Large Japanese Meiji silver chalice, ca 1890. Oval bowl with irregular rim on tall cylindrical shaft flowing into raised and scalloped foot. Spout hammered ground. Double walled. Applied iris and chrysanthemum flowers and blossoming branches. Wire stem with flower head and bud wrapped around shaft. Mount Fuji-form mono plate (vacant). No cliché left behind. A wonderful ceremonial vessel for the advanced export market. Japanese marks and “Kuhn & Komor / Sterling”. Kuhn & Komor was a Hungari...

Restauration Classical silver gilt box. Made by Jean-Baptiste Claude Odiot in Paris, ca 1820. Drum form with spread base; cover raised. Cast egg-and-dart and floral rims. Heart engraved with single script letter monogram set in flower wreath on cover top and body. Sumptuous Return-of-the-Bourbons luxe from the Ancien Regime do-over years. Fully marked including maker’s stamp and the fineness (950) stamp instituted in 1819. Very good condition with nice toning.

Dimensions: H 2 1/4 x D 1 5/8 i...

German 800 silver figural bird bowl, ca 1910. A big beautiful swan with graceful downturned neck terminating in closed and tapering bill. Fan-shaped tail and hinged wings ready to spread for taking flight if the party chat gets too dull. Finely chased and engraved feathering from dense and imbricated to fluffy and plumy, and tucked-up taloned and webbed feet. Capacious hollow body for holding treats or flowers. Marks include maker’s (Friedrich Reusswig) and Munich retailer’s stamp (Rosenau) ...

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...

Edwardian Regency sterling silver water pitcher. Made by Graff, Washbourne & Dunn in New York, ca 1909. Lobed and ovoid bowl on domed foot; helmet mouth and high-looping leaf-mounted handle with leaf-and-flower cap. Chased and engraved ornament including ribboned swags and four strapwork frames of which three inset with flowers and the other engraved with interlaced monogram. Foot has tubular piercing overlaid with swags and open strapwork frames inset with pendant flowers. Engraved in block on ...

Swiss brooch, ca 1880. Oval enameled plaque in gold frame; rim comprises applied scrolls heightened with enamel and inset with pearls.

The plaque depicts the Château de Chillon, a medieval castle set on an island in Lake Geneva, with Mont Blanc in the background. Chillon was a source of inspiration to the English Romantics, especially Lord Byron whose Prisoner of Chillon was inspired by its use as a prison during the 16th-century Wars of Religion. Byron’s evocation of tormented solitude is ...

Market-fresh Japonesque mixed metal and sterling silver water pitcher. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1879. Gently curved bowl and inset undulating rim with wide lip spout and integral scroll handle with tendril mounts that wraparound mouth rim. Handle has lily pad “cap” with crouching figure of frog. Applied leaves with copper-inlaid veins with one overlapping bold and scrolling interlaced acid-etched monogram on neck. A solitary beetle meanders along near the bottom. Dense allover s...

Restauration Classical silver gilt box. Made by Jean-Baptiste Claude Odiot in Paris, ca 1820. Rectangular with straight sides and leaf-and-dart base rim. Cover flat and hinged with same as well as leaf-and-flower border. Cover top has central heart engraved with single script letter monogram set in flower wreath; leaf and flower border. Sumptuous Return-of-the-Bourbons luxe. Fully marked including maker’s stamp and the fineness (950) stamp instituted in 1819. Very good condition with nice ton...

Rare Chrysanthemum sterling silver soup tureen. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Lobed and oval bowl with scalloped and turned down scalloped rim. Bracket end handles and four splayed volute supports. Cover double domed with bracket finial. Dense and textural cast ornament in form of alternating flower heads and leaves applied to rim and cover shoulder. With dense profusion of same applied to feet and wrapped and mounted to handles. A big, drool-inducing centerpiece made soon after this histor...

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 applied tendril and grape bunch. Open support comprising large vertical leaves and turned-down small leaves; 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 emigrated to Canada...

The poem accompanying the artwork on this antique scroll reads: Fishing little trout—Precious drops of dew glisten—Flowing with the blossoms—The mountains and rivers of spring ( Rengetsu, age 78 ). A rather later and mature work by Rengetsu, this piece was created right as Edo ended and Meiji began, marking a major turning point in Japanese history and culture.

Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) was born into a Samurai family but soon after adopted by the Ōtagaki fam...

Belle Epoque Rococo soup tureen on stand. Made by Tetard Frères in Paris, ca 1910. Ovoid bowl with tapering sides and curved bottom with fluted and turned-down leaf handles. Sides have projecting volute scrolls inset with leaves. Leaves stippled and irregular. Sides have curvilinear panels applied with leaf and berry garlands with central branches forming wreaths. Raised oval foot. Cover domed and paneled with fluted top on which is mounted a cast finial in form of two embracing cherubs, their ...

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...

George II sterling silver mug. Made by Samuel Welles in London in 1759. Baluster bowl with leaf-capped double-scroll handle. Raised foot with tooled leaf border. Chased and engraved bucolic scene with hounds racing through an orchard. A later Victorian homage to the tranquility of rural life. An even later engraved presentation in the frame formed by the leafing, overhanging trees: “Palm Beach Golf Club / Florida / State Championship / 1916 / First Prize / Runner Up / Won By”. No name follow...

Restauration Classical silver gilt box. Made by Jean-Baptiste Claude Odiot in Paris, ca 1820. Rectangular with straight sides and leaf-and-dart base rim. Cover flat and hinged with same as well as leaf-and-flower border. Cover top has central heart engraved with single script letter monogram set in flower wreath; leaf and flower border. Sumptuous Return-of-the-Bourbons luxe from the Ancien Regime do-over years. Fully marked including maker’s stamp and the fineness (950) stamp instituted in 18...

English Georgian sterling silver baby cup, 1837. Bowl has curved sides and scrolled foot rim with applied scallop shells and four leaf and shell supports; leaf-capped double-scroll handle. Gilt interior.

Chased and engraved scene of boy riding on the back of a rescue dog, who stands at the entrance to a monastic hostelry in the Swiss Alps. An iconic illustration of the perils of mountain travel that was reproduced in painting and sculpture. A lithograph after British artist TC Wilson depicting...

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...

Yuzo Kondo is one of the more recognized names in the world of modern Japanese pottery of the 20th century. Though known mainly for his sometsuke creations (blue and white porcelain), he did not settle on this style until well into his potting career that lasted over seven decades. The piece shown here then would be from an earlier period and is evidence of his competency with varied styles and glazes—not just the one he is most well-known for. As any experienced potter will tell you, tenmoku ...