Pair of German silver birds, ca 1920. A rooster and hen with downturned wings and flamboyant flouncy tails. The rooster has a shaggy crown and raised talon and looks down while the hen, who has a small trim crown and scaly wattles, looks up. Cawing beaks suggest a barnyard tiff. Marked. Very good condition Gilt wash traces.

Dimensions: Rooster: H 6 x L 6 1/2 x W 2 1/2 in. Hen: H 4 3/4 x L 6 3/4 x W 2 1/2 in. Total weight: 10.6 troy ounces. #BZ417

German 800 cast silver figural bird bowl, ca 1910. Swan with plumy wings and tail, and ringed s-scroll neck with graceful head terminating in long and closed bill. Hollow with gilt-washed interior for holding treats. Fully marked including maker’s stamp (Martin Mayer). Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 5 1/4 x L 6 3/4 x W 4 1/4 in. Weight: 9 troy ounces. #BY011

German 800 silver cow creamer, ca 1910. A sweet bovine with upturned horns, flexed ears, and smiley mouth spout. Sturdy sagging body with ring-handle tail and hinged back cover with fly finial. Stands on firmly planted hooves. Unidentified Hanau marks. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 4 1/8 x L 5 1/2 x W 2 in. Weight: 5.6 troy ounces. #BY777

Russian 875 silver ladle, ca 1880. Oval bowl and fiddle terminal with engraved initials and year 1881. A nice serving piece from the twilight of tsarist Russia. Marks include maker’s (PA) stamp and Moscow assayer’s (Aleksandr Nicolayevich Krollau) stamp dated 1880. Very good condition with nice patina.

Dimensions: H 11 1/4 x W 3 1/2 x D 3 in. Weight: 5.5 troy ounces. #BY490

Chinese silver mug, ca 1910. Straight and upward tapering sides and c-scroll handle. A spare form enlivened with applied wraparound dragon chasing its tail. Marks include stamp for Wang Hing, a maker and retailer in Canton and Hong Kong. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 5 x W 5 x D 3 1/4 in. Weight: 10.8 troy ounces. #BX461

German 800 silver cigarette case, ca 1910. Rectangular and hinged with curved corners. On cover are enameled sin symbols: Women (opera girl), wine (champagne), and gambling (cards and ponies). Three vices – but smoking is not among them. Marks include maker’s stamp (Louis Kuppenheim) and no. 130. Very good condition with intact color.

Dimensions: H 3 1/2 x W 3 1/4 x D 3/8 in. Gross weight: 4.3 troy ounces. #BX884

Chinese silver mug, ca 1865. Straight and upward tapering sides with dense low-relief frieze: Spearmen and swordsmen on foot and horse thrust and lunge and, in some cases, fall in battle. Applied armorial shield with engraved presentation dated “May 4th 1865”. S-scroll handle in form of scaly dragon with horned head peering over rim. Marked. Very good condition with deep patina.

Overall dimensions: H 5 1/4 x W 5 1/4 x D 3 1/4 in. Weight: 10.8 troy ounces. #BX464

European silver and enamel cigarette case, ca 1920. Rectangular, curved, and hinged. On cover, a horse’s head appears in an entryway, with two protective borzoi dogs standing guard. Stable drama against a semi-abstract background of brick and stone, and bluish ground. Gilt interior. Engraved monogram on back. Marked “900”. Very good condition with strong color.

Dimensions: H 3 3/8 x W 3 1/8 x D 3/8 in. Gross weight: 4.6 troy ounces. #BV461

Turn-of-the-century Chinese silver mustard pot. Round and bellied bowl with plain concave neck, thin scroll handle, and spread foot. Modish floral ornament in form of chased and applied water lilies and pads heightened with engraving on stippled ground. Chinese marks. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 2 3/8 x W 3 1/4 x D 2 3/8 in. Weight: 2 troy ounces. #BV330

European silver and enamel cigarette case, ca 1920. Rectangular, chamfered, and hinged. On cover a horse’s head appears in an entryway, with two protective borzoi dogs standing guard. Stable drama against a semi-abstract background of brick and stone, and purpling ground. Marks worn. Very good condition with strong color.

Dimensions: H 3 5/8 x W 3 1/4 x D 1/2 in. Gross weight: 4.6 troy ounces. #BT902

European silver sauce boat, ca 1900. Ovoid with fluted v-spout and scrolled monopodia side handles with lion heads. Molded curvilinear rim. Stepped oval foot. A nice revival piece in the 18th-century style. Mark and pseudo-marks. Very good condition.

Overall dimensions: H 3 5/8 x W 6 1/8 x D 5 1/4 in. Weight: 9.5 troy ounces. #BM739

Living in Kyoto it is not uncommon to come across beautiful antique tea bowls, however, finding pieces that are in good condition, aesthetically compelling, and with all of the trappings that let you know they were cared for by a devoted cha-jin can be quite challenging. Here we see all three. The shape of this tea bowl is exquisite and something I have not seen before in a Mino piece. The lacquer box, while not the original was undoubtedly custom made for this tea bowl and looks to be 100 - 200...

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

Italian Neoclassical silver coffeepot, ca 1820. Baluster; cover hinged and domed with leaf-mounted acorn finial. Applied c-scroll spout and scroll handle with ribbed tail. Handwork visible on interior. Marked. Good condition with deep patina.

Dimensions: H 10 x W 7 1/2 x D 5 in. Weight: 25.4 troy ounces. #BY635

German Neoclassical silver urn, 18th century. Oval tapering bowl on raised and stepped foot. Cover domed with vasiform finial. Chased imbricated leaf border at bowl bottom; same on cover dome. Visible hammering and handwork. Marked. Good condition.

Dimensions: H 4 3/4 x W 4 1/2 x D 3 in. Weight: 5 troy ounces. #BX291

Swiss Biedermeier silver chafing dish, 19 C. Round with gently curved sides and molded rim. Handle faceted stained wood. Beading. Cover gently raised with naïve-style flower head finial. Marked. Very good condition. Handle has minor chip.

Overall dimensions: H 6 1/2 x W 14 x D 8 in. Gross weight: 40 troy ounces. #BT943

Chinese export silver mug, ca 1880. Straight and upward tapering sides with allover low-relief battle frieze depicting soldiers—spearmen, lancers, and swordsmen—with a few hapless members of the flag corps wandering into the thick of things. In background (that is, at top) peacetime is represented by houses and trees. On front applied heraldic shield (vacant). Cast dragon handle—a horned scaly, serpentine serpent gripping the side with talons. Gilt-washed interior. Marked. Very good condit...

German 800 silver figural wedding cup, ca 1920. A Baroque dame with snug-fitting bodice and wide and raised lace collar holds aloft scrolled-brackets with swing-mounted double-domed lobed and garlanded bowl. Second larger bowl in form of conical skirt with patterned fabrics and delineated folds and hang. Ornament chased and engraved. Hanau maker’s mark (Neresheimer). Very good condition with nice patina.

Dimensions: H 13 7/8 x W 5 5/8 x D 4 1/8 in. Weight: 19.8 troy ounces. #BZ592