Description
Overview
An elegant Art Deco-period dressing set with an exceptionally detailed, hand-painted pheasant scene. Perched among pine branches, the bird is rendered in warm chestnut, green and gold tones against a luminous pale-blue enamel ground. Beneath the painted decoration, a delicate repeating guilloché-style pattern catches the light and gives the surface remarkable depth.
The set consists of the enamelled hairbrush, a coordinating comb with a silver-mounted spine, and its fitted presentation case. The silver mounts carry a distinctive group of British import hallmarks that allows a more precise attribution than is often possible for decorative dressing sets of this period.
Hallmarks, Date & Attribution
The close-up photograph shows the initials GS, a London import assay symbol, an oval 925 sterling-silver fineness mark and a Gothic-style m date letter. The combination is consistent with George Stockwell of Stockwell & Co. Ltd., a London-based importer and registered sponsor of foreign precious-metal goods, and with London's 1927–1928 assay cycle.
Attribution: Imported and hallmarked in London under the sponsorship of George Stockwell / Stockwell & Co., circa 1927–1928. Stockwell was an importer, not an identified maker of the brush or enamel painting. The original silversmith, enamelling workshop and country of manufacture have not been established. The dating is based on the photographed hallmark interpretation.
The case lining is printed Russell's Ltd, Church St., Liverpool, identifying the British retailer associated with the presentation case. Together, the import marks and retail inscription give this decorative set a particularly appealing British-market history.
Hand-Painted Enamel
The pheasant is individually illustrated with fine feather markings, carefully shaded plumage and painted pine foliage. Rather than a plain colour enamel panel, the decoration combines pictorial miniature painting with the shimmering effect of a patterned blue guilloché-style ground. The irregular, organic outline of the brush's painted panel adds to its distinctive character.
Key Details
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Period: Art Deco era, circa 1927–1928 (based on apparent London date letter m)
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Object: Boxed dressing or vanity set — hairbrush and matching comb
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Silver: Sterling silver (.925) mounts, hallmarked; not an all-solid-silver brush or comb
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Sponsor / importer: GS — attributed to George Stockwell, Stockwell & Co. Ltd., London
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Assay: London import hallmark, with apparent 1927–1928 date mark
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Decoration: Hand-painted pheasant and pine-branch miniature over blue patterned enamel
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Other materials: Brush bristles and mount, tortoiseshell-effect comb body, fitted presentation case
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Retail inscription: Russell's Ltd, Church St., Liverpool
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Included: One enamelled brush, one comb and one fitted case, exactly as photographed
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Reference: SP-SD-028
Condition
Vintage condition, with signs of age and handling visible in the photographs. The fitted case and its lining show particularly noticeable wear. Please examine the detailed views of the enamel, silver edges, brush bristles and comb teeth before purchasing. No claim is made that the set is unused, that every component is original to the case, or that the comb body is genuine tortoiseshell.
Authenticity & Shipping
421Luxury guarantees the authenticity of the item as described. The hallmark photograph and original retailer inscription form part of the listing documentation. The set will be carefully packed to protect the painted enamel, bristles and fitted case, and dispatched from Turin, Italy, with tracked shipping and signature-required delivery where available.
