Friday, October 31, 2014

Brutalist Sunburst

An outstanding wall sculpture singed "Enrique Parker", circa 1960s/70s. Constructed from annealed metal and vintage construction nails this piece is 39.5 by 32 inches.



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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Per Lutken Pair


A beautiful pair of Holmegaard vases by Per Lutken, circa 1960. The tallest one is 14 inches.
The name of Per Lutken (1916-98) is synonymous with Danish glass. He originally trained as a painter at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen and designed his first piece of art glass for a Danish Craft exhibition in Stockholm in 1942. During his 56 year career at Holmegaard he created an extraordinarily broad and innovative range of designs, including the initial design for the famous Gullvase in 1958.


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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Greek God

A large, almost two feet tall, and handsome late 19th Century Continental Parian ware bust of a Greek God.
 Parian is a type of bisque porcelain invented in the 19th Century to imitate white marble and was named after the Greek Island of Paros, renowned for its fine textured white marble for use in the finest statuary and buildings since antiquity.



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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Pre-Columbian Modernism


Although possibly more than one thousand years old, this carved volcanic stone metate looks like a stool designed by Zaha Hadid or Finn Juhl. Carved from one piece of stone this would have originally been used as a grinding stone for corn.
 We just acquired this from the deaccessioning auction of an arts center in the Midwest and unfortunately it did not come with any provenance. Estimating the age and exact origin of Pre-Columbian artifacts can be difficult but it could be Costa Rican. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metate
 Because it's a large example, at 14 inches tall, it would work well as a stool in any contemporary interior.



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Monday, October 27, 2014

Knud Kyhn goes Ape for Royal Copenhagen

A very early, from 1927, Knud Kyhn for Royal Copenhagen seated smiling ape. Powerful and commanding in person this is one of the best Knud Kyhn animals we have ever seen.



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Sunday, October 26, 2014

Bagni's Best


One of our favorite Italian ceramic artists is Alvino Bagni. Here we have an exquisite example of his work from the 1950s. Decorated using a wax resistant technique in a beautiful moss green and lemon yellow, 8.5 inches tall.


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Saturday, October 25, 2014

Glorious Glaze


Another beautiful example of the artistry of Carl Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand. This vase is from the 1950s and is just over 9 inches tall.



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Friday, October 24, 2014

Bohemian Cubism


A fluid and sculptural Czech Art Deco vase in a deep ruby read, cut with swirls and pyramids. Attributed to Moser and unsigned, 6.5 inches tall. Recently acquired from a private German collection.



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Thursday, October 23, 2014

Faceted Modernism

A fantastic piece of 1960s Czech glass designed by Oldrich Lipsky for Exbor. Just over 10 inches tall, recently acquired from a private German collection.


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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Mid Century Michigan


An organically modern, hand carved wood sculpture by Michigan artist, Donn Enger. Circa 1960s, 35 inches tall.



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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

1961 Barbini Catalog


It's rare to find original catalogs for companies like Barbini, these were discovered by a friend who was doing research at the Corning Museum of Glass in Upstate New York.
 We have or have had all of the items illustrated on these pages in stock over the years.



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Monday, October 20, 2014

Fluted Fantoni


A monumental Fantoni for Raymor vase from the 1960s. Thick lava glaze and gorgeous colors make this not just a vase but a piece of sculpture. Fluted on one side and not on the other, just over 17 inches tall.


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Sunday, October 19, 2014

From Queen to Pharaoh


Cleopatra may be the most famous woman of ancient Egypt, but far more significant was Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh who reigned for nearly twenty years in the fifteenth century B.C., during the early period of the New Kingdom. After acting as regent for her young nephew-stepson Thutmose III, Hatshepsut assumed the title of king and exercised the full powers of the throne as senior co-ruler with Thutmose. In accordance with Egyptian ideology and representational tradition, she was often depicted as a male king. Hatshepsut's reign, fully accepted by a flourishing Egypt, introduced a period of immense artistic creativity. Some twenty years after her death, however, monuments bearing her image were ruthlessly defaced, and her name was erased from historical accounts.
All memory of this fascinating history in pharaonic lore was lost until mid-nineteenth century, when Hatshepsut was rediscovered by Egyptologists and her place in history restored. Excavation began on her most magnificent surviving monument—the temple she built at Deir el-Bahri near the Valley of the Kings, across the Nile from modern Luxor. Thousands of stone fragments found in pits near the temple were reassembled into magnificent statues of Hatshepsut, some of colossal proportions. Discoveries continue even today, and, accordingly, scholars' opinions about the historical role of this controversial female have continued to change. The ongoing debate about her reign has inspired the many authors of this volume, which accompanies a major exhibition at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco/de Young, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Recent research on Hatshepsut and the nature of her kingship is presented alongside wide-ranging discussions of the rich artistic production that marked her reign.

Our statue is carved from marble and is most likely French from the late 19th century, 6 inches tall.


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Saturday, October 18, 2014

Brutal Bronze


Two views of "Cantata" a brutalist bronze sculpture by Swedish artist Folke Trudesson (1913-1989). This sculpture is from his first exhibition at the Sture Gallery in Stockholm in 1957. 18 inches tall.
 Trudesson is best known in Sweden for over 50 public sculptures including the 100m concrete absrtact wall at Radiohuset in Stockholm, the headquarters of Swedish Radio, built in 1961. here you can see the influence of this 1957 work on his commission for Radiohuset.



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Friday, October 17, 2014

Tall Toso


An elegant Fratelli Toso white and copper swirled cane decanter. Made in Murano in the 1950s for the American luxury market, 19 inches tall.


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Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Best Barbini



A large and imposing turquoise and gold lidded jar by Alfredo Barbini of Venice. Circa 1950, made for the luxury American market, 7 inches tall.



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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Architect


"The Architect" circa 1930 by German artist Georges Morin (1874-1950). Bronze on a marble base.
Recently acquired from a private Swedish collection. 13 inches tall.


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Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Fantastic Fantoni


Recently acquired from a private Swedish collection, this spectacular pair of Marcello Fantoni 1950s cubist style vases are the Crème de la crème. 19 and 16 inches tall.




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Monday, October 13, 2014

Atomic Flower Pot

Another fanciful piece of mid century pottery from Aldo Londi for Bitossi. 5.25 inches tall.



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Sunday, October 12, 2014

Dutch Trio


An instant grouping from Dutch ceramic artist Pieter Groenveldt. The three vases are all joined together as one vase on a ceramic base. Made in the 1960s and imported by Raymor, 8 inches tall.



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Saturday, October 11, 2014

Jeunesse Dorée

Two beautiful French girls in orange ribbons on a pair of ceramic plates from the 1950s.
Signed on the back "Vallauris", 10 inches tall and sold as a pair.



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Friday, October 10, 2014

Small Lava Flow





A small but beautiful example of the lava glaze technique by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, from the 1960s. 6 inches tall.




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Thursday, October 9, 2014

Big Blue

A 1960s Aldo Londi, for Bitossi, large blue glazed vase. 12 inches tall.


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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Put a Lid on It

A very unusual lidded Strombergshyttan (Stromberg for short) Ice Bucket with Handwrought Solid Sterling Silver Lid and Handles marked Sterling Denmark 925 S, with DGH for Danmark Guldsmede-Handsvaerk. Designed by Gunnar Nylund Paper Label for Strombergshyttan. Articulated Grape Motif Mounts,Size: 6.25 inches.


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Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Baubles Bangles & Beads


A mid century sterling silver cuff with garnet beads, signed but illegibly and marked Sterling.

http://youtu.be/xc0mL1ro0W4

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Monday, October 6, 2014

Mythological Centerpiece


An Austrian bronze and marble centerpiece from the 1920s with a statue of the Toman God, Mercury.
He is the patron god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication, travelers, boundaries and luck. Ten inches tall.


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Sunday, October 5, 2014

Happy Birthday To Us


On October 5th 1997 The End of History opened for business, and here to celebrate our 17th year is the appropriately named bronze sculpture "October Form" by British artist, John Erskine Milne.

 John Milne (1931-1978) was born in Lancashire. He first studied electrical engineering at Salford Royal Technical College in 1945, transferring to the art school at the College, specializing in Sculpture, until 1951. The following year he attended the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, in Paris. For two years he was not only a pupil of Barbara Hepworth but her assistant at the same time.

He is regarded as one of the most interesting and sophisticated of the sculptors associated with St. Ives, the English post-war avant-garde movement. His work of the fifties owed much to the St. Ives milieu in which he lived. Later, however, Milne was greatly influenced by the landscape and architecture of Greece, Persia and North Africa so that his mature work assumed a more international flavour.

He participated in many solo and group shows during his career, most notably at Newlyn Society, Plymouth City Art Gallery (including a retrospective in 1971) and Genesis Galleries, New York. His work is held by the Tate Gallery, London. 

October Form was cast in 1972, a highly productive year for Milne, with his second solo show at the Marjorie Parr Gallery, London, where this sculpture was purchased.

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Saturday, October 4, 2014

Ancient or Modern?


Three ceramic busts of the Greek Gods Apollo and Hygieia. They are from the Amphora ceramic studio of Spain and date to the 1950s. Even the bases are ceramic, the range in height from 11 to 18 inches.

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Friday, October 3, 2014

Bronze Bamboo


A beautiful pair of Japanese bronze vases inlaid with silver and red lacquer, about 120 years old and 7 inches tall.

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

At the Venetian Court


A fine example of a Venetian Blackamoor figure, attributed to Barovier & Toso circa 1950. This regal example is almost 15 inches tall.
 From a private German collection.

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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Seguso Goes For Gold

An elegant decanter by Archimede Seguso, c1960. H. 14 inches. Made by Vetreria Archimede Seguso. Cased glass, clear and dark purple, with gold foil. Marked: Archimede Seguso Murano (diamond cut).
From a private German collection.

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