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

Fifty Shades of Gunnar

A marvelously mottled mix from the great Gunnar Nylund of Rorstrand fame. Swedish mid-century at its finest.
12", 11", 6"

Mixed Media Mari

From Upsala Ekeby, comes this large red clay vase of many textures. Created in the 50's by Mari Simmulson, the top is a chocolate brown, high-gloss glaze, the middle section is speckled like cork and carved to create a fluting that reveals the true brick color of the natural material, and at the very bottom...an unexpected pop of white.
16" tall

Gorgeous Gorham

A stunning silver plated centerpiece from noted American company Gorham with a teal glass interior bowl. With its repetitive polka dots, this 1960s original is giving me a very Yayoi Kusama feeling - With a retrospective at the Whitney Museum and her art seen in public spaces from Manhattan to Japan, to her designs for Louis Vuitton, dots are having their moment.
10" diameter

Kryptonite Super-Glass

Great lime green glass that seem to have arrived from Superman's planet of Krypton. In all actuality, these three glass obelisks are from the Venetian factory of Archimede Seguso.
1950s labels on base
15.5", 14", 10.5"

Let The Games Begin

In honor of the Olympic opening ceremony this evening, we present a French Art Deco sculpture from the 1930s. This mixed-metal man throws the javelin atop a pink marble base.
9" tall, perfect for a gentleman's desk or library shelf

Reed All About It

Here's an unusual one...this perfectly square shaped Italian bowl is made by fusing dozens of glass rods together to form a solid object. This is the first time I think I've seen this technique, and the result is such saturated color that it appears to be plastic....that is until you touch it. The texture gives it a reed or bamboo look and feel.
12" square

Arabian Knights

Caged cased glass in a smokey grey tone, created in Empoli, Italy in the 1950s . At 26" tall, there is a certain majestic quality to this pair of stoppered bottles... giving them (in my mind's eye) the look of giant chess pieces.

Retail Reminder

When uptown in Manhattan, do remember to stop into Barneys New York on Madison and 60th and visit our shop-within-a-shop in the Chelsea Passage department. We've recently replenished our goods of exquisite vintage glass to compliment their modern wares.

Photography courtesy of Michael Torres Studios

On Mayan Time

Everyone knows 2012 is the time to collect Mayan...such as this turquoise hued mosaic and brass humidor, c.1950s, from famed Mexican artist and jeweler Salvador Teran.
6" x 7" x 2"high

Hold a Candle to These

Modernist Japanese Brass Candlesticks, 1950s

Taller Pair = 23"

Shorter = 16"

Horsing Around

A tender moment with mother and foal, dated 1959, by Knud Kyhn for Royal Copenhagen.
 A mottled masterwork in the multidimensional "Sung" glazing technique and another example of size mattering... at 15.5" wide and 13" tall.

Shell Shocking

A super-huge Seguso shell with plenty of gold leaf and bubbles galore...in a size I simply have never seen before. The aqua colored shell in the background is shown for comparison & is a more typical size. The giant Conch measures 14" across and 12" high!

Perfect Parallelograms

Clear glass bowls with a dash of aubergine...from Cenedese, 1960s, etched signature and original labels in tact.
6" x 6"

I Can See the Future

A rare signed vintage "Crystal Ball" by Nason & Moretti, circa 1960s. The glass content is a mix of hues that gives it a otherwordly  pink and purple glow. My prediction: This item won't last long in the shop!
7" shpere

Tutti Fruitti Bowl

Tremendous both in scale and importance! Jewel tones floating in a sea of gold dust and featuring a biomorphic underside...the signature shape from the factory of Seguso. This is one real centerpiece bowl.
10" X 3"

Why Weight?

With its controlled bubble and generous gold content , this has got to be my favorite paperweight. Italy, 1950s. 

around 3"h x 4"w

Wrapping it Up

We love a pattern reminiscent of wrapping papers...this is just Bavarian at its boldest! The gorgeous grouping is from the West German porcelain factory called Hutschenreuther, 1960s.
heights in descending order: 14.5",13", 10", 9"

All About Alabaster

This is a truly spectacular selection of never used, vintage, Italian Alabaster bases that we recently turned into the lamps they were waiting to be. The single lamp in the center is like an illuminated Henry Moore. All circa 1950.
heights from l to r: 32", 30", 35"

This Just In

In part an homage to the beloved sculptress Barbara Hepworth, comes our latest masterpiece from future legend (and our own resident contemporary sculptor) BJ Las Poñas! Measuring 25" X 20" this piece is constructed with hollow welded bronze. The "strings" elements are high-grade stainless steel wire. This sculpture has wonderful movement and is deceivingly lightweight for its size.

Meet Our Latest Twins

We've decided to name this matching pair: "Olive" and "Arabesque". Born of Italian descent, in the 1960's. They strike quite an impressive stance at 30" tall.

Polka Dots Published

Jenny Fischbach, a partner at the venerable NY designers Cullman & Kravis was responsible for placing our Swedish polka dotted Ekeby vases front and center in this tony Upper East Side townhouse...as featured in the May/June issue of recently launched shelter magazine: New York Cottages and Gardens.

Molecular Modernism

This vase is simply stunning in its stark design of a golden molecular motif. The maker is the porcelain company Furstenberg...the design illustrates the meeting of science & industry in the late 20th century.
10" tall