A limited edition authorized exact reproduction of Russell W. Porter's 1923 telescope, made by The Telescopes of Vermont. In 1923, Vermont artist, Arctic explorer, and amateur astronomer Russell W. Porter created an Art Nouveau style telescope intended to serve as both garden ornament and functional scientific instrument. Cast in bronze, the reflecting telescope was adorned with sculpted lotus petals and curving leaves. The optics were disguised in overlapping bronze leaves, while the motion controls were hidden in a pair of cylindrical flowers. Porter created fewer than 100 of his garden telescopes, according to the Smithsonian, which holds one of these devices in its collection at the National Museum of American History. The rarity of these telescopes was partly due to their cost of around $500, beyond the means of most Jazz Age stargazers. Russell W. Porter's telescope would be a model for the design of the 200 inch Hale telescope in San Diego. Russell Porter was the father of amateur astronomy in the United States, the founder of the Springfield Telescope Makers, an Arctic explorer and navigator, a painter of exquisite Inuit portraits, and an instructor of architecture at MIT. When British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore saw the telescope, he dubbed her “Capella”, after one of the brightest stars, always visible in the Northern hemisphere. To read more about the company The Telescopes of Vermont and its journey to recreate this telescope, please go to: http://gardentelescopes.com/our-story.html. Serial numbered and limited to two hundred, the Garden Telescope is an heirloom imbued with craftsmanship and the cachet of rarity. Four hundred hours of work are lavished on each instrument. A milestone acquisition for the art collector, garden lover, astronomy buff and/or aficionado of fine design and craftsmanship, it will spark conversations and delight those who encounter it. A six inch mirror and eyepieces of 50 and 75 power deliver the moon, Jupiter and its moons, and Saturn with great detail. Currently there are only twenty in the world. The telescope, pedestal and optics case (made by a maker of cases for fine English and Belgian shotguns) comprise the kit. Tech specs: 6" f4 mirror, with 75 and 50 power eyepieces. The Telescope, with its pedestal, is 66" tall, and weighs 110 lbs. This telescope was purchased several years ago for $75,000 and is now selling for upwards of $125,000. Excellent condition. Just in from a CT estate.

Antique cast brass soaring eagle architectural sculpture, circa 1900. Measures 32.75 inches long x 13 inches high and weighs 19 pounds. Fine detail, excellent original condition.

Mary Tarleton Knollenberg bronze sculptures of rampant French Percheron horses. Signed on base, Knollenberg and Tarleton. This is a true matched pair, left and right. Each horse measures 25.5 inches high, 9 inches deep and 6.5 inches wide at the base. Beautiful rich original patina. A New York Times story on January 7, 1993 noted that Mary Tarleton Knollenberg, a sculptor, died on December 21 at her home in Chester, Connecticut. She was 88 years old. Mrs. Knollenberg worked in bronze and stone and specialized in female forms, usually nudes. Her work was exhibited in New York, at Yale University and several galleries in Connecticut. Mrs. Knollenberg was born in Great Neck, Long Island, NY. She won a Guggenheim fellowship to study in Paris. She also studied under Mahonri Young in New York and Heinz Warneke in Washington. She was married for 35 years to Bernhard Knollenberg, a lawyer, Revolutionary War historian and librarian of Yale's Sterling Memorial Library. He died in 1973. This item is on display in our gallery at OLD SAYBROOK ANTIQUES CENTER and can be seen by visiting 756 MIDDLESEX AVE, OLD SAYBROOK, CT 06475. Open daily 10am-4pm. www.OldSaybrookAntiquesCenter.com

Vintage large heavy hand hammered copper stock pot with flat lid. Stamped Made in France, probably by Mauviel. Excellent condition, no dents or repairs. Tin interior excellent. Measures 9.75 inches tall and 9.75 inches wide.

Bronze torso of Buddha, Thailand circa 1335 to 1550, Ayudthya period. measures 3.75 " high, 5 inches with wood base. Purchased in 1962 for $25 from Edgar Mayhew. Appraised in 1992 buy Harmer Rooke NY for $200-400. The Ayutthaya Kingdom Thai pronunciation: [ʔajúttʰajaː]; also spelled Ayudhya or Ayodhaya) was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Indians, Japanese, Koreans, Persians, and later the Spaniards, Dutch, English, and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the capital, also called Ayutthaya. In the 16th century, it was described by foreign traders as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the East. The court of King Narai (1656–1688) had strong links with that of King Louis XIV of France, whose ambassadors compared the city in size and wealth to Paris. By 1550, the kingdom's vassals included some city-states in the Malay Peninsula, Sukhothai, Lan Na and parts of Burma and Cambodia. This part of the kingdom's history is sometimes referred to as "The Ayutthayan Empire".