Square Deal

A rather rare pair of square shaped glass bowls from the renowned Murano factory, Seguso, circa 1960s. The opaque piece is reminiscent of granite and the clear is rusty in color.
7.5" square and 5.5"square

Pear Shaped

What a Pear! This is a rather large glass fruit from the 50s. What I find most intriguing is the hand-typed label "Made in Italy" for Ethan Allen (of all companies)!
9"

Stephen Sells Sea Shells...

... & Seahorses for that matter! It is Memorial Day after all - and we are hoping you are enjoying the unofficial start to the summer season! This trio of porcelain vessels would look fantastic in your seaside home. Made by Bareuther & Co., Bavaria, 1960s
8.5", 7" (center)

Historical Glaze

The importance of this piece can not be underestimated. Created by Patrick Nordstrom in 1925 in his own studio. The glaze with its multi-layered, drippy, textural quality was quite advanced for that period.  He brought this technique with him to other Scandinavian companies such as Royal Copenhagen and it became the basis for the "Sung" glaze - utilized by many of his contemporaries.
4.5"

Muted Masterpiece

An early work of A. Wolfsen for Bing & Grøndahl, Denmark, 1920s, features a gorgeous motif of horse chestnuts and leaves. The design and coloration is indicative of the "Arts and Crafts" movement. 

9"

Technicolor Tower of Pisa

This cheerful Italian ceramic reminds me of the famous tower, albeit without the "leaning". Orange and  turquoise - the classic color combination so evocative of the 1950s
11"

Sterling Stripes

It never ceases to amaze when we see a style vase so unique...Purple glass with sterling silver overlay. 1950s, Germany.
7"

Have a Ball (or Two)

This sweet emerald green bottle has a playful ball stopper that mimics the shape of the equally spherical base. Made in Italy, 1950s
14.5"

Silver Service

Don't let the line's "Denmark" name confuse the fact that this complete 6-piece silver plated coffe/tea service is from the esteemed American company Reed and Barton. Designed by John Prip in 1958.

RE: Blogged

One of biggest fans is the accomplished Architect, Decorator, and Furniture Designer, Barry Goralnick. He is always so complimentary when in the shop and took his fandom to the web with today's entry on his own design blog.

See Link Below:

http://barrygoralnick.com/blog/

Sticking Our Neck Out

Cute is the new chic with this Italian ceramic Giraffe from the 50s. She (yes, we gave it a gender - just look at those lashes) sits pretty at 11" tall.

Modernism Meets Ancient Rome

From Naples, Italy, comes this Capodimonte compote in gilded porcelain. Like a scene out of a Roman historical drama...this covered dish depicts all sorts of townsfolk interacting in tiny tableaux. This is one of those decorative pieces that is so over-the-top as to be utterly fabulous.
9" wide and 7" high

Exquisite Equine

An Italian ceramic lidded box with a handsome horse motif from the 50s. How unusual it is to see the square design. The modern/primitive style and rough surface suggests ancient cave drawings.
9"

Saturn Stunner

Another one of our like-new vintage Cenedese finds. This design reminds me of the rings of Saturn, in a pleasing plum hue.
13" in diameter, and 6" high

Giant Achievement

This gilded goodie comes for Hutschenreuther, our latest obsessions, when it comes to Bavarian porcelain. There is a slightly Egyptian feel to the design. A great statement...as tall as it is wide @ 17"!

Copper Keeper

At 9.5" tall this piece is immense in scale. So heavy with copper dust, this Barbini lidded jar is blindingly shiny.

Spring Gala Glass

We were thrilled to be asked by the prominent florist and event planner, Botanica, to contribute our vintage glass to help illuminate the tabletops for a luncheon event held yesterday at the very tony Morgan Library. The theme was Venetian, so our Italian blown glass was only too appropriate.

photos: courtesy of Botanica

link:
http://www.botanicainc.com/

Look What We Dug Up

The term "Scavo" literally means "unearthed" in Italian. It also describes the complicated process employed in glass blowing to create the look of an artifact dug up after centuries. This ruby red vintage vessel is from Venice by V. Nason & Co.
15"

French 101

This map was created by a company called Sermap in 1973 for the classroom to teach French school children about the various sections of Paris (or arrondissements). We thought the design so artistic and the colors so magnifique that it deserved a custom frame.Talk about "Old School"!
50" x 42"

Faux Bois Vase

Another like-new beauty from Cenedese (original foil sticker attached). Clear with a subtle smokey feathered detail that gives it the look of wood grain. 
9"

Massive Murano

Another great treasure from never-been-used vintage stock just in from Europe. Hand blown at the venerable Cenedese factory in Venice. A beautiful shade of pale blue made almost opalescent by an iridescent layer.
Measuring an amazing 14" in diameter

Orange You Glad

Hutschenreuther in triplicate! A great collection in mint condition from the company well known for porcelain, however, they also created wonderful pottery. While Hutschenreuther was established in 1814, this group is from the 1970s and was designed by Renee Neue who was the Creative Director of the company at the time. 
9", 6.5", 4" tall

Bavarian Bordeaux

A pair of German porcelain mid century vases both gilt and blush with a lovely shade of wine red from one of our favorite companies Hutschenreuther.
11", 7.5"

Bowled Over, Yet Again

There is a lot of intrigue surrounding this magnificent bowl. Clearly signed and dated Elena Scavini for Lenci, 1937. To dive deeper is is to discover a company, based in Turin, Italy, originally known for highly collectible dolls (Candy Spelling was a huge collector - one of her prized dolls sold for $19,000 at auction)! This piece was created by the company's co-founder, and is completely incongruous to the style of fine porcelain figurines the factory eventually became known for - their features so expressive that they were admittedly inspirations to Walt Disney himself. So, how this modernist lava-like bowl came to be is a mystery to me.
16" in diameter!

Evil Eye Goes Groovy

Another example of an ancient motif reinterpreted with a modernist twist... 3 by Kaiser, West German Porcelain, 1960s
9.5', 12" & 6.5" tall

Brutal Beauties

Just arrived (and freshly rewired) are this pair of American icons in the Brutalist style. Dating to the  1970's and by the Italian designer Maurizio Tempestini for the Laurel Lighting Co. They are in an aged gold finish over a white metal base and are quite reminiscent of the Paul Evans aesthetic making such a huge come-back in interior design.
Monumental @ 49" to the top of the shade.

More Glossy Glass

A gorgeous grouping of teal glass is featured next to one of our cobalt blue lamps in the April 2012 issue of New York Spaces magazine.  Interior designer Damon Liss decorated this beautiful Tribeca loft adding a pop of color with our wonderful wares.

Color Story

An unexpected combination of red and teal is a chic throwback that feels so modern. The cross-hatch patterned vase in the center is West German from the 60s, while the two drip-patterned pieces in the back are Italian.
l to r: 10", 12", 10.5"

Graphic Platter

An abstract leaf design is how I see the pattern (called "Nairobi") on the ceramic plate above. Created by Mari Simmulson for Upsala Ekeby, 1959.
11" in diameter

Alive with Deadstock

JUST ARRIVED: A treasure trove of never-been-used hand blown Empoli glass from an importer called Balboa. This is just the tip of the iceberg of items we acquired en masse from a collection that remained packed in its original straw! This group was destined to be sold by a New York specialty shop of the period called Paul's of Manhattan...as the original stickers can attest. We can only imagine why they never made it. Did Paul's go out of business? For whatever reason, they remained in storage, but are finally available 60 years after they were made. An abundant selection like this is pure opulence!

The Sound of The End of History

Soundtrack 1
Click on the link above to listen to a small selection of our ever-changing soundtrack... perfect for your mid-century shopping pleasure!

Bowled Over

One of my favorite patterns of vintage Bitossi is by Aldo Londi, the maestro in charge of design during the company's heyday of the 1950s, is called "Finestra" or "Windows" as translated from Italian. The reflective nature of the real gold decoration is probably key to the name.
12" in diameter

Deco-Rate

Another pair of American-made ceramics. Busts, one Asian male and one female, bowing in unison. Art Deco in design and measuring in at 14" tall, they are perfect for the mantel.

Let's Get Cracking

When it comes to ceramics, we primarily stick to foreign fare. This is the rare case where a populist American name in pottery actually appeals to us. Royal Haeger made this surprisingly sophisticated pair of long necked vases (22") in the 50s. The surface design is a sort of crackled travertine pattern revealing a copper or rose gold metallic under-coat. Quite elegant with dramatic proportions.

Massive Las Poñas

The single largest piece of sculpture by our sole contemporary artist, BJ Las Poñas, has just arrived. The monumental nod to modernist form stands 6 feet tall including the 24" cube base. The sculpture itself is a one-of-a-kind, constructed of welded bronze panels, hammered completely by hand and finished with a custom patina.

Minty Barbini

A beautifully designed cylindrical box. At just 7" tall, it's a nécessaire of sorts, just the right size for the dresser or bedside table. A creamy green with a touch of gold.

Big Blue

A gem-like faceted bowl in a royal blue and yellow sommerso. A statement making size at 4"high and 7" in diameter.

Orange... Just in from Florida

We've just this morning received our annual shipment from one of our important dealers who canvasses the state of Florida from Palm Beach to Miami. Among the treasures recently acquired is this Barbini stripy bottle from the 50s, when the Murano company had a penchant for playful circus tent inspired designs.
21"

Etruscan Goes Pop

...by way of Heinrich, Bavaria. We've titled this design as "Horse Chases Ostrich" or is it "Ostrich Chases Horse"?
9", 12", and 13"

On Golden Cords

A prime example of 'Cordonato d'Oro', a design technique created for the Venice Biennale circa 1950 by Ercole Barovier for Barovier & Toso. This majestic vase is 15" tall the the top of the gracefully curled tips.

China by way of Bavaria

A gorgeously decorated vase that one would swear was an Oriental antique. But, turn it over, and its mark tells us that it's actually an Asian-themed homage to the very culture that mastered the art of porcelain production to begin with. This mid-century take on the porcelain craft is a pattern line called "Junnan",  made by Kaiser, Germany. China, 'Not made in China'!
14"