Turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau sterling silver 3-piece baby set. Made by Kerr in Newark. This set comprises cup, bowl, and plate. Acid-etched tree-framed fairytale scenes depicting beguiling maidens, stooped crones, and credulous children. Two monogram frames (vacant) on cup and bowl. Fully marked including maker’s and retailer’s (Spaulding & Co.) stamps and no. 4568. Very good condition.
Dimensions: Cup: H 2 3/4 x W 4 x D 3 in. Bowl: H 2 x D 4 3/8 in. Plate: H 1/2 x D 6 1/2 in. Total we...
Turn-of-the-century sterling silver baby set rich in period assumptions. Made by William B. Kerr in Newark. This set comprises cup, bowl, and plate.
Cup has acid-etched frieze depicting sailor-suited, flag-holding, all-American boy with exotic coevals in native dress relegated to background. Imagery enhanced with verse: “Little Indian, Sioux or Crow, little frosty Eskimo, little Turk or Japanese—Oh! Don’t you wish that you were me?”
Ahem.
Bowl sides feature modes of transportation...
Bird’s Nest sterling silver egg spoon. Made by Gorham in Providence, ca 1880. Leafing twig stem and nest terminal lain with 3 eggs. Bowl elongated oval and gilt with monogram engraved on verso. Marks include maker’s stamp from last quarter of 19th century. Very good condition.
Dimensions: H 4 1/2 x W 1 in. #BY578
Turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau glass vase with engraved silver overlay. Made by Alvin in Providence. Conical mouth and neck and bellied bowl. Star cut to underside. Dense overlay in form of overlapping and entwined flowers, leaves, and scrollwork. Scrolled cartouche engraved with two-letter script monogram (SS). Glass is green. Silver marked including maker’s stamp and no. G3349. Very good condition.
Dimensions: H 6 1/2 x D 7 3/4 in. #BX402
Pair of early Etruscan sterling silver covered serving dishes. Made by Moore for Tiffany & Co. at 550 Broadway in New York. Each: Oval bowl with everted rim. Cover domed; top has cast leaf-wrapped and reeded twist-lock ring handle for converting to a second serving dish; armorial engraved on side. Beaded and fretwork borders. A beautiful pair—or quartet—in the austere Grecian taste. Fully marked including maker’s and retailer’s stamps (1854-70), and late 1860s pattern no. 1740. Very good...
Rare sterling silver punch ladle. Made by Spratling in Taxco, Mexico. Round hand-hammered bowl with curved spout. Mount has tooled bands and applied rope band and is inset with tapering stained-wood handle. An early piece by this maker. 1940s marks. Very good condition with beautiful patina.
Dimensions: H 13 x W 3 3/4 x D 1/4 in. Gross weight: 5 troy ounces. #BR829
Beaded sterling silver dinner and lunch set. Made by Georg Jensen in Copenhagen. This set comprises 157 pieces (dimensions in inches):
Forks: 12 Dinner forks (7 1/4), 12 luncheon forks (6 7/8), 24 salad forks (6 3/4), 12 pastry forks (5 5/8), 2 seafood forks (6 1/8), and 1 youth fork (5 5/8);
Spoons: 12 teaspoons (5 7/8), 12 teaspoons (5 1/2), 8 fruit spoons (5 7/8), 4 gumbo spoons (6 5/8), 2 ice cream spoons (5 5/8), 2 demitasse spoons (4 1/2), and 3 salt spoons (2 5/8);
Knives: 12 short-...
Being based in Kyoto we occasionally come across fine Chinese and Korean tea-ware to mix in with our Japanese offerings. Here we have an example of a ceremonial tea bowl from the Shinragi kiln in Korea. Pieces like the one seen here are baked in a traditional wood-fired “climbing kiln” at a temperature of over 1,300 degrees for 5 days. Fashioned after classical works held in museum collections, the motifs are timeless and captivating.
In excellent condition, this piece is 5.5 in...
Oribe is a visual style named after the late-16th-century tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). Typically, black or green glazes are applied to the bodies of these works and light-colored windows are created using feldspar. These high-contrast areas then act as a canvas upon which abstract, minimalistic, and often naturalistic themes are painted.
As can be seen here, this piece is of the green variety and looks to be from the mid-to-early Edo period as can be determined ...
French Belle Epoque 950 silver tureen, ca 1910. Tapering oval curvilinear bowl on same raised foot with gadrooned rims. Leaf-mounted double c-scroll end handles. Raised cover. Restrained turn-of-the-century Classicism enlivened with a cast still life finial: A couple bird carcasses draped on top of a sweet bunny, with forelegs raised as if to hop away, and hindlegs limp and splayed now that hopping is no longer an option. An unsentimental depiction of the dinner’s ingredients with a bit of gr...
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...
A fine pair of 19th century clambroth glass candle holders. Stout but elegant baluster turned sticks with broad, stable feet. Fine and practical decorative accents. The reference to clambroth says it all - the milky glass almost translucent (more so toward the foot - see second illustration) with opaque bubbles throughout. Good condition. These are probably pretty early and likely not common to fetch a pair. Would be a refreshing "stand in" for brass in period interior. They are tall at height 1...
Pair of Chinese export silver mustard pots, ca 1890. Each: Cylindrical with fixed and entwined ratan-style handle; cover chained with inset and engraved diaper top. Applied wraparound horned and taloned dragon. For piquant condiments. Marks include stamp for Tien Shing, who was active in Hong Kong in the third-quarter of the 19th century. Very good condition. One pot has a detachable clear glass liner.
Dimensions: H 3 1/2 x D 1 in. Total weight (silver only): 2.3 troy ounces. #BZ583
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...
Zodiac sterling silver 3-piece baby set. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1915. This set comprises mug, bowl, and plate. Cup: Straight sides, short inset foot, and leaf-capped and mounted handle; interior gilt washed. Bowl: Gently tapering sides, curved bottom, and short inset foot; interior gilt washed. Plate: Round deep well and wide shoulder. Low relief borders depicting the astrological signs in scrolled frames alternating with flowers, including turn-of-the-century favorites, such as water l...
Set of 6 turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau sterling silver demitasse spoons. Made by R. Wallace & Sons. Mfg Co. (later Wallace Silversmiths) in Wallingford, Connecticut. Each: Handle has dense and dynamic ornament including scrolls, tendrils, and beading with fan terminal. Back plain. Oval bowl with double-sided gilding. Fully marked. Excellent condition with deep patina.
Height: 4 1/4 in. Total weight: 2 troy ounces. #BV256
Fabulous Chrysanthemum sterling silver coffee and tea set. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. This set comprises 5 pieces: coffeepot, teapot, creamer, sugar, and waste bowl.
In the celebrated pattern that is an American interpretation of a Japanese motif. To Baroque forms are applied a profusion of climbing, wrapping, and bunching flower heads. Chrysanthemum was introduced in 1880 and this set dates from the first quarter century of its production.
All pieces fully marked including maker’...
Edwardian Classical sterling silver urn. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Curved and tapering bowl with leaf flange on domed foot; leaf-capped, wrapped, and mounted high-looping side handles. Chased leafing-scroll border with pendant flowers. Mouth rim wavy with applied leaves. Foot rim has applied swags and leaves. Gilded inside and out. Turn-of-the-century sumptuousness. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, pattern no. 14368B and director’s letter C (1902-7) and volume (7 1/2 pts). Very...