Sterling silver porringer. Made by Towle in Newburyport. Crimped bowl and solid handle with pierced oval. Beaded bowl and handle rims as well as beaded volute scrolls on handle. Jazzed-up tradition. Hallmark includes no. 105 and retailer’s name Bailey, Banks & Biddle. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 7/8 x W 7 3/4 x D 5 in. Weight: 5.6 troy ounces. #BP866

Modern Classical sterling silver water pitcher. Made by Dominick & Haff in New York in 1928. Lobed and upward tapering sides, capped foliate scroll handle, wide lip spout with fluid swags, and raised circular foot with crimped trefoils. Sleek but traditional with good heft. Fully marked including maker's and retailer's (Brand-Chatillon) stamps, and Reed & Barton date symbol. Dominick & Haff was consolidated with Reed & Barton in 1928. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 8 7/8 x W 8 3/4 x D...

Nursery rhyme-themed sterling silver porringer. Made by Tiffany in New York. Round and curved. Handle solid and curvilinear with goose neck mounts. On handle is low-relief depiction of Old King Cole, who has "called for his pipe and called for his bowl." A dense olden-days scene with no room for the "fiddlers three." There's plenty of room for engraving, though. Fully marked including postwar pattern no. 25352. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 1/2 x W 5 5/8 x D 4 3/8 in. Weight: 6.5 troy...

Set of 4 sterling silver figures of Bacchus. Made by Buccellati in Italy. A young Bacchus prances and gambols. One figure holds a grapevine. Another holds a large ivy leaf. The other two manipulate drapery. The infant deity, in all his manifestations, is buck naked apart from the artfully posed waistbands. Soft bottoms and stubby legs are on view. An attractive decoration for the wine cellar.

Dimensions: Tallest: H 7 ¼ x W 1 ¾ x D 3 in. Shortest: H 5 ¾ x W 2 ½ x D 3 in. Total w...

Turn-of-the-century Classical sterling silver trophy. Made by Whiting in New York. Baluster body with scrolled rim and scroll-bracket side handles. Foot raised with scrolled rim. Body has vertical slash lines and dense and overlapping chased leaves. Handles leaf-wrapped and mounted. Foot has egg-and-dart border and same slashed lines. Foot rim has tooled garland. A hefty, super-sumptuous winner’s cup. Extra strength required for holding aloft. Fully marked including effaced maker’s stamp an...

Beautiful German sterling silver swan bowl with rare glass liner. A nice-sized bird with twisting s-scroll neck, closed bill, and direct expression. Gently protuberant haunches and webbed feet in glide mode. Fine delineation of feathers from scaly neck to downy wing plumes. Liner is frosted with scalloped rim. Silver marked “Sterling 925 Fine / Germany” with stamp for Israel Freeman & Son Ltd in London. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 9 1/2 x W 10 1/2 x D 6 in. Weight (silver only): 32 ...

George III sterling silver snuffbox. Made by Samuel Pemberton in Birmingham in 1823. Rectangular with chamfered corners and flat hinged cover. Engraved Neoclassical ornament in pointillé borders. On sides acanthus leaf arcade. On bottom leaf in chamfered rectangular frame radiating line on dotted ground. Cover top has oval (vacant). A pocket-sized keepsake from the late Georgian era. Fully marked. Good condition with nice toning.

Dimensions: H 1/2 x W 2 1/4 x D 1 1/4 in. #BZ260

Victorian Classical coin silver baby cup, ca 1860. Baluster bowl with cast leaf-capped double-scroll handle and raised foot. Chased leaf and tendrils forming frame (vacant). Beaded and Greek key rims. Unidentified marks associated with Philadelphia and phrase “Pure Coin”. Very good condition with deep patina.

Overall dimensions: H 4 7/8 x W 4 1/2 x D 3 in. Weight: 6 troy ounces. #BX744

Japonesque mixed metal sterling silver bowl. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1883. Curved sides with allover spot hammering and gilt-washed interior. Applied copper and silver ornament: Rim overhung with fruiting and leafing branch mounted to exterior with exploratory fly, and opposite, a bonsai branch. On side are cattails rooted in granulated soil with perched crane as well as dragonfly and butterfly. Three splayed supports. Fully marked with maker’s stamp, date letter, no. 1725, and phrase ...

Japonesque mixed metal on sterling silver bowl. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1883. Curved sides with allover spot hammering and gilt-washed interior overhung with apple branch mounted to exterior. A gnarly growth with irregular fruit and gilt leaves. Also applied birds and butterflies as well as cattails rooted in granulated soil. Three tapering supports. Fully marked with maker’s stamp, date letter, no. 1725, and phrase “Sterling & Other Metals”. Very good condition.

Overall dimensio...

This scroll contains a sutra written as [寿至蓬莱不老僊], pronounced in Japanese as “Jyu-Ita-Hōrai-Furō-Sen.” Originating from Chinese, the characters “蓬莱” refer to the mythical land of “Penglai,” home to the immortals. According to legend the trees that grow here cure all disease; there are rice bowls and flasks of wine that never go empty; and its great castles are built entirely out of gold and silver.

The brushwork is done by a Rinzai sect m...

Born the second son of Ryônyû, the 10th Raku Kichizaemon Tannyû took over the family kiln in 1811 at the age of 16 and served until his retirement and subsequent handing on of the title of Kichizaemon to his son-in-law Keinyû some 34 years later. Retaining many of the unique stylistic innovations of his father including his clay trimming technique, Tannyû went on to establish several new family kilns and to produce wares for both 10th and 11th Tokugawa Lords. The piece seen here is a classi...

Unlike many of the pieces in the genre of Kyo-ware, this tea bowl is decidedly demure in appearance. Milky, flowing glaze pools in places along a backdrop of ivory and coral pink sides, contrasting nicely with the rough, unrefined clay of the base. In the center of the kodai is a decorative swirl pattern reminiscent of the yin and yang.

The potter, Kanpu Kawanabe (1873 - 1947) was born into a family of weavers but went on to be trained in many of the arts related to tea ceremony. A...

Exotic mixed metal tea caddy. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1910. Sterling silver ginger-jar with squat and tapering sides, short neck, and snug-fitting cover. Copper ornament with irregular scrollwork. Fully marked including pattern no. 11975, director’s letter m, and phrase “Copper and Silver”. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 3 3/4 x D 3 3/8 in. Weight: 5.6 troy ounces. #BT602

Midcentury Modern sterling silver water pitcher. Made by International Silver Co. in Connecticut. Baluster with asymmetrical oval mouth; stepped and round foot ring with flat beading. High-looping handle wrapped with abstract leaves; scroll terminal inset with Jensen-inspired seed-spilling pod on wire stem. The influence of the master applied to a traditional form. Marked “International / Sterling / La Paglia Designed / 208”. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 8 3/4 x W 8 x D 5 3/4 in. Hea...

George II sterling silver salver. Made by Richard Rugg in London in 1755. Round with cast serpentine shell-and-leaf rim and 3 leaf-capped volute scroll supports. Well center has lozenge with engraved interlaced script monogram in leafing and flowering scroll support. Fully marked. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 1/2 x D 12 in. Weight: 28.5 troy ounces. #BY099

Sugimoto Sadamitsu (b. 1935) is one of the most important Shigaraki potters alive today and continues to create master works into his old age. Originally a resident of Tokyo, at the age of 33 he moved to Shigaraki and started creating high-quality tea-ware implements, most notably, fine tea bowls in the style of early Raku masters. A devotee of Zen and a lover of tea, Sugimoto is able to create tea bowls that are not just attractive, pleasant to hold in the hand, and a joy to drink from; but tha...

This lovely Shino tea bowl fashioned from coarse Mino clay is covered in feldspar glazing, has a classic ferrous abstract painting across the front, and shows nice age—most likely from early to middle Edo.

Shino-ware dates to the Momoyama period when potters were attempting to recreate white porcelain-wares that were being imported from China at the time. Originally they were made in a single-chamber anagama style kilns set into the hillsides. Later, with the advent of large-batc...