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.

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

Large antique pine drop leaf harvest table with slim tapered swing legs. The swing legs allow easy chair placement. Measures 7 feet long, 29 inches high, and 19.5 inches wide with two 17 inch leaves that open to 54 inches wide. Large arm chairs easily slide beneath. We show 6 very large English Windsor chairs around the table, but there is plenty of room for 8 chairs. It would also be fabulous behind a sofa or in a large foyer.

Original 2004 Sol LeWitt lithograph and aquatint published by Landfall Press, Inc., Santa Fe, NM. Edition size 30, Edition XXII/xxx, signed and numbered in pencil. Measures 36 x 36 inches. Framed by the Chester Gallery, Chester, CT, which was Sol's favorite gallery (he had a home in Chester). Excellent condition. Original Chester Gallery receipt enclosed. Sol LeWitt was born in Hartford, CT, to a family of Jewish immigrants from Russia. His mother took him to art classes at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford. After receiving a BFA from Syracuse University in 1949, LeWitt traveled to Europe where he was exposed to Old Master painting. Shortly thereafter, he served in the Korean War, first in California, then Japan, and finally Korea. LeWitt moved to New York City in 1953 and set up a studio on the Lower East Side, in the old Ashkenazi Jewish settlement on Hester Street. During this time he studied at the School of Visual Arts while also pursuing his interest in design at Seventeen Magazine, where he did paste-ups, mechanicals, and photostats. In 1955, he was a graphic designer in the office of architect I.M. Pei for a year. Around that time, LeWitt also discovered the work of the late 19th-century photographer Eadweard Muybridge, whose studies in sequence and locomotion were an early influence. These experiences, combined with an entry-level job as a night receptionist and clerk he took in 1960 at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, would influence LeWitt's later work. To learn more about the artist go to http://SolLewittCollection.com

Antique southern pine sawbuck trestle table, 19th century. The top is comprised of 3 boards finished with breadboard ends. Excellent condition. Very strong and easy and plenty of knee space all around with a 12" overhang at the ends. At home in either a country or city setting, this dining table is 96 inches long by 40.5 inches wide by 29 inches high. Seats 8-10 people easily.