Pair of George III sterling silver gravy boats. Made by William Bond in Dublin in 1794. Each: Ovoid with helmet mouth and gadrooned rim. Leaf-capped double-scroll handle mounted to scrolled end. Three scallop-shell mounted leaf supports. Engraved armorial. Gorgeous Georgian Neoclassicism from across the Irish Sea. Fully marked. Very good condition with nice patina.

Overall dimensions: H 6 3/4 x W 8 3/4 x D 4 3/4 in. Total weight: 39.7 troy ounces. #BW160

George V sterling silver covered urn. Made by Mappin & Webb in Sheffield in 1917. Oval bowl mounted to lobed knop on domed foot. Cover double-domed with acorn finial. Leaf-wrapped and mounted scroll bracket side handles with cast leaf-and-berry ornament. Bowl rim has dense flower rondel border. Bold and fluid leaf-and-dart borders embossed on bowl bottom and foot top. Smaller and more controlled version of same on cover. Striking and traditional Neoclassicism in supersized proportions. Enough ro...

Austrian Classical gilt-washed 800 silver box, ca 1875. Ovoid and bellied on plain inset foot. Cover hinged and domed with cast figural finial: A little girl sits cross-legged and barefoot and rests her hand on the back of a hungry animal while spooning sustenance into its mouth. Engraved ornament: Leafing rondels inset with heads alternating with same shaped frames (vacant) on engine-turned border. Shoulder has leaf-and-dart border and cover top leaf-and-patera border. Fully marked including ...

English Victorian Modern sterling silver smoking box 1885. Rectangular with straight sides. Scroll-bracket handle mounted to central panel between two hinged covers. On one in blue enamel “Cigars”; on other “Cigarettes”. Cedar lined. Felt-lined underside. Fully marked including London assay stamp and maker’s initials “T.W”. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 4 x W 7 3/4 x D 6 1/2 in. Gross weight: 28.3 troy ounces. #BX649

English Georgian sterling silver salver, 1727. Square with molded rim and curvilinear corners. Engraved armorial in well center. Rests on 4 corner hoof supports. Substantial with nice heft from the year the first Hanoverian king George I died and was succeeded by his son George II. A really nice piece of native craftsmanship from the early years of the German ascension. Worn marks including London assay stamp. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 3/4 x W 13 x D 13 in. Heavy weight: 61.7 troy o...

Romantic Edwardian Art Nouveau sterling silver frame. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Heart-shaped window in same and curved surround flowing into bracket feet. Acid-etched leafing scrollwork and flowers. At top shaped cartouche vacant for engraving a lovey-dovey message. With glass, silk lining, and velvet back and hinged easel support for portrait (vertical) display. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, pattern no. 14282, and director’s letter C (1902-7). Excellent condition with stro...

Chippendale sterling silver serving tray. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1944. Round with flat curvilinear ogee rim. A large and heavy piece in this pattern. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, no. 42613, and date code. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1/2 x D 13 3/4 in. Weight: 38.4 troy ounces. #BW956

George II sterling silver salver. Made by Robert Abercromby in London 1741. Molded scroll and shell rim and 4 scroll-mounted hoof supports. Armorial engraved in well center. Great heft and balance. Fully marked. Very good condition with period patina.

Dimensions: H 1 1/2 x D 12 3/8 in. Weight: 28.7 troy ounces. #BX211

Also known as "The Buddha of Immeasurable Light and Life,” here in this pre-Edo Buddhist painting we see Amida and his two assistant bodhisattvas, Seishi on the left (associated with wisdom and strength), and Kannon on the right (associated with compassion and mercy), descending from the Western Pure Land to welcome newly deceased believers into the realm of paradise. In this practice known as raigō, the faithful are transported via the small lotus pedestal the Kannon holds in his...

Although reports vary, it is generally thought that Zeze-yaki had its heyday in the late Momoyama to early Edo period under the influence and patronage of legendary artists/ men of tea, Honami Koetsu and Kobori Enshu. It was also counted among the seven best kilns selected by Enshu Kobori (1579-1647), a tea master and military commander of that era. In the mid-1600s the tradition died out for a time after the destruction of the kiln by fire. The kiln was later resurrected on two occa...

With a base of dazzling red ochre clay, a technique known as “san-giri,” pioneered by the progenitor of this generational potting family and now widely used among Bizen potters, is employed here to bring out stunning mustard yellows, mossy greens, charcoal blacks, along with a range of subtler hues.

The potter, Konishi Tōko II (1927 -2018) was second daughter to Konishi the first. After graduating from women’s college she assisted her father at the family kiln, e...

This elegant work of Karatsu pottery has an unglazed foot, showing the rich ferrous clay from which it is constructed, and displays splashes of ferrous pigment on a backdrop of ashen glaze with a milky white overglaze. The triangular shape and large proportions make for a very distinctive work of e-Karatsu or “painted” Karatsu.

Like many pottery traditions in Japan, Karatsu takes its name from the city where it originated. As early as the 15th century, Korean potters...

Paul Jacoulet
The Wandering Buddhist Priest, Korea (Le Bonze Errant, Corée)
Date: 1948.
Edition 165/350. (Fewer than 50 impressions from this edition were produced.)
Print size: Approximately 18.5 x 14.375 inches.
Publisher: Self-published by the artist.
Carver: Maeda. Printer: Honda.
Signed, and sealed with the "peach" seal. PJ watermark.
Reference: No. 95, The Prints of Paul Jacoulet (Miles).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Top ba...

Japanese Modern silver box on stand, ca 1930. Rectangular with curved corners. Box has straight sides and cover top is gently raised and has applied gilt medallion with dramatic dragon in low relief. Box and cover interior lined with stained-wood. Stand has wide and tapering shoulder and flat well border with open stained-wood bottom. Marked. Very good condition.

Dimensions: Box: H 2 1/2 x W 6 1/2 x D 4 3/4 in. Stand: H 7/8 x W 8 1/8 x D 6 3/8 in. #BX437

The pottery style know as “nerikomi” or sometimes “neriage” in Japan is a technique where various colors and consistencies of clay are stacked together and then cut through to reveal a unique pattern. Here we see a beautiful execution of this approach by potter Wakasugi Naomi (b. 1974) who spent many years perfecting the technique. Wakasugi typically uses Shigaraki clay and porcelain clay from Kyoto in her works and says that when she first started out very few people were ma...

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 ...

The craftsman who fashioned this piece, the 9th Ohi Chozaimon (1901-1986), is the most widely recognized and most accomplished of the now 11 generations of Ohi potters. Born in Ishikawa Prefecture at the start of the 20th century, he took up the family craft and, at the age of 26, became the head potter. Raku tea bowls made by Ohi 9 are some of the finest you will encounter, comparing favorably to even tea bowls made by the main Raku lineage in Kyoto. The lightness of the clay, the s...

Sometime around the year 1600 the first Takatori kiln was constructed at the foot of Mt Takatori in Fukuoka. This tradition was based on styles created by Korean potters brought to the shores of Japan during its colonial expansionism of the late 16th century. A favorite of the Kuroda lords of the time, its production and use was closely guarded until later in the 19th century when the domain system was abolished, freeing it up to be more widely used. Though Takatori-ware has been admired by many...