Midcentury Modern sterling silver water pitcher. Designed by Alphonse La Paglia (d. 1953) for International Silver Co. in Meriden, Conn. Baluster with helmet mouth. Capped high-looping handle with volute-scroll terminal mounted with Blossom-style seeding pod. Open foot ring inset with stylized flower and bead border. An original American design that pays homage to Danish master Georg Jensen. Marked “International / Sterling / La Paglia Designed / 118”. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 9 ...

George V sterling silver sugar caster. Made by Asprey & Co. in London in 1911. Baluster with applied shell-mounted garland. Foot domed with chased leaf and flower border. Cover threaded and domed with ornamental piercing and vasiform finial. Pretty Edwardian Georgian. Fully marked. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 8 1/4 x D 3 1/4 in. Heavy weight: 10.5 troy ounces. #BW660

Hiroshi Yoshida
Tansui (Danshui, China)
Date: 1941.
Print size: Chuban. 10.625 x 8 inches.
Brush signed and sealed in the image. Titled and signed in pencil in lower margin.
Jizuri seal at upper left margin indicating a first edition self-printed by the artist.
Publisher: Hiroshi Yoshida
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Reference: Abe catalog #244.
Condition: Some toning and fading. Tape at top back margin.

Hiroshi Yoshida
Chion-in Temple Gate
Series: Eight Scenes of Cherry Blossoms.
Date: 1935.
Print size: Oban. 16 x 10.75 inches.
Brush signed and sealed in the image. Titled and signed in pencil in lower margin.
Jizuri seal at upper left margin indicating a first edition self-printed by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Publisher: Hiroshi Yoshida
Reference: Abe catalog #194.
Condition: Two short scratches in stairs (see photo). Tape at ...

Set of 4 Edwardian sterling silver figural place card holders. Made by Levi & Salaman in Birmingham 1906. Each: Pair of perched owls with scrolled back clip; raised and round base. Wise birds standing ready to tamp down excessive dinner party levity. In leather-bound case with fitted velvet and silk lining with gilt retailer’s stamp (“Leighton / Lancaster”). Fully marked. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 3/4 x D 1 1/2 in. Gross weight: 2.3 troy ounces. #BW863

Elizabeth II sterling silver salver tray. Made by Pinder Bros in Sheffield in 1955. Square cartouche with curvilinear corners and molded rim. Corner leaf-capped volute scroll supports. Fully marked. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 1/2 x W 15 x 15 in. Heavy weight: 52 troy ounces. #BW555

Turn-of-the-century Chantilly-Grand sterling silver 3-piece coffee set. Made by Gorham in Providence. This set comprises coffeepot, creamer, and sugar. Scrolled rims, spread and scrolled foot, and reeded and leaf-capped scroll handles. Two scrolled cartouches of which one vacant and the other engraved with interlaced script monogram. Coffeepot has hinged and domed cover with leaf-ring finial, and leaf-capped scroll spout. Creamer has scrolled helmet mouth. Creamer and sugar have gilt interior. A...

An interesting contemporary Hagi piece resting on a split-foot (wari-kodai) and a unique glaze patterning that somewhat resembles layers of flower petals. A creation of Morishige Tetsuyo, a native of the famous potting town of Hagi who later studied in Kyoto and eventually took up a position at the family kiln “Renkozan” with tutelage from both his father and grandfather. This particular piece is from a series he began in 2009 aptly named “Kaben” (The petal series). Actively displaying b...

Turn-of-the-century Edwardian sterling silver baby set. Made by Gorham in Providence. This set comprises cup, bowl, and plate. Cup has scroll bracket handle, raised and stepped foot, and gilt interior. Bowl has same foot. Plate has deep well. Acid-etched scenes depicting scenes from Mother Goose, including Old King Cole being presented with his Bowl, Little Bo Peep with Sheep, and Old Mother Hubbard with Bare Cupboard and Poor Dog. Cup and bowl have goose balancing a ball (vacant) between two de...

Helene Mass (1871-1955)
Sunshine at the Garden
Date: 1910-20.
Size: 14.75 x 14 inches.
Medium: Woodblock print.
Signed "H. Mass" (Helene Maß) in the image.
Condition: Top margin edge has adhesive residue.

Classical sterling silver compote. Made by John Wendt for Ball, Black in New York, ca 1870. Round and curved bowl mounted to open support comprising three leafing oak shoots with acorns inset with cast figure of standing boy holding a ball in each hand with one arm raised. Domed foot. Reeding and beading.

A fashionable centerpiece evocative of youth and growth. The figure suggests the influence of the Dancing Faun, the ancient statue in the Uffizi in Florence that was a grand tour icon. The fr...

Turn-of-the-century Belle Epoque 950 silver and mother of pearl fruit set. Made by Gustave Veyrat in France. This set comprises 24 pieces with 12 forks and 12 knives. Each: Mother of pearl handle with ornamented mounts and lobed oval terminal with bead. Silver is gilt and mother of pearl is tinted brown. In leather-bound case with silk lining and fitted velvet.

Fully marked with maker’s stamp and Minerva head. Case lining has gilt stamp for Monte Carlo retailer. Very good condition with nice...

George V sterling silver sugar caster. Made by Harrison Bros & Howson in London in 1911. Baluster with applied shell-mounted garland on domed foot with chased imbricated leaf-and-flower border. Cover threaded and domed with vasiform finial and ornamental piercing. Fully marked. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 8 1/4 x D 3 1/4 in. Weight: 11 troy ounces. #BW523

Pair of Art Deco Classical jade and gilt sterling silver candelabra. Made by Lebkuecher in Newark, ca 1920. Each: Cylindrical jade shaft on same octagonal base with carved petal flutes and fretwork. Curvilinear silver gilt arms with block volute terminals mounted to shaft with same; each terminates in single jade socket on silver gilt leaf-and-dart mount. Raised central socket same. Ornamented silver gilt mounts on shaft top and base. Rests on silver gilt foot with block volute supports.

Full...

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-...

Cactus sterling silver dinner plate charger. Made by Georg Jensen in Copenhagen. Round well and sloping shoulder. Applied to rim are stylized cacti set in leaves between scrolls. A gorgeous piece in the historic pattern designed by Gundorph Albertus. Fully marked including maker’s (1945-77) and designer’s stamps, and no. 629H. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 3/4 x D 11 in. Weight: 22 troy ounces. #BW559

Pair of Edwardian Georgian sterling silver candlesticks. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1915. Each: Tapering shaft with base knop on stepped and raised foot. Socket has straight sides and detachable bobeche. Faceted. Traditional form with showy gilding. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, pattern no. 18910 (first produced in 1915), and director’s letter m. Very good condition with nice toning.

Dimensions: H 9 x W 4 3/4 x D 4 1/4 in. Total weight: 15 troy ounces. #BW772

Ohara Koson
Siberian Blue Robin (Nightingale)
Size: Shikishiban. Approximately 9.75 x 9.5 inches.
Date: ca. 1912.
Koson signature and seal at lower left.
Publisher: Daikokuya.
Reference: K26.3 in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland).
Note: This print is very rare. We've noticed another example in the Rijks Museum collection.
Condition: A conservator has repaired tears at three corners. The artist's name is noted i...

Deceptively simple and notoriously difficult to apply with the calligrapher’s brush in one fluid, arching stroke; the symbol of the ensō has long been associated with strength, elegance, and the simultaneous being and non-being of the universe. A closed ensō (such as the one featured here) is more closely associated with the idea of transcendent perfection, while an open ensō represents movement, fluidity, and attainment in the corporeal world. Though the monk who created this piece, Hasega...

Art Deco bronze urn: $44,000, reduced to $38,000 This Art Deco bronze figurative planter (jardiniere), circa 1920, measures 55" in height, 36" across (elbow to elbow), 18" deep.  caste bronze, 150-250 lb. This work was the combined effort of two French sculptors; Pierre Lenoir and Marcel Guillard (1896 - 1932). It is believed two castes of this sculpted urn were made.  Pierre Lenoir (1879 - 1953) was a French sculptor and medallist and was one of the Breton sculptors born in the 1880s ...

Hiroshi Yoshida
Hirosaki Castle
Series: Eight Scenes of Cherry Blossoms
Date: 1935.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.75 x 10.5 inches.
Signed and sealed in the image. Titled and signed in pencil.
Jizuri seal at upper left margin indicating a first edition self-printed by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Reference: Abe catalog #192.
Condition: Pencil note at top margin. Paper lightly toned.

Pretty Italian Classical 800 silver keepsake box, ca 1940. Rectangular. Cover flat and hinged with tapering tab. Sides fluted and engraved with flowering and leafing branches. Cover top has heraldic cartouche (vacant) surrounded by leafing scrollwork on stippled ground. Partitioned interior. Marked "800" with stamp for Roberto & Armando Dabbene in Milan. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 2 3/4 x W 8 1/4 x D 4 3/8 in. Heavy weight: 22 troy ounces. #BW335

1960's Chinese green and white jadeite carving of lotus and bamboo on a custom wood stand. A frog is perched on one of the lotus leaves and a bamboo stalk in the background serves to hold calligraphy brushes or fresh flowers. In excellent condition, it measures 7.25" high, on stand 8.75" high, 5.5 across, and about 3.5" deep.

Pair of Victorian Classical sterling silver candlesticks. Made by Elkington & Co. in Birmingham 1894. Each: Tapering and fluted pillar on raised and square foot. Fluted socket with detachable bobeche on round and stepped foot. Bead, palmette, and leaf borders. Patera ornament. Fully marked. Very good condition with a few minor pings.

Dimensions: H 10 3/4 x W 4 1/4 x D 4 1/4 in. Weighted. #BW190

Elizabeth II sterling silver box. Made by Harman Bros. in Birmingham in 1982. Excellent condition. Rectangular with straight sides. Cover flat and hinged. Engine-turned wave ornament in plain frames. Front has rectangular mono plate. Cover top has engraved diagonal band with chevron in lower right corner, and tooled border. Corner splayed bracket supports. Interior cedar lined and partitioned. Box underside laminate lined. Fully marked. Very good condition.

Overall dimensions: H 2 7/8 x W 8 3/...

Ohara Koson (Shoson)
Mallards and Lotus
Size: Large toku-oban. Approximately 17.125 x 12.25 inches.
Date: pre-1936. First edition.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. First and only edition with Watanabe D seal in right margin.
Shoson signature and seal lower right.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Reference: S7.1 aand cat. 145 in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland). Watanabe cat. #O-51.
Condition: Excellent with full...

Koei Hashimoto
Dove on Plum Tree Branch
Date: ca. 1930
Size: Oban. 17 x 11 inches.
Publisher: Likely Sato Shotaro.
Signed and sealed by the artist at lower right.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: The back has pen ink scribbles. Light creasing primarily in margin. Light foxing on back.

William Seltzer Rice (1873-1963) Italian Boat
Date: Likely 1913-1915.
Paper size 7.75 x 5.5 inches.
Print size: 4.75 x 3.875 inches.
Signed and titled in pencil.
Medium: Woodblock print.
Condition: Lightly foxed, primarily outside the image area. Margin blanks (see additional photos for full margins). Tape on verso.
Note: We could find no other reference to this title by the California artist and believe that this could be the only known color example. Howeve...

Pair of Georgian-style sterling silver candlesticks. Made by Currier & Roby in New York, ca 1920. Each: Faceted and tapering shaft with knops and flanges on raised foot in concave circle set in square base. Spool socket with detachable bobeche. Gadrooning. Fully marked including maker’s mark and no. 2628. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 10 1/4 x W 4 3/4 x D 4 3/4 in. Total weight: 35 troy ounces. #BW348

George IV sterling silver and agate fruit set for 12 with 24 pieces. Made by Francis Higgins in London in 1833. This set comprises 12 forks and 12 knives. Tapering rectilinear half-fluted handles in mottled grey and brown agate. Sterling silver blades and 4-tined shanks. Regency Classicism for a special dinner party. Fully marked. Excellent condition.

Height: Fork: 6 1/8 in. Knife: 7 5/8 in. Case dimensions: H 2 3/8 x W 13 3/4 x D 9 1/2 in. #BW456

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...

Traditional sterling silver coffee set. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1925. This set comprises coffeepot, creamer, and sugar. Curved and tapering bodies on round and stepped foot. Covers raised with vasiform finial and handles high-looping. Coffeepot finial and handle stained wood. Coffeepot has vertical s-spout and creamer has lip spout. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, pattern nos. 20638 (coffeepot and creamer) and 20639 (sugar), and director’s letter m. Both patterns first pr...

Elizabeth II sterling silver sugar caster. Made by J Collyer Ltd in Birmingham 1958. Upward tapering neck and curved bowl on short foot. Cover domed and pierced with ovoid finial. Plastic lining and cover threads. Fully marked. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 6 3/4 x D 3 1/8 in. Gross weight: 4 troy ounces. #BW409

Pair of Georgian Rococo sterling silver candlesticks. Made by Dominick & Haff in New York in 1898. Each: Baluster shaft on raised and round shaped base. Concave socket with square detachable bobeche. Dense and dynamic with twisted fluting, beading, and leafing scrolls. Fully marked including dated maker’s stamp and no. 284A. Excellent condition with deep patina.

Dimensions: H 10 3/4 x W 6 x D 5 3/4 in. Weighted. #BW168

Pair of sterling silver jokey button-form cufflinks. Each: Round with 4 central holes threaded with 18k gold. Marked “Tiffany & Co. 925-750”. Excellent condition with nice patina.

Diameter: 3/4 in. Total weight: 7.6 dwt. #1198

Ted Colyer (b. 1947)
Winter '84
Size: 16.5 x 16.5 inches. Sheet size: 18.5 x 18.5 inches. Matte size: 21.75 x 21.75 inches.
Date: 1984.
Signed, dated, and numbered by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Hinged at top back with tape to circular matte.
Canadian native Colyer studied Japanese printmaking under Toshi Yoshida.