Fukagawa Porcelain Goes Back Eight Generations
MA sent me a boxed Japanese Fukagawa porcelain vase with a lovely painting of a Warbler bird on a Cherry Blossom branch. The story goes back to 1616 in an …
Frigidaire Flair: A Kitchen Sculpture
I have a unique problem. I own a Frigidaire Flair stove range combination built into my condo in 1962. It came with the kitchen when I bought the place in …
Chinese Opera A Special Occasion
JL traveled the world throughout her life. She sent me a souvenir of the traditional Chinese opera she visited over fifty years ago as a guest of the Chinese Government. …
Spring the Seasons for Hats by Russ Russell
Imagine how I felt when the 1950s famous designer Russ Russell’s granddaughter asked me to appraise twenty of his hats in Montecito. I have a weakness for vintage hats. If …
Majolica Apothecary Pot Held Lethal Drugs
PO sent me a photo of a Portuguese majolica covered earthenware glazed pot, large at twenty inches tall. I see the word “Rincine” on the cover in Latin. The colors …
‘Old School’ Glassblowers
I’ve known many kinds of artists in my career. Perhaps the most inventive and eccentric artists by MEDIUM are glassblowers. I don’t know if it’s something to do with the …
Tartan Symbolizes Scottish Pride
My last name is Stewart, and, yes, I have a Scottish connection, both by marriage and by heredity. Thanks to my good fortune at the young age of 23, I …
Four Big Art Stories
Four big stories dominated the art world this week: On the upcoming cover of The New Yorker, a courtroom artist’s sketch of Trump. Whistler’s Mother re-visits Philadelphia (last seen in …
Midcentury Mosaic Quite a Find
RT sent me a midcentury painted mosaic tile plaque, a curious image of a yellow fern with green and red foliage signed EC or CC Bealle. The work has been …
Asian Art Needs an Expert
Somebody in Honolulu called me. He lost four pieces of Asian art in a move, the fault of the moving company. Sadly, four rare Chinese porcelain vessels. He asked for …