Raise a Toast to this Ale Mug
PT sent me a VERY old cider or ale mug, which dates from (I believe) before 1820. In those days, what happened all around this large vessel? What did it …
William Shinn Not Worried About Outcome
PS owns a fabulous modernist thirteen by ten inch art pottery vase by Santa Maria potter William “Bill” Shinn (1932-2011). Did a native American ceremonial breastplate inspire this vase? The …
Scottish Snuff Mull Born in 1817
KM sent me a pretty little Scottish snuff mull, engraved Sheffield Silver Mounts, 1817. Large at over three inches, they sat on a table or sideboard to serve “all” who …
Reflecting on the History of Mirrors
Before the 17th century people without incredible money who wanted to know what they looked like, stared in a pool of water. The idea of mirrors, so ubiquitous today, was …
The Changing Nature of Art
Should it be, because we lived through a world changed by the pandemic, that the world of THINGS changed? I find it interesting that my pencil talks to me as …
Mad Men Riviera Cocktail Set
GR’s midcentury cocktail set sits on a stand made in the 1960’s by The Riviera Company called the “Royal Crown” barware set. The idea of themed, Royalty for example, cocktail …
Encyclopedia Britannica A Slice of History
JP owns 29,000 pages of a major book. Yes, the Encyclopedia Britannica, the famed Eleventh Edition (1910-1911), the BEST encyclopedia EVER. He found it at Goodwill! Let me explain why …
How to Decipher an Artist Signature
I want to show you how I decipher a artist difficult signature on a work. I’ll use a work I found at a local thrift store as illustration. I found …
Pipe Holder Made in Occupied Japan
What is this little wooden bird that stands about seven inches tall? His head comes off, and we see a deep scooped out area and a hole in its hindquarters. …
Midcentury Modern Hungarian Vase
Don’t let this tall orange ceramics vase with black crazing fool you. It’s NOT Asian, but a Hungarian vase. Geza Gorka, born in 1894 in Slovakia, created this vase. He …