Crafted with meticulous attention to detail and showcasing a soft and gracefully executed red glaze, this Raku tea bowl exudes a sense of ease, tenderness, and tranquility. Adorned with subtle crackling patterns and variations in texture, the tea bowl's surface adds to its unique and organic feel. Made by one of the true veterans of Japanese pottery, these are some of the finest Raku tea bowls you will find in all of Japan.

Sugimoto (b. 1935) is one of the most important...

Edwardian mixed metal sterling silver ewer. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Helmet mouth with high looping leaf-mounted handle; ovoid body on domed foot. Mouth, neck, and foot have copper ground. Applied meandering border on shoulder. Acid-etched palmette and leaf-and-dart borders as well as scrollwork heightened with copper; scrolled frame with acid-etched interlaced script monogram. A stylish mix of Japonesque technique and early 20th-century Classicism. Fully marked including maker’s st...

Kohiki is a traditional Japanese pottery style known for its simple and rustic aesthetic. It involves applying a white slip onto the vessel's surface, followed by a transparent glaze, creating a contrast between the white and exposed clay areas. Kohiki ware is commonly used in tea ceremonies but it can also be found in various other forms. Its humble and understated style, with organic textures and subdued colors, continues to be appreciated by collectors worldwide. Here we see a koh...

An often overlooked implement in tea ceremony, here we have the humble kogo (incense box) with an image of a sleek and flowing dragon. Commonly thought to represent strength, freedom, good luck, and magic, dragons are a popular theme in the artwork across Eastern cultures. Interesting to note, the dragon here is portrayed in the Korean style with four claws, with dragons in China typically having five claws and dragons in Japan typically having three. Fashioned by one of the few great female Jap...

This Meiji period vase is made of fine white porcelain fashioned after classic Chinese motifs.. The potter, first generation Miura Chikusen, is the same generation as many of the better known Imperial Court artists (Kozan, Siefu, Tozan, etc…) and just as accomplished in terms of mastery of technique, level of artistic expression, and volume of pieces produced.

An exceptionally skilled Meiji potter, Chikusen (1854 – 1915) specialized in high-quality Kiyomizu-yaki and...

European silver flagon after the antique, late 19th century. Tapering bowl with curved front and back Tapering sides and curved front and back on spread and ribbed rectangular foot. Rectilinear neck with flat top. Round and domed cover with same ribbing and finial chained on both sides to ribbed rings loose-mounted to applied Classical satyr’s heads. Engraved Renaissance figures on front and armorial on back; leafing scrollwork and birds. Marked. Very good condition with deep patina.

Dimens...

Fresh and pretty turn-of-the-century Austrian Art Nouveau 800 silver casket. Rectangular with curved sides. Cover hinged and raised with scroll tab. Chased and engraved wrapround ornament with entwined and whiplash tendrils and flower heads. Rococo scrolled corner supports. Gilt-washed interior. Marks include maker’s stamp HS. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 4 1/4 x W 5 3/8 x D 4 in. Weight: 13 troy ounces. #BW139

German 800 silver and glass decanter, ca 1910. Flat and round bowl with cylindrical neck. Double-sided acid-etched landscapes with picturesque windmills, bridges, and houses. At bottom 800 silver mount with pierced and chased scrollwork, as well as musicians and colonnade. Silver neck collar. Silver ball stopper with figural finial in form of water carrier; clear glass plug. Marks possibly for Wolf & Knell in Hanau. Good condition with deep patina. Plug sanded down on one side.

Dimensions: H 1...

German 800 silver wine trolly nef, ca 1920. A 3-mast galleon with billowing sales and complicated rigging. Gun ports open and cannons ready to fire. Lots of deck action, too with fighting swordsman and fallen sailors. Holds a special cargo because wood-style hull is a wine trolly. Figurehead spigot with threaded plug, and dolphin side mounts with rotating wheels for cruising across the table. Gives new meaning to the expression “getting sloshed”. Memorable dinner party guaranteed.

Hana...

Classical sterling silver compote. Made by John Wendt for Ball, Black in New York, ca 1870. Round and curved bowl mounted to open support comprising three leafing oak shoots with acorns inset with cast figure of standing boy holding a ball in each hand with one arm raised. Domed foot. Reeding and beading.

A fashionable centerpiece evocative of youth and growth. The figure suggests the influence of the Dancing Faun, the ancient statue in the Uffizi in Florence that was a grand tour icon. The fr...

Set of 6 Japanese Meiji silver cast figural knife rests, ca 1910. Each: A horned and taloned dragon with arched back and fan tail. Scaly, scampering serpents for the next dinner party. Unmarked. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 x L 2 3/4 x W 5/8 in. Total weight: 5 troy ounces. #BY235

The term “Raku” was once reserved for a style of pottery produced by a specific household in Kyoto that began over 450 years ago. Over the years, as it gained popularity, several branch kilns were established (Ōhi, Tamamizu) and a number of other lineages arose making pieces in the style of Raku, though they were not formally associated with the Raku household. Today, we see that Raku has become a world-wide phenomena and the name is no longer reserved strictly for the Raku fami...

At various times over the long history of tea practice in Japan, Korean-ware has come into high fashion and ships full of the finest ceramics from the neighboring country were brought to its shores. Such pieces have long been favored by learned cha-jin (tea people); and, older pieces such as this are quite prized today as relatively few from this era have survived in good condition. While it is possible this piece is of Japanese origin, its apparent age would make it more likely to h...

Fin-de-siecle Classical sterling silver loving cup. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Urn-form with bellied bottom. Three leaf-capped and mounted scroll handles. In relief are men and women, nude with legs merging into leafing scrolls, their embraces abetted by cherubic cup bearers. Subdued eroticism on stippled ground with fruiting grapevines. Reeded foot with stylized egg-and-dart rim and three leaf-and-scroll mounted paw supports. Gilt-washed interior.

At top engraved presentation: “Samu...

Set of 6 Victorian sterling silver equestrian place card holders. Made by Samuel Jacob in London, 1896-1902. Cut out with chasing, stippling, and tooling. Each different with jockeys, polo players, and hedge-jumping hunters. Hinged c-scroll support.

Fully marked including date letters 1896 (3), 1901 (1), and 1902 (2). Five holders have each a different design number; the numbers were registered between 1894 and 1897. Three have retailer’s stamp (Thornhill & Co.). Very good condition.

Ove...

German Classical 800 silver centerpiece, ca 1910. Solid oval well and curved sides with reeded rim, open basketweave, and chased and engraved ornament: Leafing scroll frames inhabited by cherubs feasting on grapes in company of a goat as well as waving torches and hoisting flower baskets overhead. Cast double-scroll end handles surmounted by cast figures of same, precariously perched and drapery-clad cherubs. Four scroll- and flower-mounted stepped supports. Gilt-washed interior. Fully marked ...

Gothic sterling silver porringer. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Concave sides on short foot. Rim reeded with applied leaves. Solid handle with carved figure of medieval horn-blowing huntsman. An impressive example of the breadth of historic resources and techniques that Tiffany mined during the 19th century. Hallmark includes pattern no. 9680 and director’s letter T (1892-1902).

Dimensions: H 3 x W 9 7/8 x D 5 in. Gross weight: 8.6 troy ounces. #BN233

Set of 4 Edwardian sterling silver and enamel place card holders. Made by James William Benson in Birmingham, 1901 to 1902. Each: Enameled coat of arms and open oval clip mounted to flat octagonal base. Two each in two coats of arms. In leather-bound case with silk lining and fitted velvet. All fully marked including date letters 1901 (2) and 1902 (2). Design no. 454426 and retailer’s stamp (“Rowell / Oxford”). Excellent condition with strong and intact color.

Dimensions: H 1 1/2 x W 1 ...