Complete Collection

An incredibly lucky find... an entire, as originally displayed, collection of glass fruit and bowl by Barbini, Murano, 1950s. The rarity of the glass cherries alone are a delicious addition. Heavily decorated with shimmering copper dust.
11" in diameter

Elfin Object

Created in 1967 for Royal Copenhagen by Bode Willumsen, an artist not shy about incorporating the odd mythical figure into his ceramic works. Perfect for the fan of fantasy fiction., this crouching sprite on the lid is quite anatomically correct. The color of the glaze has a gradation of light to deep maroon.
About 7" to the tip of her pointy Elfin hood.

"Just" Divine

A diminutive but desirable vase from Denmark's great Just Anderson. Made of disko metal, a sort of affordable bronze substitute of his own invention. There is a wonderful austerity to his lines on this early 40s piece, made at the tail end of his career.
3.5"

Cubist Glass

Three more from Franco Moretti, in a wonderful freestyle mix of color and pattern in all shades of red/orange from burnt to tangerine with a dab of copper dust to add a dash of sparkle.
2 x 13.5", center vase is 14"

Lemon N'ice

This faintest shade of barely-there yellow is the rarest color of French Opaline from Portieux Vallerysthal - the most famous source of this nearly opaque glass. Most commonly seen in robin's egg blue, these lemony apothecary jars are a great find.
18", 12"

An Abstract Expression

In what is a clear homage to artist Sonia Delauny (below) comes this Bitossi ceramic bowl (above) for Rosenthal Netter. Earthy tones of olive, orange, brown, and yellow...created in Italy in the 1950s

Yet Another Gunnar

The great Gunnar Nylund was employed by many companies during his storied career. Proving once again that he was a man of all trades and talents is this mid-century modern crystal bowl with sterling grape handles for Strombergshyttan, Sweden, 1950s

Really Good Gunnar

Gunnar Nylund created this sizable ceramic for Nymolle, Denmark, in the 1950s. Notable is the vertical striations, likely created with a fork-like tool, yet fired to a deceivingly smooth-to-the-touch surface. The coloration is his signature mottled multi-tonal glaze in an array of greens...from moss to mint.
16" tall

You Go Swirl

A rather large piece from Cenedese, measuring 15" tall, blown in a swirly style and a classic color combination of lavender and cornflower blue.

Sea Glass

A magnificent selection of opalescent bowls in seaside tones from mid-century Murano.

Keepin' It Real (Simple)

This September, we once again grace the pages Real Simple...for a feature on tips for decorating with wallpaper, many an object was lent from The End of History. We enjoy accessorizing the glossies and are grateful for the exposure. 

Back by Popular Japan

Recently, I featured the works by the Japanese artisan, Ando Jubei. The photos were so admired that they were re-posted on Pinterest hundreds of times! So, without further ado...another impressive piece of heavily enameled copper, so much so, that it has the look of turquoise porcelain. This mid-century vase comes with its original pine box and black lucite surface for presentation. Notice the sterling silver rims and starburst design details.
7"

Here Kitty

A similar aesthetic to his contemporary Knud Khyn, this fierce figural sculpture of a mountain lion is from the studio of Arne Ingdam, Denmark. 1950s
15" long
7" high

Horsing Around

The always enduring horse motif, this time as a gorgeous black matte shallow bowl surrounded with a string of true turquoise glazed dots. Michael Andersen & Son, 1940s paper label still in tact. 11" in diameter

You've Urned It

Cased glass from Italy in a very chic shade of grey that leans almost 'mushroom taupe'.  An impressive scale and 14" tall and 9" at its widest.

Look What Else We Dug Up

Three more pieces have emerged from the underground. Vintage scavo Seguso bowls - clear glass with that clever chalky texture to give them that antiqued appearance. Great in their geometric simplicity.

2 larger are around 7" in diameter
Smaller square is 4.5"

Look What We Dug Up

Another great example of "Scavo" glass, created to purposely look like a piece of ancient glass that has been dug up as an artifact from some archaeological dig in Pompeii, or the like. This rather large (just over 18") heavy vase, is the kind of shape I often see used for displaying blossoming branches. Signed Cenedese, in a saturated blood orange color.

Black & White & Wonderful

The art world recently lost Vittorio Ferro, an accomplished glass artisan who worked under the Murano maestro Fratelli Toso. He created this animated black & white glass vase circa 1970.
11.5"

3-of-a-Kind

One of the benefits of compulsive collecting, something we readily admit to, is the eventual acquiring, over time, multiples of the same form...in a variety of colors. We enjoy reuniting works made by the same hand - like these Italian stoppered bottles, 1950s.

More Moretti

More from the factory of Franco Moretti (signed) likely circa 1970...in that feathered pattern I recently likened to Italian marbleized paper. Franco is in fact related to other known Morettis. He is the son of Alessandro Moretti and the nephew of Roberto Moretti, all Murano glassblowers of note.
heights: 13", 8.5", 9"

Two Sides of Toft

Among our favorite studio potters is Thomas Toft of Denmark. His hallmark is starkly contrasting white glaze on matte dark chocolate brown ceramic...and always in the most abstractly cubist configurations. This 14" tall oblong vase (decorated differently on either side) is a particularly rare and wonderful example of his work from the 1950s. There is a lightness to the material that belies it size and its very ability to have survived the test of time.

Organic Exotica

 

The mid-century aesthetic has always included not just the streamline and modern, but a touch of the exotic. Irving Penn above was fascinated with the tribal culture of Papua New Guinea...the  indigenous people responsible for the gorgeous bowl we've just acquired from a dealer in neighboring Australia. Hand-carved from a single piece of Iron Wood, there is a lovely imperfection to its form. Expand the photos for a better look at the incised details on the sawtooth rim. Made in the 1950s.

15" in diameter and around 5" tall

New Wave Vase

An awesomely optic faceted bud vase of striped black and clear glass from Murano, 1960s
A sweet size at just 6" tall

Windows to Our World

North Window

South Window

The color theme is now Orange and Plum. Come see the spectacular displays when in the West Village...or make a special trip. Even more lovely at night, when it's an illuminated jewel box.

Turning Japanese

The years leading up to the turn of the century are considered the golden era of Japanese Cloisonné. In and around Nagoya, Japan, five workshops-studios and their master craftsmen were so highly valued and recognized that they had the honor of being the official purveyors to the Meiji imperial palaces and their court gentry. 

Among these revered artists was Ando Jubei, whose works you see above. This particular type of cloisonne is called "Moriage" - a miraculous meeting of enamel and copper. This distinct style of craft became influential... defining the look of the global "Arts and Crafts" movement throughout the early part of the 20th century. Both pieces above are circa 1900. 

Top is 8", Bottom is 8.5" 

Totally Tubular

Organizing your life just doesn't get any chicer than this desk set from Deyhle, Germany, circa 1970. Fused tubes of many heights, 8" at their tallest. Great for back to school or for your stylish home office.

Lavendar Latticino

Fratelli Toso had a twisted sensibility...literally. His factory was best known for creating objects, like the handkerchief vase above, by melding the rods in such a way as to replicate the look of lace in glass. c.1950s
10"

Copper Keepers

A completely new category for us - vintage copper wares from mid-century Italy. Hand hammered and varying in patinas, they have a wonderful sort of organic modernism to their forms.

top: 24", 12"
bottom: 20", 12"

Art Deco Delft

'The Lost City of Atlantis' comes to life with this over-sized plate from Holland, circa 1930. The utterly surreal tableau features a lovely mermaid and the remains of the mythical city under the sea.
16" in diameter

The Birds

Brilliant birds created by Bitossi for import by Raymor. The fine feathered designs, on two sides of this vase, are in such an iconic 1950s style and color palette (the orange and chartreuse especially)...that they just might fly off the shelf.
14"

Splish Splash Glass

So organic as to appear liquid, with a fishnet captured within...A lime green splash made in Czechslovachia from Harrachov Glassworks, designed by Milan Metelak.

5"w x 4"h