh greatgrandson, Gaspar Hugo Quirijn Van Kinschot (1830 - 1899). A partial label on the reverse of the portrait of Cornelis Tromp has the letters “A.G.F. Van Ki”, assuredly art collector Alexandre Gaspard Francois Van Kinschot (b. 1894) – completing a direct line of eleven generations of this noble Dutch family.
Martin Tromp (1598 - 1655)
Harpert Tromp (1627 - 1691) & Magdalene Van Adrichein
Catharina Margartha Van Kinschot (1695 - 1758) & Johan Sweijters ( - 1747)
married March 9, 1729
Charles Philippe Louis Van Kinschot (1806 - 1862) & Anna Elizabeth de Virieu (1807 - 1842)
married April 29, 1835
Alexander Rijk Petrus Van Kinschot (1836 - 1921) & Helena van den Burgh (1843 - )
Charles Philippe Louis Van Kinschot (1868 - ) & Johanna Pietronella Cornelia Moolenburgh (1867 - )
Alexandre Gaspard Francois Van Kinschot (1894 - )
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Historical
NEW ORLEANS
History is often recounted as a series of military and political conflicts, but the decorative arts, culture and amusements of a place and people provide a rich context to those events. Perhaps a supreme example of this, the New Orleans tradition of celebration far outshines our city’s darker times.
275
New Orleans-Retailed Euphonium
late 19th/early 20th century, the bell engraved “H.ri Joubert / Paris / especially made for / L. Grunewald Co. / Limited / New Orleans, La.”.
l. 29-1/4”, w. 19-3/4”, bell dia. 15”
$100-$200
268
Near Pair of Acadian Ladderback Side Chairs
281
Two Newcomb College Pots
early 20th century, New Orleans, Louisiana, including:
a bean pot in gloss saffron glaze, decorated with tan Trinity circles, impressed “NC”, h. 5”, dia. 5”; and a vase in matte moss glaze, potted by Joseph Meyer, impressed “JM” and “NC”, h. 3”, dia. 2-1/2”.
$300-$500
19th century, possibly mulberry, known as the “Ville Platte” form, identified by their distinctive inverted truncated cone finials, mounted on a ring turning, with turned peg-form feet, the seats covered in rawhide.
h. 37”, w. 19”, d. 14-1/2” and h. 34”, w. 18”, d. 14-1/2”
$400-$700
Literature: See Jack D. Holden, Pat Bacot et al. Furnishing Louisiana (New Orleans: HNOC, 2010), pp. 312-313, item 41 for a history of this style of chair.
Zachary Taylor Presentation Medal
Copper Medal, 1848, by Charles Cushing Wright, struck by Horace E. Baldwin, New Orleans, the obverse with a pelican in her piety with a scale above and lettering “JUSTICE, UNION AND CONFIDENCE”, with “STATE OF LOUISIANA TO MAJ. GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR” around, the reverse with a scene of General Taylor at Buena Vista, with lettering “PALO ALTO, BUENA VISTA, RESACA DE LE PALMA, MONTEREY”. dia. 3”
$200-$400
Notes: Resolution No. 212 of the Louisiana Legislature, approved May 4, 1847, authorized the governor “to have struck by a competent artist, a gold medal, with suitable devices, to be presented in the name of the State to General Z. Taylor” in gratitude for his services at the Battle of Buena Vista. The commission was awarded to Horace E. Baldwin & Co. of New Orleans, though New Orleans Weekly Delta article of June 26, 1848 notes that the medal was created and struck at Baldwin’s manufactory in Newark, New Jersey. Governor Isaac Johnson presented the gold medal to Taylor on July 3, 1848 in New Orleans. The present lot is one of the contemporaneous copper versions struck in commemoration of the occasion; silver versions are also known. See Douglas W. Boyce, “The Louisiana Medal to Major General Zachary Taylor”, in The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America, vol. 49, no. 1, January-February 1998, pp. 10-12; the medal is illustrated on the cover of the issue, a copy of which accompanies this lot. 273
1910 Rex Carnival Favor Letter Opener
the gilt metal item in the form of a crowned and bearded masque (in keeping with that year’s theme “The Freaks of Fable”), with raised lettering “Rex 1910”. l. 10-1/4”
$150-$300
265 New Orleans Washington Artillery Memorabilia
fourth quarter 19th century, including: a Veteran’s 1882 Reunion ribbon, h. 6-1/4”, w. 2-5/8”; a lithographed invitation to the 1884 Reunion with central medallion of George Washington and folding vignettes of soldiers through the ages, battles and insignia, closed 5” x 5”, open 11-1/2” x 12”; and a sterling silver souvenir spoon, Gorham, Providence, Rhode Island, in the “Raphael” pattern designed in 1874 by Florentin Antoine Heller (1840-1904), retailed by A. B. Griswold, New Orleans, Louisiana, engraved with the field artillery “crossed cannon” insignia surrounded by “Washington Artillery” and their motto “Try Us!”, l. 7”; 1.59 t. oz.
$150-$300
270
“Plan of the City of New Orleans and The Adjacent Plantations”
1875 watercolor-enhanced engraving after the 1798 original “Compiled by accordance with Ordinance of the Illustrious Ministry and Royal Charter, 24, December, 1798, signed Carlos Trudeau: Copy and Translation From the Original Spanish Plan dated 1798, showing the City of New Orleans, Its Fortifications and Environs”, printed in plate lower left “Drawn by Alexander Debrunner”, and printed in plate lower right “Printed by Hermann Wehrmann, New Orleans”. Matted, glazed and framed.
sight 21-1/2” x 15-1/2”, framed 29” x 23”
$200-$400
Amusing Collection of New Orleans Memorabilia
including:
a Souvenir porcelain mug, first quarter 20th century, with black transfer-print images of Jackson Square, Lee Circle and Lafayette Square, Porzellanfabrik Victoria Schmidt & Co., h. 3-3/4”, dia. 2-5/8”; a Kolb’s Cafe pottery beer mug, first quarter 20th century, by Loubat Glassware & Cork Co. Ltd., New Orleans, Louisiana, h. 4-1/2”, dia 3-3/4”; a Vaccaro Line Standard Fruit and Steam Ship Co. Navy-style pottery mug, second quarter 20th century, by Sterling China, East Liverpool, Ohio and retailed by G. A. Lotz Co., New Orleans, Louisiana, h. 3-1/8”, dia. 3-1/4”; a Higgins Aircraft pottery bread & butter plate, 1942-1944, Shenango China, Newcastle, Pennsylvania, dia. 6-3/4”; and a Katz & Besthoff Cigar Box, third quarter 20th century, 3-1/4” x 7-1/4” x 7”.
$150-$300
Vintage New Orleans Brothers United Motorcycle Club
1980s, including: a L’Avion leather vest with large embroidered back patch “8 Brothers United New Orleans Inc.” and “M C” on the sides, with front name patch “Augie”, size L; a Sears Jeans Joint denim jacket with two flap pockets and adjustable waist, size M; and an India Imports cotton paisley shirt with two flap pockets, size 42; together with vintage folding motorcycle goggles in a faux alligator case stamped “Deluxe Motor Goggle Duray - Berlin”.
$70-$100
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GLOBAL
The ancient and universal connection between weapons and status is highlighted in Joubert’s eclectic assembly of ethnographic artifacts from Oceania, Africa, Asia and North America. These items, beautifully wrought from natural forms and enhanced by skilled metalwork, illustrate the enormous influence of non-Western design on Modern Art.
Xhosa People Drum
mid-19th century, south eastern cape, Africa, with gadrooned body and pedestal, skin drum held with sinew and pegs, accompanied by a card reading, “War Drum Kaffir War of 185_ / Captured in battle in June 1851 at Amatola by an officer of the 12th (East Suffolks)”.
h. 27-3/4”, dia. 13-1/2”
$300-$500
189
Southeast Asian Barong
probably 19th century Borneo, with plain leafshaped blade, the hilt with carved bunti wood pommel and silver ferrule; with rattan-wrapped hardwood scabbard.
blade l. 14”, overall 21-1/4” (22-1/4” with scabbard)
$400-$700
Southeast Asian Rootstock Pipe
19th century, probably North Thailand, the bowl end carved with the face of Hanuman.
l. 36-1/4”, w. 3-3/4”
$600-$900
218 Zulu War Axe (“Isizenze”)
early 20th century, with decorative wirework banding.
blade l. 5-1/4”, overall l. 22-1/4”, w. 5-1/2”
$200-$400
19th century, the handle with traditional zigzag “tavatava” decoration, fine patina. l. 16”, head dia. 3-1/2”
$600-$900
198
Fijian Ula Drisia
420 Chinese Great Sword (“Dadao”)
19th or 20th century, with wide, up-curved, singleedge blade, the cloth-covered grip and ring pommel with Chinese characters in ink. blade l. 24-1/2”, overall l. 34”
$300-$500
San Cristobal, palmwood, stylized and with a good patina.
l. 56”, w. 4-1/4”
$400-$700
Solomon Islands Qauata
Showa Period Wakisashi
Kiriha-Zukuri blade, the openwork tsuba decorated with dragons and clouds, the fuchi with gilt dragon, with shagreen grip; with black enamel scabbard, the kozuka, kogai, koshira and kogiri all lacking. blade l. 16-1/4”, overall l. 23” (24” with scabbard)
$150-$300
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467
WORLD
WAR The at
The two World Wars of the 20th century now creep into history as we continue to forge into the 21st- the first now over a century ago and the second seeing its veterans and voices all too rapidly passing away.
Joubert’s large collection of uniforms, gear and ephemera preserve the enormity of these conflicts and keep them, quite literally, firmly in hand.
WWI U.S. Officer’s Uniform and Gear
assembled, including: an M-1912 officer’s wool tunic with artillery collar insignia, an officer’s private purchase wool shirt (Terry & Juden, New Orleans, owner’s label F. Strachan), wool officer’s breeches with belt, mounted leather leggings, a helmet (no liner), an M-1912 pistol belt with sabre ring, mag pouch, first aid kit and pouch, a 1911 holster with 1918 G&K AF pistol lanyard, a gas mask with carry bag, a shoeshine kit, and canvas mattock case. blade l. 16-1/4”, overall l. 23” (24” with scabbard)
$200-$400
491
U.S. Navy WWII Survival Gear
including:
a Camillus Mark 1 fighting knife with stacked leather grip and the original USN Mark 1 scabbard, blade l. 5”, overall l. 9-1/2” (10-3/4” with scabbard);
a Union Fork & Hoe Mark 1 Bayonet, dated 1943, in the original USN Mark 1 scabbard, blade l. 15-3/4”, overall l. 20-1/4” (20-1/2” with scabbard);
a Collins & Co. “Legitimus” machete, in a canvas USN Mark 2 scabbard, blade l. 22”, overall l. 27” (28” with scabbard); and
an International Flare Signal Co. brass flare gun with steel barrel, marked PT 11130 and dated Dec. 42, l. 11-3/4”.
blade l. 16-1/4”, overall l. 23” (24” with scabbard)
$500-$800
499
WWII Officer’s Uniform
assembled, including:
a 1942 Army service cap (size 7-1/8), a M-41 field jacket, 1942 wool trousers (size 37), a M-1943 officer’s short overcoat, and private purchase socks. blade l. 16-1/4”, overall l. 23” (24” with scabbard)
$150-$300
462
Leather Flying Gear
including:
a belted flight overcoat, wool-lined trousers, two knitted wool hoods with chamois lining and leather trim, leather flight helmet, goggles, leather gauntlets with separated trigger finger; together with box of assorted items: a canvas equipment marker, a Liberty Engine Model A ID tag, Lincoln Motor Co. (6-21-1918) and miscellaneous radio parts and labels.
$900-$1,200
464
WWI Royal Flying Corps Fighter Gauntlets
otter fur uppers and brown kidskin underside, with free thumb and trigger finger, with adjustable wrist straps.
l. 16”, w. 4-3/4” across palm, w. 11-1/2” at elbow
$400-$700
478
Five Pieces of WWI Trench Art
all made of artillery casings, including: a spouted cup, 1915, h. 5”, dia. 3-1/4”; an officer’s cap with American Seal, 1917, h. 2-1/4”, dia. 3-1/4”; a deactivated Pinchart Denys Paris 37/85 shell, February 1916, etched with “US Army” and “France”, with crossed French and American flags and initialed “AEF”, h. 6-1/2”, dia. 1-3/4”; a Montreal Locomotive Works 18 pounder shell, 1917, engraved “Boesinghe 1916” in a banner, h. 11-1/2”, dia. 4”; and
500
U.S. Model 1902 Sword for All Officers
deluxe presentation, the single-edge Solingen blade with etched gilt decoration, the US seal on one side and “US” on the other, the highly decorative cast brass hilt with four-arm hand-guard, an eagle’shead pommel with red glass eyes, and finger stall composition grip; the plated scabbard with highly decorated nickel-silver fittings and engraved “1st Lt. George H. Sutherlin.”. blade l. 30”, overall l. 35-1/2” (36” with scabbard)
$400-$700
524
WWII V-42 Stiletto
with double hollow-ground blade equipped with a thumb-imprint on the ricasso for a modified saber grip, with steel cross-guard and skull-cracking pommel and stacked leather grip; no scabbard. blade l. 7-1/8”, overall l. 12-1/4”
$2,500-$4000
Note: This rare knife was designed by members of the First Special Service Force: a joint American/ Canadian commando unit immortalized in the 1966/68 novel and film <i>The Devil’s Brigade</ i>. Primarily credited to Lt. Col. Robert T. Frederick and modeled after the English Fairbairn-Sykes commando knife, the knife was produced by the Case Cutlery Co. of Bradford, Pennsylvania, whose records indicate that only about 3,000 were produced of which 1,750 were shipped to the FSSF.
536
WWII British Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Knife
first pattern, second type, with unmarked doubleedged stiletto blade and non-blackened, allmetal checkered handle; with the original leather scabbard with metal end mount, the belt strap detached but present. blade l. 6-3/4”, overall l. 11-3/4” (13” with scabbard)
$700-$1,000
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AUCTION SPECIALIST
Charles C. Cage
New Orleans Auction Galleries would like to thank Steve Barnes, Richard A. Marksbury and Bill Hall for their generous assistance in cataloguing this sale.
