Bravo!

Any regular reader knows that not only is Andy Cohen a friend, but he's also a fan of the shop. As I was catching up on this week's DVR, I was delighted to see the lime green glass mushroom set Andy purchased from us prominently displayed in every single shot of A-list guest Sarah Jessica Parker who's own West Village house has a collection of our glass.

You've Urned It

Tall and turquoise and oh-so-Italian is this Bitossi urn vase. Heavy in weight and the great generous opening means it would make a terrific vessel for substantial flower arrangements!
15.5" tall

18th Century Meets Mid-Century

Rarely do we get this excited about a new category of collectable. Discovered through our contacts in Germany comes this 50s Bavarian porcelain with decoration no doubt inspired by the botanical illustrations that date back the 1700s to the works of famous Swede Carl Linnaeu. Just look at the fine detail and elegant lines of this botanical beauty!
12"

Come Sail Away

Arriving from France is this Art Deco Boat, made of Rosewood with Brass rivets and shiny Copper sails, circa 1930.

Simplicity Rules

One of my favorite shapes from the Murano house of Seguso - a simply perfect circle, clear with a spattering of real gold leaf embedded throughout.
Circa 1960s
8" in diameter and 3" tall

Pass the Basalt

From the venerable British company Wedgwood comes a 20th century modern vase. The firm actually first introduced Black Basalt Ware in the 1790s as perfected by no other than Josiah Wedgwood. Inspired by Egyptian stoneware which gained its pitch black color from the volcanic mineral, Basalt. The 1960s line took on an unexpected modern turn in form, as shown above.
6" X 6"

Monkeying Around

An adorably diminutive Simian sculpture by Knud Kyhn for Royal Copenhagen. This 3.5" stoneware monkey is in the typical Sung glaze finish from this era, designed in 1929. A great collectible to add to your coterie.

Patination Fascination

Japanese "cold-painted" patina on a traditional shaped bronze vase, circa 1950s. Swirls of hand worked texture give the surface an "aged" oxidized feel.
9" tall

Open Wide

A great find ( likely by Bo Borgström) for Åseda, Sweden in a particularly retro shade of Rust with an interior color verging on Chartreuse.
9" tall and a top-heavy 5" wide!

I Came, I Saw, I Blogged

Great Cesar's Bust! Italian from the 50s, Terracotta and gold leaf.
17" tall

A Toast

Like an absentminded husband, I am shamefully late to wishing us a Happy Anniversary! Every year I know it's coming and this year October 5th crept up and just passed me by...I wish I could blame champagne, but the fact is Stephen called to remind me and 1am the following day is as soon as I could let the occasion be recognized. Above is one of my favorite images from our beloved golden era. Did you know this illustration is actually of Grace Kelly (before she married the Prince) and was used by Taittingers for many years to emphasize the style and preciosity of the bubbly brand? Yesterday marked 14 years since The End of History opened shop and we are still going strong. Cheers!

Let There Be Light(s)

A pair of super-chic (attributable to) Fontana Arte arched Italian lamps circa 1970. Beige frosted cased glass shades held aloft by gold plated arms set in patterned clear glass domed bases.
Approximately 20" X 20"

Water Works

An "Akva Bla" (or Aqua Blue) bowl, signed Per Lutkin for Holmegaard, etched 1959. The name perfectly describes the sort of liquid effect captured in the glass. 
8" wide, 3" tall

Reflecting on the Past

According to our knowledgeable source, a dealer in Austria from whom we acquired it, this major mirror is most likely French and was made somewhere in the 1947-55 date range. The nicely aged glass has a brass frame surrounded by a combination of wrote iron rings linked by brass fittings.
Approximately 17" across

A Good Egg

A Mid-Century Modern Murano Egg Sculpture in the manner of Fratelli Toso, very large at 12" tall.

Brutal Beauty

Let's try to shed some light on this fantastic anonymous table lamp whose base is a clear nod to the Brutalist sculpture movement. Best guess is that it was created in the 60s

Our opinion is that the lines are likely influenced by the work of the great sculptress from Great Britain...Barbara Hepworth.

Table Measures 19.5" Tall to the top of the glass and around 21" in diameter, but reaches to 55" to the top of the shade.

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).