Saturday, June 30, 2012

Ultra-Mod Candelabras

A pair of mod masterpieces (both around 9.5" tall )...gilt ceramic bases topped with enameled copper discs from the designer Sascha Brastoff. I'm just now discovering this amazing character.
He made a name for himself during Hollywood's golden era and went on to become a sort of Jonathan-Adler-prototype.

BELOW is link to a fascinating blog entry I came across with some juicy biographic history:
http://moviemorlocks.com/2011/05/12/in-search-of-sascha-brastoff/

Friday, June 29, 2012

Bavarian Bombshell

Pretty pastel leaves decorate this piece of pottery from the West German factory Wächtersbach.
The lovely motif is called "Uschi" pretty, no?

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Gilt Giddy-up

Another example of an extremely fine equine from Bitossi. This time in its rarest of finishes...gold leaf! Plus, this horse is in pristine condition, due to the fact that it was only recently discovered in a local warehous after arriving from Europe around 60 years ago and sitting patiently awaiting reemergence.
13"

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Punk Rock Compote

A covered bowl incised with what looks like golden safety pins from the golden era of Bitossi.
8" tall

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Grey Matters

Milky minimalist midcentury glass, so chic for its absence of color. Over-sized at 8" in diameter and 3" in height. Likely Seguso.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Show Stopper


Smoky grey glass from Carl Erikson, circa 1950s...triple-gourd with the most spectacular three-tiered stopper.
18.5"

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Stunning Still Life

An Italian plaque wired on the back for hanging circa 1950s. A mix of glaze techniques gives this piece plenty of texture and visual interest.
8" x 13"


Saturday, June 23, 2012

Try Tri-Colored

Scandinavian teardrop pendants with all the original teak fittings, but newly re-wired. The colors are super-saturated (almost primary) orange, yellow and blue. A great ambient illumination for above a dining table or hanging in a mid-century entryway.
Lengths adjustable to your needs 

Friday, June 22, 2012

Eye Candy

A stunning sommerso geode bowl from Seguso, so reminiscent of those old fashioned 'Red Hots' cinnamon candies...just yummy.
About 5.25" Square

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Amber Amassed

An entire collection of Greenwich Flint-Craft bottles in a deliciously rich dark amber called "Burnt Honey" by designer Thomas Connally in the 1960s, Indiana, USA.
The tallest among the group measures 22"

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Another Pair of Gems

Faceted & fascinating are these two octagonal shaped stunners from Venice in the 1960s. The sommerso color-combinations in these are fantastic. The top has a grape-like purple paired with the brightest turquoise while the smaller piece contains emerald green with a twist of lemon-yellow.
Diameters are around 5" and 4" heights around 2"

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The Maltese Falcon

A must-have for any fan of the 1941 film or the original detective-novel from 1930. Made in the late 60s in Sweden.
Measures just under 10"

Monday, June 18, 2012

More Blackamores

Another incredible pair of candlesticks from the venerable Venice factory of Ballarin. Slightly smaller in scale than those featured in the banner above, but so vibrant in coloration. An incredible feat of glass blowing techniques. Sculptural and baroque, to say the least.
13" tall

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day

Let's Shake Things Up! A variety of silver plated and crackle-glass barware attributable to Josef Hoffmann for WMF, Germany, circa 1950.
l to r: 8.5", 7", 9", 7.5"



Saturday, June 16, 2012

Op-Art Opulence

This trippy piece clearly captures the Op-Art aesthetic of the moment. Prismatic optical effects and a sterling silver rim. Germany, 1960s.
8" tall, 5" diameter

Friday, June 15, 2012

Chartreuse Deuce

An atomic age Aldo Londi coffee table set. The covered box measures 6" high and 7" in diameter, while the matching asymmetrical tray is 9" at its widest. We've seen this lava like style Italian ceramic from Londi before, always with the most arresting, nearly florescent designs.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Dashiki Chic

From the late 60s/early 70s, that cusp in time when civil rights entered the world's consciousness. As art, this movement is well represented in this Norwegian ceramic plaque, featuring a modern loving couple, very much embracing their black beauty.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

What a Gem(mo)

"Gemmo" is the name of a very special type of 50's porcelain from the German company, Heinrich. The artisans employed an ingenious technique wherein they would hand-cut designs into the surface of the porcelain with a diamond wheel, then gild the grooves with 24k gold and then fire the piece...with brilliant results. A great collectible, tiny but impressive at 4" high.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Rare Bavarian

Porcelain hardly ever comes in this large a scale. Two feet tall and decorated in a leaf and bamboo motif, very 60s pop in its sensibility. From Thomas, Germany.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Feeling Bubbly

Cobalt blue has made a great comeback when it comes to interior designers and their clients desire for the blue hue. A great vase can be found in the royalist of blues above. American-made from Blenko in the 60s.
10" tall

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Cased Cubed

Another 1950s Empoli piece, this time of the cased variety. Teal, the color I am most currently obsessing over. Crafted in the shape of a cube, and 9.5" tall.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

I Love Olive

Three from Empoli, Italy, circa 1950s
l to r: 13", 22", 14"

Friday, June 8, 2012

Raspberry Parfait

A tasty heavy stoppered bottle from mid-century Murano, Italy, circa 1950.
9"

Thursday, June 7, 2012

CooCoo for Kokos

Hjördis Oldfors was an important designer at Upsala-Ekeby from 1952 to 1959. These pieces are part of a series called "Kokos" short for kokosnöt or coconut...for reasons obvious. Delicate and intricate at once, the yellow glaze is found both in its interior and inside the meticulously incised linear design on the outside. We have had these pieces in the past, but there is something so special about is elegant shapes, they are worth a return visit.  The asymmetrical small bowl measures around 6" in diameter and is 3" at the tallest. The larger bowl measures around 8-9" in diameter and 6" high.  That's it in a nutshell!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Sublime Skyline

I have always been a fan of this particular style of abstract oil painting. There is a great naive quality that is so of that mid-century moment. The artist was one Frank Barry (signed front and back)...not famous, but certainly accomplished in this style. The scene is of the New York City Harbor.
Oil on board and in the original grey-washed frame.
Measures 20" x 28"

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Folkloric & Fabulous

Bavarian porcelain with the most gold I've ever seen on one piece, not to mention the most unusual subject matter. It looks like an abstract Samurai figure...or is it more tribal? Created by Hans Achtziger for Hutschenreuther, 1960s.
11" x 8"

Monday, June 4, 2012

British Beauties

Between the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the upcoming summer Olympics in London, all the world's abuzz about Great Britain. New to our shop are these vintage ceramics from a Brit-Based company called Denby, from Derbyshire, England, est. 1809. These vessels are from 1961 and are of a pattern called Glyndebourne, in reference to gardens in East Sussex surrounding the famous manor and opera house of the same name, hence the botanical designs.
12", 11"

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Our Latest Hang-Up

From our sole contemporary sculptor,  BJ Las Poñas, comes this gilt bronze wall hanging. A fresh from the studio musing on his world travels, specifically the Miro Museum in Barcelona.
Able to be hung horizontally or vertically, as seen.
36" X 16"

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Zoomorphic Ceramic

In an obvious homage to ancient cultural objects (see below), Italian maestro Aldo Londi of Bitossi created this charming vessel during our more recent history, likely the 1950s.
This is a museum reproduction of a bovine figurine, the original dating back to 800BC.

Our piece mesures 8.5" in length and 5" tall

Friday, June 1, 2012

Retail Therapy

Recently one of the best read design blogs, Apartment Therapy, featured a "House Tour" of East Village hair stylist and salon owner Wendy Kidd. She works with interior designer Jim Fairfax of Fairfax Studios. Several pieces were from our store...including the spectacular hourglass lamp seen above.

See LINK Below:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/wendys-livework-salon-171447