Tutti Frutti Fratelli Toso

In 1854 six Italian brothers by the surname Toso revived the somewhat lost art of Venetian glass blowing to the island of Murano. That company was quite logically named Fratelli Toso and still creates glass art to this day. This piece, made in the 50s, is a prime example of a technique that is signature to their factory. The use of thin canes of glass combined to create a finely striped piece...a sort of candy-like look is the result. This is an exciting color combination of hot pink, an almost florescent orange, yellow, electric blue, and glittery copper.
13" tall

Seeing Things in Black + White

Three Pop-Art artifacts from the swinging Italian 60s. Made in Empoli.
l to r: 17", 12.5", 16"

Feeling Fruity

Giants among bookends, this pair of 1950s Barbini sommerso glass fruit are the extra large size. Juicy, no?
Apple= 6.5"
Pear= 8"

Purple Prose

Let's compare and contrast...shall we? The top cylindrical vase is Scandinavian by Stromberg and the bottom is American by Wayne Husted for Blenko. Beyond the Lilac color, there are certain similarities to these two vessels. Both are heavily weighted and clear bottomed. Both are cut and polished at the top. Both are etched or signed, from the late 50s.
Top 12"
Bottom 13.5"

Big Barbini

Measuring in at 9.5" in diameter makes this Barbini bowl massive, but the rich black and gold coloration makes it exquisite.

French Lava

This look is most often associated with German pottery, commonly referred to as "Fat Lava"...but the great surprise is that this textured pitcher is actually from the French city of Vallauris, c. 1950s. We imagine the intent was to give the pottery an antiqued look, perhaps like a vessel that was salvaged from a sunken treasure. A lovely watery shade of blue with a touch of iridescence.
12"

A Boxtop Worth Saving

Among the artists commissioned to design ceramics for the Italian based importer Raymor was the great Gambone. We are attributing this 1950s ceramic box to that venerable family factory for it's color-way and abstract lines.
top = 6"w x 4"h

Olive and Opalescent

Small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, this weighty little Murano bowl with a dark olive interior and an opalescent outer layer is a gorgeous color combination.

Deco-Rate

Vintage pottery doesn't get any better than this... French Art Deco, Circa the 1920s. This spherical vase is decorated in an abstract honeycomb pattern so severely geometric that it's certainly a prime example of modern design as reaction to the flourishes that defined the prior Art Nouveau movement.
10" tall and 26" around

Primitive Porcelain

Another intriguing graphic-design from Hans Theo Baumann for Germany's Rosenthal Studio Line, circa 1960s. This small oval shaped porcelain box has a sort of tribal feel to its repetitive pattern.
4" x 4"

Something Fishy

A ceramic sculpture by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand, Sweden, 1962. Clearly marked on its teak base, but recognizable in form and mottled glaze. White fish anyone?
Approximately 7"x 7"

More Moretti

Iconic Italian stemware from Empoli based Nason & Moretti, circa 1960. Two sets of six are shown here in Aubergine and Taupe. A very glamorous 9" height makes these wine glass perfect for serving extra special guests. 'Cin Cin'!

What a Teal!

Each year Pantone, the experts on all things color, forecast which hues they feel will be important in the world of design. For fall 2011 they have declared Deep Teal as one of the stand-out stars for both fashion and home. Pictured here are a group of Rainbow Glass stoppered bottles in the trendy tone of teal...one of my favorite colors in any year! American, 1950s.
l to r: 13.5", 8.5", 10"

Oceanic Opulence

We talk about depth of color when describing the multi-tonal glaze of fine pottery. This word choice is certainly apropriate in the case of this spectacular Stig Lindberg for Gustavsberg, Sweden, circa 1950s. A color scheme reminiscent of a tropical ocean...to look down into this unique bowl is to drown in layers of blue, green, and turquoise.

5" high and 5.5" in diameter

High/Low Glass

As purveyors of vintage glass, we try to offer options both luxurious and alternatively more accessible. The top vase was designed in 1935 by Elis Bergh for Kosta and represents the high end. The amber piece below has a similar window pane optic effect, but is a more affordable German vase from 1960s.

Kosta = 9.25" high, 5" in diameter
German = 9" high, 3.5" in diameter

Golden Rules

There's one category of Italian pottery that is pure gold...as in the real ore. Hand painted stripes of liquid gold were applied in the 50s and haven't lost their shine since.

White Vase, 10.5"
White Compote 6.5", Blue Vase 6", Teal 8"
Orange Vase 10"

Another Show Stopper

I love a piece that evokes an "I Dream of Jeanie" vibe, as does this great sky blue bottle, Made in Italy in the 1950s. The rare shape is accentuated by the divine Arabesque stopper seen here.
27.5" to the tippy top

We Sell Sea Shells

ATTENTION Shell Collectors: We just found a very dramatic version of the Barbini shell. The tip reaches upwards of 7" and the controlled bubbles are many, with a nice light champagne coloring to the gold flecked glass. 

Shop Talk

A brand new online shopping guide is now available (in Beta form at the moment) called Shopikon. It's recommendations are organized by city, with New York and Vienna at first, while Barcelona and London are planned for the future. As chain stores eat up real estate the world over, Shopikon is a celebration of the independent retailer, giving special status to niche shops like ours.

Follow LINK below:
http://www.shopikon.com/new_york/stores/347_the_end_of_history

Gilded Grid

Yet another incredible Bavarian beauty from the 60s. Covered in golden doodles in a grid formation, this porcelain cylindrical vase stands 10" tall but has miles of visual interest.   

Dotty Design

A brilliant pair of porcelain vases in a particularly mod motif called "Isabell" from one of the best known Bavarian factories known as Alboth & Kaiser. Pure joy-filled 1960s design.
10" & 12"

Onyx Objets d'art

From the Italian masters of faceted glass, Mandruzzato - two vintage pure black glass vases with original paper labels in tact.
6.5", and 10" tall

One More Duo

Milky white glass encased in a thick crystal clear layer...This classic triangular pair is designed by Carl Fagerlund for one of Sweden's best known factories, Orrefors, 1950s.
23" (to top of shade)

Diminutive Duo

Two small jewels for the dresser, bedside, or vanity. A stunning pair of small champagne colored lamps, controlled bubbles and all, Murano, 1950s.

11.5" (to top of the shade)

White Hot Lights

Pictured above is just one of a pair of lamps we have in store. The best feature is that they light up from the inside as well! Attributable to Murano's Carlo Moretti. So groovy given their 60s silhouette and signature frosted white glass.
33.5" Tall (to top of shade)

...And Then There Were Lights

I'll be shedding light on lamps for the days to come. Today's smokey gray light source is from the heralded American company, the very collectable Blenko, circa 1950.

PLUS: This piece features the original glass finial.
35" Tall

Seguso Trio

Simplicity rules when it comes to the design of these three geode shapes by Seguso. Earthy layers of green and amber give theses bowls depth of color...like a trio of semi-precious stones.

Label Consciousness

What's in a label? Not only does this foil sticker confirm its origins (Murano) but it indicates that it's attributable to the one and only Alfredo Barbini. Yet, the most interesting revelation is for whom it was made. Weil Ceramics & Glass was an American importer with a tony showroom near 5th Avenue in Manhattan. This fantastic blood-orange colored stoppered bottle would have been made to sell specifically to the U.S. market in the 50's.
19"

Color Story

Real Simple magazine has this month (August 2011) published an inspirational feature on decorating with color. Once again, many of our objects have staring roles.

Super Incise Me 2

UPDATE: And then there were two. Oh, how we love to discover a rare companion piece to help tell a collection story. Created for export in the 1950's for Raymor, this Italian terracotta vase shows exemplary craftsmanship in the art of incising.

On closer look, one can appreciate the hand that carefully carved and glazed the striped details in alternating colors.

Three by Barbini

The unmistakeable quilted copper pattern is a design hallmark of the Barbini bowl, shown here in Rose, Plum, and White. All 1950's and measuring just over 5.5" in diameter.