Jeweled Leaded Glass Apothecary Trade Sign….. The Ross Johnson Drug Co Est.1924

The Ross Johnson Drug Co Est.1924… This impressive mortar and pestle leaded glass sign is almost four foot tall with a two foot diameter. The red curved glass panels are reverse painted with frosted letters. The center has impressive sink work with multicolored cut glass jewels. The rest is pebbled glass in a variety of shades from light cream to amber. All the interior lighting has been restored and uses 12 bulbs. The pressed steel bottom panel unscrews to change the bulbs. The inside top is reinforced with a welded steel frame and an open mesh that allows the pestle to be lit. We have this in the shop window and it stops traffic. This huge leaded glass sign is now on display and for sale at… Radio Guy Gallery, 115 North Water Street, Peekskill NY 10566
Steve Erenberg 914-257-1664

Early Cipher Machine Discovered.

From the details I’d guess that this device is from the mid teens. We have not found a thing on it and would love to get some details. If you have any background or thoughts on this machine we’d love to hear from you.
It’s now on display at the Radio Guy Gallery, 115 North Water Street, Peekskill NY 10566
Steve Erenberg – 914-257-1664

Striking Hand-Carved Art Deco Lions Head

We recently acquired a small group of early Folk Art from the estate of a long time collector and dealer. Of all the objects this Lion is the one we were most drawn to. Its carved in a Classic and severe deco style. It’s also so well done it could have been a model for some architectural ornament. The artist was very accomplished and the aged patina is just the way we like to find them. This was hand-carve from a single piece of wood… $1400

Now on view at the Radio Guy Gallery
115 North Water Street, Peekskill NY 10566, 914-257-1664

18th Century Mannequin, by French Artist François-Pierre Guillois

There hasn’t been much information regarding this particular type of lay figure, indeed these are exceptionally rare, until fairly recently since the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and The Musée Bourdelle in Paris held exhibitions last year. These are understood to be created by the French artist François-Pierre Guillois and date from the late 18th century. To date there are only four examples that are known to exist. This is the only diminutive example standing at 51″. The mannequin is made of wood of various species including oak, beech and burr walnut. It’s built around a clever skeleton of wood peg and ball joints and metal fasteners which can be posed in a multitude of ways. The fingers of the hands are made of brass and articulated, the distal phalanges including the thumbs are carved. The toes are schematically by a single phalanx. It also includes the original floor Stand for posing. The condition and finish is amazing. An interesting added note to its provenance. This model was acquired from the estate of veteran Disney artist Ralph Kent. Mr. Kent was one of the select few known to be “The Keeper of the Mouse”, who was responsible for keeping the look and integrity of Walt Disney’s most famous creation… SOLD

Lifesize Terracotta Bust – President of the Pennsylvania Railroad

This terracotta did come from the offices of the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad. Comparing old photos we believe this is George Brooke Roberts dating to1869. Love the history or not the look and patina of this imposing portrait is what was important for me. The subjects stern look and rich aged finish make this one memorable… $2600
Now on display at the Radio Guy Gallery, 115 North Water Street, Peekskill NY 10566, 914-257-1664

Say Hello To My Little Friend.

8 Foot Long BAR Cutaway Teaching Model… SOLD
The Browning Automatic Rifle “BAR”… This is the largest and hardest to find of all the cut-away all metal training guns. It’s eight foot long and in wonderful original condition… Way too nice to polish out. It even has the original removable magazine including a full clip of display rounds. The WWII model is made of cast aluminum and steel showing all the working parts in detail.
Radio Guy
115 North Water Street
Peekskill NY 10566

Steve Erenberg
914-257-1664

Is the head in front of our building the one found in the Hudson River?

For weeks we have gotten emails as well as walk-ins to our showroom. Everyone asks if the large head on display outside our building was the one found in the Hudson River a few years ago. It’s NOT the same head… but I must admit there is a family resemblance. We did a bit of research and thought it would be interesting to reprint this story.

“Marist College team finds giant fiberglass-covered head in Hudson River.
This was a bizarre discovery, even for the Hudson River. The crew team from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., came across a large fiberglass-covered head in the Hudson’s chilly waters on Monday. Crew coach Matt Lavin approached it with caution before his team carefully towed the mysterious head to shore. “They pulled it in and it’s some kind of Styrofoam core with a fiberglass shell over it,” Marist director of public affairs Greg Cannon told ABC News… “Enough of the foam was exposed that it got water logged. It had gotten pretty heavy. Members of the team helped drag it up onto the dock.” No one knows where the head came from.”

This is the head in front of our showroom. It’s about twice the size of the example found in the Hudson.

Rare 1901 Eureka Nebulizer

This is the best example I have ever seen. It was recently featured on an NPR science video about the history of early medical devices. It still has all the original glass bottles, air tank and air pump. The oak table is amazing with the heavy turned legs ornate brass fittings and oversized crystal ball and claw feet. The table is also signed on an engraved plaque. Included are framed prints of the patent drawings plus a copy of the original ad. It claims to be the best treatment for all diseases of the respiratory organs. It does this in the most decorative way. If you are a Quack doctor this can be a nice source of income for you… SOLD

NPR’s Science Friday – Things of Beauty: Scientific Instruments of Yore

CLICK HERE to see The SciFri interview and collection tour.

“Things of Beauty: Scientific Instruments of Yore…
For more than 30 years, Steve Erenberg has collected early scientific and medical objects and instruments. Packed with shelves and displays brimming with Victorian medical masks, surreal anatomical models, and futuristic test prostheses, Erenberg’s store/museum in Peekskill, New York offers a whirlwind tour of long-forgotten devices. While some items were shams devised by quacks, others represent the best possible treatment for their time. Regardless of its actual function, each item in Erenberg’s collection has a unique aesthetic value.”

On January first NPR aired an interview on their show Science Friday. At the same time there was a beautifully produced video by Luke Groskin that was shot on location and featured on their web page.

Our showroom/museum doors are open Monday through Saturday, 9 to 4
115 North Water Street, Peekskill NY 10566, 914-257-1664
Stop in… or simply check out the video.

Recently Discovered Piccirilli Brothers Studio Model… “Black Eagle”.

Recently found in a Westchester NY Estate is The National Academy prize winning plaster “Black Eagle” plus photo documentation. This model is an important piece of history and was unknown until its recent rediscovery. One of the great losses in American art history occurred when the Piccirilli Brothers studio quietly closed it doors and no move was made to secure their records, so the accounts of much of what they had accomplished was lost.
The Piccirilli Brothers were a family of renowned marble carvers and sculptors who carved a large number of the most significant marble sculptures in the United States, including Daniel Chester French’s colossal Abraham Lincoln (1920) in the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., the famous pair of lions at the entrance to the New York Public Library and the USS Main National Monument at Columbus Circle.
At that time most prominent sculptors would create their original work in clay. From that clay model a caster would generate a plaster model. The model would then be sent to the Piccirilli Brothers who would carve it from stone, typically marble, although limestone and granite were also used. In this case the Black Eagle was the original work of Horatio Piccirilli (1872–1954) not an outside artist.

In 1888, Giuseppe Piccirilli (1844–1910), a well-known stone carver and a veteran of Garibaldi’s Unification war, brought his family to New York from Massa di Carrara, in Tuscany, Italy. The entire family, father and six sons—Ferruccio (1864– ), Attilio (1866–1945), Furio (1868–1949), Masaniello (1870–1951), Orazio (Horatio) (1872–1954) and Getulio (1874–1956)—were trained as marble cutters and carvers.
Although the Piccirilli Brothers were known primarily as architectural modelers and the carvers of other sculptors’ works, Attilio and Furio would further distinguish themselves as sculptors in their own right.
The family lived in a brownstone on 142nd Street in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx and set up a workshop next to their home that would eventually occupy an entire city block… SOLD