Copper Keepers

A small selection of our impressive collection of Scandinavian pottery which all incorporate genuine copper in the glazing process. From the studio of Sven Hofverberg, Sweden, 1950s
All smalls l to r 6.5", 5", 6"

Organic Original

An utterly unique piece of pottery circa 1970 from the studio of Jorgen Mogensen, Denmark. It appears to me to be a sort of hybrid sculpture/freeform vase. There is somthing almost fluid...like cellular mitosis to this design.
8" diameter, 4" high

Sexy Saxbo

Modernism as mastered in pottery by Saxbo (incised LHE) in the 1940s - reminds me so immediately of the 1920's classic Fritz Lang film Metropolis. 12.5" in diameter

Check out the official restoration trailer:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Any regular reader of my blog knows I like to feature a bird or two at Thanksgiving. This year we're serving a fine example of a late 19th century Japanese Kutani porcelain ginger jar in a rare espresso color (we are used to seeing the typical coral background).
9"

Monkey Business

 

A lesson on the importance of grooming from the Royal Copenhagen master of animal figurative sculpture...Knud Kyhn. As far as we know,  this is the only example of this subject in the United States. Another exists in a museum in Denmark. Stoneware (and as weighty as the name suggests) decorated in his signature Sung Glaze.
Gigantic and heavy at 15" tall and 15" wide.

Tiled Table Top

This may appear to be a typical mid-century mosaic table at first glance, but it is in fact something quite extraordinary. Each of the 49 panels decorating its top are mint condition individual enamel-on-copper tiles, hand-made by a famed Danish artist named Bodil Eje (1930-2006). Made expressly for sale at the venerable design super-store Illums Bolighus in Copenhagen in the 1950s. The colors range from cobalt, indigo, purple, forest green and hints of lavender, accented with shots gold and of course copper metallic accents. The tiles are set into a rosewood surface on a bronze base (with rosewood tipped legs).
24" x 43" x 19" 

You may be intrigued to dive deeper. For more on the acclaimed design destination check out the  Illums Bolighus website:
http://www.illumsbolighus.com/

Magic Orange

Yes, this piece actually has a name, and it's "Magic Orange". Created in Sweden in the 60s by Vincent Nilsson, a third generation potter of a Swedish ceramics family of note.

What I find so intriguing is his ability to recreate the look and feel of citrus fruit through a speckling style that dots the surface with a variety of colors to mimic the skin of an orange.
Huge and heavy at 14.5" in diameter

Isn't She Lovely?

An Art Deco artifact decorated in the signature Persian glaze of Michael Andersen & Son, Bornholm, Demark, circa 1930s. A little bit of ceramic erotica in shades of turquois and blush pink.
Top measures 3.5 x5 and box is 3.5" high

Neo-Classicism Meets Mid-Century

Never ones to rest on our laurels...we prefer to present an unexpected mix, not strictly mid-century and certainly not minimalist. Amid some of our latest Scandinavian ceramic treasures is a white marble bust of an idealized young Roman (Emperor Maximinus perhaps?) by famed German sculptor Otto Poertzel (1876-1963) From his early turn of the century classical period, this handsome man measures 16" to the top of his valiant head.

New Moon

With the rich treasure trove that has just arrived from Scandinavia, how was I to choose an item for this blog entry? I decided to go with rarity as well as an oddity. Designed in Sweden by A. Andersson and decorated by Birger Larsson for Wallåkra (incised AWA) in the early 40s is this almost lunar looking vase. It has the most intriguing glaze reminiscent of bubbling tar in a kind of gunmetal grey color and a surface puckered everywhere like little starbursts and peppered with erratic eruptions. The scale is monumental, as wide as it is tall at 13" x 13". This is a wow-factor Wallåkra vase for the ages.

Watch This Space

Every other fall...something big happens. After our partners in Denmark have collected the rarest goods from all over Scandinavia, a shipping container packed to the hilt with hundreds of fine wares makes its way by boat from Copenhagen to New York. We've spent many hours unloading and unpacking one treasure after another and are in the midst of inventory...so that we can finally share these extraordinary items with you. We may have kept the European bubble-wrap industry afloat this time!

Kryptonite Super-Glass

Three Stunning Crystal Obelisks from Mid-century Venice

7", 10", 15.5"

Gilty Pleasure

From a special line by Heinrich called Chiemsee (after the fresh water lake in Bavaria). Hand painted with raised genuine 24K gold dots in an effervescent pattern that bubbles upwards from the base to the rim. Whimsical and elegant at once. 1950s, Germany 
7"

Tutti Fruitti Fratelli

Fratelli Toso made glass objects that look sweet enough to eat. The technique used to achieve the candy striped effect is called 'a canne' in Italian, which is exactly what it sounds like...the use of colored canes of glass melted to create a new form, like the delicious stopper bottle you see above.
11''

Get Roped In

An amazing example of a Cordonato d'Oro compote by Ercole Barovier for Barovier & Toso, circa 1950s. 
7" high, 10" in diameter

How to Get a Head in Design

This would have been great for a Halloween post...alas, someone named Sandy interrupted us. Perfect for the decorator with an appreciation for the eccentric comes this hyper-realistic German porcelain bust of a man.
life size @ around 12" tall

Fine Finnish

Not unlike the design aesthetic of yesterday's sculpture (mixing smoky grey in clear and frost) is this cubist vase from the venerable Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala (signed), created circa 1960.
8.5" tall

Glass Masterpiece

A rare and exquisite one-of-a-kind glass sculpture from Archimede Seguso (signed). Smoky clear grey glass sits aloft a frosted cylindrical base. Hand blown in Murano circa 1960.
Quite substantial at 22" tall and 10" wide

More Rust to Lust After

A stellar selection from the hand of Carl-Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand. Amassed in Sweden over time by a serious collector with an eye for pristine condition and an appreciation for a complete grouping.

The smalls in a drippy, shiny, rusty palette are all between 6-7". The bowls range from 3.5"- 8".

Kobalt & Kaleidoscopic

German Porcelain in trippy patterns of genuine 24k gold and real cobalt (or kobalt as the German's are apt to spell it). The center piece by Schumann Arzberg at 20.5" tall is really monumental considering the delicate nature of the material. The others are by one of our Bavarian faves...Heinrich (left to right 12", 10.5", 8", 11")

A Return to Rust

10" Striped Vase by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand Sweden, 1950

5" Vase Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand Sweden, 1950

10"Pitcher Eva-Staehr Nielsen for Saxbo, 1940s

We've Got The Power!

We are happy to report that the power has returned to our section of downtown Manhattan! It's been a trying time for all New York City residents and we sincerely hope the regular rhythm of life is on the return. Store hours will resume today and I will get back to blogging as soon as I can.
In the meantime, please considering helping those who are still suffering:

http://www.redcross.org/charitable-donations

Sandy UPDATE

No, this is not some sort of spiderweb decoration for All Hallows' Eve! We prepared the windows and are closed for obvious reasons. Not sure when electricity will be back.  Be safe.

Chain Link Luxe

At 22" tall this is indeed a rare monumental form from Carl-Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand, Sweden, 1950s. Buttery yellow with an elegant incised chain pattern.

NOTE: The End of History will be closed today, Sunday 10/27

Moorish is More

With its Moorish motif, this Italian box by Bitossi looks like it might have been plucked straight from "Shangri La', the Hawaiian estate of Doris Duke. This graphic look is an enduring design and has been making a real splash as of late. The colors are a shock of chartreuse and an almost purple blue.

A new coffee table book with photos by Tim Street-Porter

If in New York check out the related exhibit at the Museum of Arts & Design:
http://madmuseum.org/exhibition/doris-dukes-shangri-la

NOTE: The End of History will be closed tomorrow, Sunday 10/27

Gorgeous Gunnars

Striations-a-plenty in calming tones of royal blue and teal from Gunnar Nylund's days at Nymole, Denmark circa 1960s. Multi-tonal and textural to the eye, yet smooth to the touch.
10" and 7.5"

All About Alabaster

Art Deco does Neo-Classical with these monumental lamps (YES, LAMPS... they light up from the inside, both the column & the urn!) circa 1930. Salvaged from a bank in Philadelphia, and now available through The End of History.
Ht: 57" Width: 13" Depth: 9"

You've Got Me Twisted, Again

A dozen drinking glasses in the manner of Fratelli Toso - paper-thin twisted filigree glass known as latticino. Each hand blown piece is octagonal in shape and feather-weight. Definitely a special occasion glass, perhaps an alternative to traditional stemware for wine.
Each measures approximately 3.5" tall

French/Italian

A mid-century Italian porcelain box depicting pre-Euro coins...both Francs and Lira decorate this box - perfect for you to keep your foreign coins and other sundry trinkets in.
Top = 3.5" x 5" Height = 3"

Fancy Apothecaries

Some items are best seen as pairs...like these just rediscovered, never-been-used, Seguso lidded vessels in raspberry with a generous smattering of gold dust. Elegance x 2.

20" tall to the tip of the tallest flame stopper!

Dots, Dashes, and Scratches

Terracotta with a million striations of sgraffito and adorned with raised tiles glazed in white and crimson. Italian 1950s.
12" and 8"

Mas Las Poñas

The latest work from our resident contemporary artist, Sculptor BJ Las Poñas. Entitled "Mujer Silenciosa" -there is a wonderful sort of gravity defying quality to this 38" welded bronze paneled piece on marble.

Glass Eye

Bowled over, yet again. Another great glass geode by Seguso, oval shaped, thick and heavy with a smokey grey layer and milky white interior.
7.5 diameter, 3.5 high

Yin/Yang Bowls

It's always fun to find variations on a theme, such as these two identical twins (well fraternal, really) from Barbini. One in creme and one in tangerine.
7" in diameter

Hey Squirrelfriend

This somewhat amazing and certainly unusual Squirrel glass figurine/vase was purchased originally in Manhattan in the 1950s - at  none other than the Camer showroom, America's exclusive agent for importing Barbini glass from Murano.
10"

House Beautiful, Indeed

This past summer we were approached by House Beautiful's Style Director Sabine Rothman to be involved in this year's Designer Visions showhouse. For a story featured in the November issue, famed designer David Rockwell headed up the charge to create a fantastic space for a fictional family in Manhattan's tony TriBeCa neighborhood. Located at 250 West Street, the apartment has many items lent from us, and we were only too pleased to help out!

Video Tour and Interview: