Treasure Chest

A spectacular sommerso glass box by Flavio Poli for Seguso, circa late 60s-1970. Clear glass encases jet black glass speckled with silver leaf and detailed with bronze fittings.
height: 3.5"
depth: 3.5"
length: 5.25"

Divine Equine

My Bitossi journey continues with a new discovery - yet another color-way of the famed horse sculpture! Rust and black and in perfect condition.

Retro Leaf Relief

Another delicious Italian dish with an applied leaf motif. Given the distinctive blue base color, created for Rosnthal Netter, circa 1950s.
12.5" in diameter

Lion's Share

A rarely seen extra large size Italian Lion sculpture from Bitossi, 1960s

Turning Japanese

A golden era gift from Japan in the 50s. Intricately hand-carved concentric circles on a feather light wood platter and gilt with a delicate combination of gold leaf and lacquer techniques. It comes with its original presentation box.
8" in diameter

Great White

 At 25" tall this classic "Bulb" shaped vase is a monumental piece, rarely seen in solid white glass.

Designed in 1959 by Arthur Percy for Gullaskruf, Sweden.
25"

The Leaves Keep Falling

Another large leaf bowl for fall...this one designed by Mari Simmulson for Upsala-Ekeby, Sweden, 1950s.
16.5" in length

Leaf It to Us

Today is the official first day of the fall season...so in celebration of autumn, I give you a rare piece by Charlotte Hamilton for Rörstrand. The 'Chamotte' series was only made for a brief period from 1946-1949. This is one big centerpiece at no less than 14.5" in diameter!

Patina is a Virtue

Another fantasy formed in Bronze - fresh from the foundry. We couldn't be more pleased that our favorite contemporary sculptor BJ Las Poñas has made the move from San Francisco to The Big Apple. This is #1 of 9. Unique to this series is the unexpected blueish patina. As always the visual cues or nods to the greats such as Moore and Noguchi are here, yet his forms are all his own and we are confident that his creations are the masterpieces of the future.


19" tall (including base)

A Million Little Pieces

This kind of Mosaic art was the rage in the 1950s. This may have been a kit for the ambitious American crafter, but the individual pieces are unmistakably Italian. The glass tiles have that fantastic saturated color and reflective metalics like gold and copper. Pieced together with incredible precision, it's a wonder that not even one tile is missing or damaged after 60 years.


This is one of those entries where I must implore you to delve deeper. Please "click" on the above photo in order to expand the image to truly appreciate the details.
Measures 51" long & 17" tall and comes in its original silver frame

Back in Black

I return to the world of blogging with a real beauty! This studded gothic lidded jar is in a rarely seen black milk glass. American from the '30s and 15" tall.

A Brief Hiatus

To all my regular readers, I apologize for the sudden disappearing act. I have been swept up in a whirlwind of design activity for a fashionable new Reality TV series...where you will be able to spot some lovely objects from The End of History. Look for more on this in the coming months! In the meantime, there are hundreds of older posts to peruse. OR, better yet, come see us in person!
-Daniel

The Elusive Shot

"Store Window @2am"

Delicious Duo

And then there were two! The lidded lovely has been in the family for some time, while the vase is a new acquisition. Chocolate brown matte mixed with stripes of citrus colored high gloss glaze. Yum!
Most likely Bitossi, Montelupo, Italy, 1950s.

The Magnolias Are in Bloom

One for the "Truly Unusual" file. Someone hand made this bronze & copper sculpture of a Magnolia tree in the early 70s. Unpredictable art for the eclectic decorator.

Fruitful Finds

Not "fruit bowls" in the traditional sense but an accurate description nonetheless. These are two by Barbini, circa 1950s.

Cone of Influence

Another great Gunnar Nylund for Rorstrand -this example is the very essence of sophistication through simplicity. The oval shape is conical in form, the diameter increasing exponentially from 3" at the base to 6.5" at the rim. Bone white color adds to its minimalist appeal.
Height: an impressive 12.5" tall

Mottled Perfection

A classical shaped vase by Gunnar Nylund for Rorstrand,  Sweden, 1950s.  A gorgeous multi-layered mottled texture (but surprisingly smooth to the touch) in moss green and stippled creams. Oversized at 18" tall and extremely rare.

Hip to be Square

Amazing color saturation is what you get when you combine glass enamel and sterling silver plate, as evidenced here on this square shaped bowl from the classic American company, Reed & Barton, 1950s. Totally turquoise and in mint condition.
8 x 8 inches square

Desk Set

An unusual mixed media pair of German ceramics featuring iridescent gun-metal glazed surfaces topped with cobalt blue crackle glass & a cross hatch decoration on top. 

6", 4"

Sunbursts on a Rainy Day

We could use a little ray of sun after all this rain. These two beautiful cream colored German porcelain vases from the venerable Rosenthal factory are delicately hand-painted with 24K gold decorations of oh-so-50's sunbursts of varying sizes.
8" and 6.5"

The September Issue

Back to school with Real Simple. Once again, we at pleased to be included on the pages of one of America's best read magazines. Featured here is an Italian sand colored matte ceramic vase from the 60s with a hand incised waffle-textured surface.

Lunar Ceramic

After nearly two decades at Royal Copenhagen, Danish potter Jorgen Mogensen decided to leave and open his own studio. Perhaps this studio piece, a crater-filled organic shape, was inspired by the Moon...as it was made mid-60s when the world had become obsessed with space travel.
6.5" high and 6.5" wide

Flavio of the Week

Nothing is as statement making as the extreme lengths of the Flavio Poli stopper. Seen on the blog recently in Ruby Red and now in gorgeous Emerald Green and Yellow. The base weighs a ton and the top measures upwards of 20" to the tippy top!

Greek Revival

A Twentieth Century take on an Ancient Greek bronze urn. As a Pisces, I am particularly drawn to the fish shaped handles. At 15" tall and 29"around, it's a great scale (pun intended).

Crystal Clear

As much as we are known for colored glass, we do appreciate fine mid-century barware from Scandinavia. These two are attributable to Stromberg, in fact the round decanter has the original "Strombergshyttan" foil label still. I particularly like the rectangular shape on top for its resemblance to the Chanel #5 bottle.
Top = 9"
Bottom = 10"