French Belle Epoque Classical 950 silver tea urn, ca 1900. Ovoid with turned stained-wood handles with silver scroll and leaf mounts. Scaly fish spout with tail mount and gaping mouth spout and turned stained wood and silver scroll tap. Double-domed cover with berry finial. Three double-scroll supports with leaf mounts and feet mounted to stepped and stained-wood drum-form blocks. Heating element set in scroll-mounted ring. Twisted fluting and lobing. Vitruvian scroll and leaf borders. Engraved...

Belle Epoque Classical 950 silver wine bottle holder. Made by Odiot in France, ca 1890. Open body comprising two rectilinear supports mounted to round bowl with straight sides. Conical neck with adjustable screws. Leaf-capped double-scroll handle. Meandering fruiting grapevine on stippled ground. Perfect for enjoying a special vintage. Note: The bowl is smallish, so the best fit is going to be one of the really old bottles down in the cellar. Fully marked with Minerva head and maker’s stamp....

Equestrian-themed silver tankard with German imperial association, ca 1875. Straight and paneled sides with low-relief frieze depicting galloping riders, racing through the countryside, trees and buildings in the background; branch borders. Split-mounted s-scroll handle with thumb rest. At bottom applied branch and leaf border and open supports. Cover hinged and bellied with imbricated leaf rim; on top is cast finial in form of mounted jockey and engraved phrase citing Kaiser Wilhelm I in an all...

German Classical silver beaker cup, 18th century. At top leafing scrollwork and scallop shells; at bottom twisted leaf-and dart border. Ornament chased and heightened with engraving. Interior gilt washed. Maker’s mark comprising letters S and I. Condition: Minor dent on bottom otherwise very good with excellent patina.

Dimensions: H 3 3/4 x D 3 in. Weight: 3 troy ounces. #BX624

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...

Chinese silver mug, ca 1865. Straight and upward tapering sides with dense low-relief frieze: Spearmen and swordsmen on foot and horse thrust and lunge and, in some cases, fall in battle. Applied armorial shield with engraved presentation dated “May 4th 1865”. S-scroll handle in form of scaly dragon with horned head peering over rim. Marked. Very good condition with deep patina.

Overall dimensions: H 5 1/4 x W 5 1/4 x D 3 1/4 in. Weight: 10.8 troy ounces. #BX464

Chinese export silver mug, ca 1850. Straight and upward tapering sides applied with leafing bamboo on stippled ground. Branch-form handle and rims. Applied rondel engraved with single-letter monogram in buckled belt. On underside is engraved “H. J. T. / 1855”. Interior gilt washed. Chinese mark and initials KHC for Khe Cheong, a Canton silversmith and retailer active from ca 1830s-70s. Very good condition.

Overall dimensions: H 5 x W 5 1/2 x D 3 1/4 in. Weight: 10 troy ounces. #BX462 ...

Chinese export silver mug, ca 1860. Straight and upward tapering sides with applied pictorial frieze on engraved and stippled ground: Scenes of social life with contemplative sages and chaste maidens amongst palm trees and pagodas. Pastoral exoticism enlivened with scaly, slithering dragon handle, ferocious head peaking above the rim. Armorial cartouche (vacant). Marked “HCH”. Very good condition.

Overall dimensions: H 5 1/2 x W 5 x D 3 in. Weight: 9.6 troy ounces. #BX463

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 ...

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...

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...

Turn-of-the-century French Belle Epoque Classical 950 silver gravy boat on stand. Oval bowl with curved sides and elongated end spouts. Side handles entwined and split-mounted with leaves and flowers. Stepped oval foot mounted to stand with oval well and reeded and serpentine rim. Armorial engraved on stand shoulder. Marks include unidentified maker’s stamp and Minerva head. Very good condition.

Overall dimensions: H 4 1/4 x W 10 1/2 x D 7 in. Weight: 20 troy ounces. #BX235

Sugimoto Sadamitsu (b. 1935) is one of the most important Shigaraki potters alive today and continues to create master works into his old age. Originally a resident of Tokyo, at the age of 33 he moved to Shigaraki and started creating high-quality tea-ware implements, most notably, fine tea bowls in the style of early Raku masters. A devotee of Zen and a lover of tea, Sugimoto is able to create tea bowls that are not just attractive, pleasant to hold in the hand, and a joy to drink f...

Pair of German silver Renaissance hunting figures, ca 1890. The man wears doublet over baggy chemise and hose with belt hanging loosely around hips. A long hat feather drapes gracefully along his arm. The horn is raised expectantly while the other hand rests on his sword. The woman wears a bodice-revealing fitted hip-length coat over a pleated skirt. Her braids are coiled in the back and her hat sports a jaunty feather. On a raised arm perches a falcon. The figures stand on rocky mounds with sca...