Turn-of-the-century Edwardian sterling silver trophy cup. Made by Reed & Barton in Taunton, Mass. Faceted baluster with scalloped and beaded rim. Reeded and leaf-capped, -wrapped, and -mounted side handles. Four leaf-mounted open scroll supports. Fully marked including maker’s stamp and no. 80. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 9 x W 11 x D 7 in. Weight: 49 troy ounces. #BW447

Master of a very difficult technique from the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) known in Japanese as Neriage, the potter who created this elegant vase uses extreme precision to combine sheets of differing types of clay, culminating in a unique visual effect. While many of his pieces are ringed with swirls of colors, this one is more modern and subdued. With quite a lot of character, this lovely vase will draw attention without being overpowering.

Born in Nagano, Kosei Matsui (1927-20...

Large turn-of-the-century American Art Nouveau green glass perfume bottle with engraved silver overlay. Globular with short neck and everted rim in collar. Ball stopper. Overlay in dense and dynamic flower head pattern with interlaced and overlapping petals and pointille florets. Marked “Sterling Silver Deposit 67”. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 7 3/4 x D 5 in. #BT173

Turn-of-the-century European silver bell. Tulip-bowl with twisted gadrooning. Figural handle depicting an old-fashioned countryman holding two live fowl. Here’s dinner—eventually. Substantial and tactile with melodious ting-a-ling. Marked. Very good condition with deep patina.

Dimensions: H 4 1/2 x D 1 7/8 in. Weight: 5 troy ounces. #BN700

Tsutsu-shaped chawan have a unique and especially attractive shape. They are used mainly in the depths of winter to keep in the heat, and prevent the tea from cooling too quickly. Tea disciples of all stripes appreciate this type of bowl for its elegant lines and functional properties.

This tea bowl was fired in the kilns of one of Kyoto’s best known Raku-yaki potters, Sasaki Shoraku III (1944-). The Shoraku line began when the grandfather of the current potter established a kiln...

Greek Revival sterling silver footed bowl. Made by Grosjean & Woodward for Tiffany & Co. at 550 Broadway in New York. Bowl wide and shallow with flat fretwork rim. Ornament applied to exterior: Medallions inset with male youth heads surrounded by leaf-and-berry branches. Bowl underside center has petal lobing to which are mounted two side handles with stylized leaf-caps on split volute scroll terminals. Cylindrical support flowing into domed foot with chased leaf-and-berry bunches alternating wi...

Occasionally while browsing through the temple markets of Kyoto or perusing backstreets tea-ware shops, an attractive piece will catch my eye for no particular reason. When this happens, I typically buy it immediately without hesitation, trusting that I will be able to place it to a specific period or kiln given enough time and research. In some cases however, this proves to be a fruitless task and I am left only to appreciate the beauty and form of the object without having access to too many d...

Edwardian Art Nouveau sterling silver porringer. Made by William B. Kerr & Co. in Newark, ca 1910. Round with straight sides shaped solid handle. On exterior are acid-etched fairytale scenes depicting beguiling maidens, stooped crones, and credulous children framed by sinister tree trunks. Turreted and domed fantasy building with round frame (vacant). Fully marked including maker’s stamp and no. 4568. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 3/4 x W 6 5/8 x D 4 3/8 in. Weight: 5 troy ounces. #B...

Tall turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau glass decanter with engraved silver overlay. Globular bowl with cylindrical neck and everted rim. Stopper concave with faceted neck. Dense overlay. On bowl are flower heads, entwined scrolls, and trellis between double linear frames joined by beading and terminating in volute scrolls. On neck are shooting tendrils forming arches. Neck and rim in collar as is decanter neck. Glass is clear. Marked and numbered 044. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 12 5/8 x...

A key figure in the Japanese folk craft movement of the 20th century, Fujita Kyohei is credited with helping to develop a thriving glass-working community within Japan. Best known for his “dream” or “Liuli” boxes—very colorful and skillfully crafted boxes that often incorporated gold and silver leaf into their designs. Here we see a piece that would likely have been crafted earlier in his career but that demonstrates his masterful technique even then. In 1972 Fujita, along ...

Twelve French Classical 950 silver plates. Made by Jean-Baptiste Gustave Odiot in Paris, ca 1870. Round well and shoulder with shaped frames; serpentine guilloche rim. Engraved armorial with Latin motto “Non sine labore”. The super sumptuous set to bring out when the book club gets round to Proust. Fully marked with Minerva head and maker’s stamp. Ten numbered 2690 (2), 3670 (1) 7225 (5), 7328 (1), 7329 (1). Very good condition with minor fire scale in well.

Dimensions: H 7/8 x D 10 5/8 ...

Six Victorian Classical sterling silver goblets. Made by Charles Stuart Harris in London, 1884-9. Medici urn bowl with bellied bottom and flared rim. Spool shaft with flange flowing into raised foot. Chased and engraved garlands and two leaf and cattail wreath frames of which 1 vacant and 1 with applied coat of arms. Super fancy and capacious for ceremony or dining. Very much the special occasion set. Fully marked including date letters 1884 (2), 1886 (1), 1888 (1), and 1889 (2). Excellent cond...

Victorian sterling silver wine cooler. Deep ovoid bowl on raised foot. Leaf-capped dolphin scroll-bracket side handles. Bead-and-reel and leaf-and-dart borders. Chased frieze depicting garland-entwined, barefooted, long-tressed nymphs, their loose drapery suggestive of overflowing abundance. Fin-de-siecle Classicism for a new age.

This piece was two or three years old when it was exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

Fully marked including maker’s stamp, patte...

Pair of Victorian Neoclassical sterling silver 3-light candelabra. Made by Walker & Hall in Sheffield in 1898. Tapering and fluted shaft on raised square foot. Central socket on knopped base to which are mounted two leaf-capped and -wrapped scrolled arms, each terminating in single socket munted to wax pan. Sockets urn form on raised foot. Beading, ribboned swags, garlands, paterae, ram’s heads, and leaf-and-dart ornament. Fully marked. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 18 1/4 x W 15 x D 5 ...

English Georgian sterling silver salver, 1726. Square with lobed corners and same corner supports. Beautiful early Georgian. Fully marked including London assay stamp; maker’s mark worn. Good condition with nice period wear.

Dimensions: H 1 x W 5 3/4 x D 5 3/4 in. Weight: 6.4 troy ounces. #BT656

Decidedly masculine in character with straight sculpted edges, a rich palette of color, and a calm steadiness in the hand; this tea bowl was crafted by one of Japan’s great masters, a Mashiko potter by the name of Takauchi Shugo.

A native of Tokyo, Takauchi (b. 1937) took the well-established path of working for a company after graduating from university and it was not until a number of years later—upon visiting the town of Mashiko and being inspired by the works of artists such...

Tokoname pottery has a rich history that dates back over a thousand years. Originating in the town of Tokoname in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, this pottery tradition has flourished due to the region's abundant red clay deposits. The history of Tokoname pottery can be traced to the 12th century when the art form was greatly influenced by Chinese ceramics, specifically, by the Yixing clay pottery tradition. Over the centuries, Tokoname pottery evolved to develop its unique style characteri...

Over the years we have taken a special interest in Raku-ware and especially in works produced by the Tamamizu kiln, such as the 300+ year old ceremonial tea bowl seen here. The first in this line of potters was Yahē (1662 - 1722), an illegitimate son of Kichizaemon Ichinyu (1615 - 1768) who studied under his father and then left to open his own kiln in the village of Tamamizu (known today as Ide-cho). Though he is the first potter of this branch, he is sometimes referred to as Tamam...