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
English Georgian Classical sterling silver ewer, 18th century. Girdled ovoid bowl and scrolled helmet mouth with beaded and flowering strapwork rim; cast double-scroll handle with Venus, her torso undraped offering grapes to recumbent Cupid. Satyr head applied to spout exterior. Chased leaf borders. Gilt-washed interior. Marked. Very good condition with deep patina.
Overall dimensions: H 9 3/4 x W 7 1/2 x D 4 in. Weight: 21.4 troy ounces. #BR833
Pair of Danish Modern sterling silver compotes. Made by Poul Petersen in Canada, ca 1940. Each: Lilypad bowl with lobed rim and upturned back; flying c-scroll handle with split bud mounts and bud and seed terminal. Open support comprising large vertical leaves and turned-down grape bunches; domed foot. Visible hand hammering. A great piece by the legendary Danish-born silversmith who was Georg Jensen’s apprentice and son-in-law. He married the boss’ daughter Inger in 1922. The couple emigrat...
Large Dutch silver cow creamer, 1910. A sweet beast with stocky body on slender legs and delicate hoofs. Head quizzically turned to side with flexed ears, sharp horns, red cabochon glass eyes, and gaping mouth spout. Flicked back tail handle and hinged back cover. Appears to be unmarked. Very good condition.
Dimensions: H 7 1/4 x L 10 3/8 x W 3 3/8 in. Weight: 19.5 troy ounces. #BX771
Seto is a pottery tradition established in the 12th century with the aim of reproducing fine Chinese porcelain and tenmoku-style tea bowls—which were hard to come by in Japan at the time. Later, during the Muromachi period, Seto potters established kilns in Mino thus starting the period known as ko-Seto, or “old Seto.” These pieces were distinctive as they were produced in small batches and with great care. Later in Edo, the large-kiln style of production or “ogama” was introduced ushe...
Edwardian sterling silver covered urn. Made by William Comyns in London in 1908. Bowl has straight sides and curved bottom with leaf-capped and wrapped s-scroll side handles and stepped inset foot. Bid and bold chased leaf-and-dart border. Cover raised with bud finial surrounded by turned-down leaves with same border. Striking with plenty of room for engraving. Gilt-washed interior. Fully marked. Excellent condition.
Dimensions: H 10 1/2 x W 14 x D 9 in. Heavy weight: 84 troy ounces. #BX554
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French Art Deco 950 silver box, ca 1920. Round and flat. Concentric engine turned ornament with engraved flowers on top center and patera on bottom center. Gilt interior. Sweet and pretty. Marked. Very good condition with some handling wear.
Pocket-sized dimensions: H 3/4 x D 2 1/8 in. Weight: 2.2 troy ounces. #BZ625
With pottery shards from excavated kilns dating back to the 5th Century, Mino-ware is one of the oldest and most revered pottery traditions in all of Japan. Though the piece featured here does not fit neatly into any of the typical categories of Mino pottery such as Kiseto, Setoguro, Oribe, or Shino; the shape and overall feel of this piece unmistakably places it within this pottery tradition.
Exceptionally well-proportioned and utterly unique, this tea bowl displays a ...
Gothic sterling silver porringer. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Concave sides on short foot. Rim reeded with applied leaves. Solid handle with carved figure of medieval horn-blowing huntsman. An impressive example of the breadth of historic resources and techniques that Tiffany mined during the 19th century. Hallmark includes pattern no. 9680 and director’s letter T (1892-1902).
Dimensions: H 3 x W 9 7/8 x D 5 in. Gross weight: 8.6 troy ounces. #BN233
Pair of Chinese export silver vases, ca 1910. Each: Flat and round moon body on domed foot; animal-head handles mounted to shoulder. On front and back is chased dragon—a horned and taloned serpentine serpent on hand-hammered ground. Marked Wang Hing & Co., an early 20th-century retailer active in Canton and Hong Kong. Very good condition. Handwork visible on foot underside.
Dimensions: H 4 1/2 x W 3 1/2 x D 2 in. Total weight: 7.5 troy ounces. #BY228
Belle Epoque Rococo 950 silver jardiniere centerpiece, ca 1900. Bombe oval bowl with wide and tapering rim. Embossed twisted fluting and applied round frames (vacant) with scallop shell crown supported by winged cherubs. Elaborate end handles, each with cast figure of lunging cherub, holding drapery in one hand and flowers in the other, between leaf-wrapped double-scrolls. Four leaf-mounted scroll supports. A sumptuous homage to the 18th century. Detachable brass liner. Fully marked including Mi...
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
A stylized grass motif painted in ferrous pigment across each side and on the inside of this mukozuke serving dish marks it as being more likely produced in Karatsu as opposed to having come out of a Mino kiln. Though very similar styles and techniques were utilized during the late 16th or early 17th C. when this would have been produced; the color, distribution of glaze, and patterning suggest Karatsu. While at one time this would have been part of a set of 5 pieces, very few sets s...
First born son to Living National Treasure Isezaki Jun, Koichiro (b. 1974) has quickly made a name for himself as an independent artist. Not content to rely solely on family reputation, he has set off on his own path, making innovations in clay and also in the ideas and principles surrounding his craft.
With its well-proportioned ridged design, natural ash glaze, and coarse grade of Bizen clay still containing visible stones; the vessel seen here would be a good choice for someone ...
First born son to Living National Treasure Isezaki Jun, Koichiro (b. 1974) has quickly made a name for himself as an independent artist. Not content to rely solely on family reputation, he has set off on his own path, making innovations in clay and also in the ideas and principles surrounding his craft. With its well-proportioned ridged design, natural ash glaze, and coarse grade of Bizen clay still containing visible stones; the vessel seen here would be a good choice for someone looking for a ...
Fin-de-siecle Classical sterling silver loving cup. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Urn-form with bellied bottom. Three leaf-capped and mounted scroll handles. In relief are men and women, nude with legs merging into leafing scrolls, their embraces abetted by cherubic cup bearers. Subdued eroticism on stippled ground with fruiting grapevines. Reeded foot with stylized egg-and-dart rim and three leaf-and-scroll mounted paw supports. Gilt-washed interior.
At top engraved presentation: “Samu...
Traditional Japanese art tends to be timeless and inspiring in form, however, occasionally lacking in diversity and innovation. That is why artists who can incorporate centuries of experiential knowledge and technique into producing new and interesting forms are oh so valued. Though this Bizen jar fits into the category of mizusashi, a vessel central to tea ceremony that holds fresh water, it seems to transcend this narrow category and stands as an independent art object all its own....
At various times over the long history of tea practice in Japan, Korean-ware has come into high fashion and ships full of the finest ceramics from the neighboring country were brought to its shores. Such pieces have long been favored by learned cha-jin (tea people); and, older pieces such as this are quite prized today as relatively few from this era have survived in good condition. While it is possible this piece is of Japanese origin, its apparent age would make it more likely to h...