Have a BLUE Christmas

Italian Stopper bottles and their ilk...in many a shade of blue for you and yours.

It's CLEARLY Christmastime

Ornaments made during WWll were often made without silver interiors, due to the shortage of metal for the war. The result was these wonderful clear bulbs...a collectible category unto themselves.

You'll Pine for These

(Re)introducing the masterful work of Swedish ceramicist Per Lilienjren. We are fortunate enough to have acquired more of his mind boggling ingenious designs. Last year we had 3 pieces which sold within weeks of arriving in our shop via our friends in Denmark. We are told that because of the intensity of the labor, these are among the last of this meticulous style of pottery he has produced- some 10 odd years ago.


Each piece is hand-thrown pure white stoneware clay. With a small knife he carves each individual shape (he calls them "leaves"). We estimated around 1000 marks on the tallest vase seen here (around 10"). To organize the pattern symmetrically he draws guidelines with a pencil. He starts carving at the top of the vase and works downward, needing to cut rather quickly before the clay becomes too dry. The method is challenging and demands strong technical skills and incredible patience. Often he works all day and night, going into some kind of meditative state while carving. Well, we certainly are entranced!


Each piece needs to dry before the first firing. The glaze is then applied and fired a second time. Then, yet another coat of glazing before its fired for the third time. JUST SPECTACULAR.

Glass of Christmas Past

Here are some more of my favorite vintage ornaments.

Ornaments for Days...

We've amassed quite an impressive selection of vintage ornaments for sale -dating from the Art Deco period through the groovy '60's. Here's just a few examples with more to come in the days ahead.

Widows To Our World

Christmas has arrived at The End of History. Here are our holiday windows ...and believe me when I say that photos do them no justice. Please come see them in person, as the elves worked ever so diligently on them. The detail shot features lovely collectible Murano Christmas Trees.

Not So Mellow...

YELLOW! The main piece in the middle is by Wayne Husted for Blenko, 1950's.

Citrus Christmas?

Does someone you love live for all things ORANGE? Here's some juicy options for orange gift giving!

Go Green!

Today our selection is mostly Italian hand blown glass from Empoli 1930-50's.

We've Got The Blues

Over the next few days, in order to share the extent of our vast collection, I'll feature various color stories...beginning with BLUE.

Silver Suggestions

How about something shiny on this Black Friday? For those reading this outside of the US, that ominous term refers to the day after Thanksgiving and the official start to the shopping spree that is the American Christmas season. Here I offer two 1950's geometric Mexican silver trays (the triangle shaped one has cute little legs) and a Sterling Silver box- by Vera Ferngren, Sweden, c. 1960. I'm thinking it's possibly a humidor, since it's interior has some sort of wood lining. Great gift ideas all.

Giving Thanks...

Thank You to all our customers & blog readers! Here's the artwork featured in an ad dated 1955 for Douglas Airline's DC-7. The tagline was "Whatever your reason for getting there faster...you go faster by far in a DC-7".

Thanks also to http://www.plan59.com/, the website which gets credit for originally housing this image, not to mention an amazing source for hi-quality vintage repros and prints.

Thanks A Lot

Can you even Cope-ia with these Barovier book-ends?!

One Strange Bird

Continuing my birdy theme I give you this oh-so-odd hybrid. Why this Murano Rooster has a Pheasant tail-feather is a mystery, but very funny indeed!

Bird Call...

While we all have bird on the brain, I serve up these two 1950's Italian Bird Boxes by Bitossi. Very FLAVIA-ful!

How Swede It Is

Called the 'Peacock' pattern, this is a classic vase from the Swedish company Elme Glasbruk, circa 1960's. A fine feathered friend for someone who loves these fall colors.

Back To Square One

That's not to say there is anything simple about this centerpiece. No less than 12" square and autumnal in its saturated burnt orange color, this is a statement-making masterwork from Barbini. You can get lost in the spiral effect of the controlled bubble pattern. The gold leaf adds that extra layer of richness.

Big Bang Theory

These green and brown spotted glazed pieces are from the workshop of Arne Bang circa 1940's. The tall floor vase measures 15" and is a prime example of his distinctive look which marries machine age with organic flair. The companion bowl is 15" in diameter. These are among the most desired of Danish ceramics with prices to match.

CinCin-Sational

With a neck like Audrey Hepburn...this hi-glaze minty blue vase comes from the most venerable American pottery company, the Ohio based Rookwood, est. 1880. This piece dates from 1940, just before the company filed bankruptcy due to The Great Depression. In 1941 the company was saved by Walter Schott allowing Rookwood to stay in business and its artists and employees to keep making beautiful American icons such as this.

http://www.rookwood.com/

Reunited

...and it feels so good! I was informed that these two Barbini bottles used to be sold as a set! Lovely in in the powder room or a ladies boudoir. One customer tells the tale of her long ago purchase of this very style and at the time it had to be put on layaway for the shorter of the two cost the equivalent of one month's rent on her Park Avenue apartment...this in 1950.

Grey Matters

And now the absence of color...from one extreme to another is how I like to keep 'em guessing. Just goes to show how we have something for every designer taste bud. This smokey glass bowl by Seguso, c. 1950's, is just so moody and marvelous in it's opalescence.

Color-Full Collectible

Never have I seen a single piece that incorporated more levels of color in one small bowl. I count 4 distinct layers with color combinations creating infinite mixes and hybrids of spectral light. Red, Blue, Green, and a hint of Acid Yellow make this piece one of the most wonderfully complex works I've laid eyes upon. UPDATE: I now feel this is quite possibly by Cenedese.

More Drinky Things

Crystal Ice Buckets from Strömberg.

For Serious Drinker's Only

Just in from Scandinavia are these simply stunning crystal decanters & shakers with sterling silver details. Most are from Strömberg (the full name is actually Strömbergshyttan) from the 1940's through 1960. The glass is created in Sweden (possibly designed by Gerda Strömberg herself) while the silver is crafted in Denmark. Thirsty yet?

Glossy Glass

We are featured in Town & Country's current issue, December 2009. On page 155 you will find a collection of glass bottles, most of which are from our shop. The spread features an ingenious showhouse created by decorator Richard Mishaan. In it he pays homage to the classic 1933 film by George Cukor, "Dinner at Eight". Our pieces help evoke a time when the powder room was a place of glamour.

Pale Shelter

This is our top shelf...literally. A mix of pale pink, sky blue, and opalescent lavender glass. The Buddha is not for sale, as he has always watched over our shop and brought us much luck over the years.

Seeing Things in BLACK & WHITE

Just a smattering of sublime striped ceramics from Upsala-Ekeby, SWEDEN c.1950's

Hold a Candle to These

Another entertaining idea for your Thanksgiving...these 7" tall Bitossi candle sticks in appropriately autumnal colors would look fantastic on your fall dining table. The shape of the opening allows for any size candle from a taper to a 3.5" wide pillar.

A Horse of a Different Color

We are accustomed to finding the Bitossi horse in the common "Rimini Blue", but were thrilled to come across this version in various shades of green.

Be STILL My Heart

We still love a still life. This 1950's cubist style decorated ceramic bowl would make Picasso proud.

Entertain This Idea

With the upcoming holidays approaching, it's time to start thinking about party planning. What could be more chic than a set of classic vintage Fornasetti coasters to place those festive cocktails upon!

Limonata Vase

Italian pottery from the '60's. What a great fizzy lemon colored glaze!

Pyramid Scheme

Can you believe that this solid Italian obelisk in pitch black glass has survived 4 decades without even a chip...right to the pointy 9'' tippy top. This is so future-modern, representing what mid-century visionaries imagined the future might look like.

Boxing Day

Two lightweight keepsake boxes from Italy. The yellow is a classic Bitossi with its signature embossed motif on the lid, while the orange pinstripe is from a company called Baldelli.

Eye Color

Eye can see you'll like this one. This amber colored elliptical shaped bowl was made in Murano Italy in the 1960's.

Fall Back

We may be called The End of History, but time keeps on tickin'. As we turn back our clocks and welcome a new season, I offer a Danish piece of off-white pottery adorned with leaf in relief design. The surface has a nice subtle crackle due to the passage of many an autumn before.