Uncommon Artifacts Estate Services LLC Decorative Objects

The Louisville Pottery company used a variety of stamps and sold to touristy shops with marks including Cherokee, Great Smokey Mountains, Daniel Boone, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky Hand Made and more. Most of them are small pitchers and vases in traditional forms. But, then there are occasional exceptions and over time we have all learned that major designers including Frederic Hurten Rhead (over at Selden Bybee) were working in the area. Research is ongoing to identify the examples designed and/or influenced by well known artists or simply a great relatively unknown designer or two deserving of recognition for their work. The JB Speed Art Museum cataloged a slightly smaller gloss green example Accession number 2007.10.9 with the Cherokee Pottery...

Tiffany Studios American Arts and Crafts style patinated letter box and blotter ends. This set retains significant green and red patina and over the years had accumulated some black...

The Zodiac pen tray is a fantastic holiday gift for the Cancer or Pisces who loves Tiffany, Arts and Crafts or simply fine living. Designed for pens over a century ago, the functions today can be endless. This examples is well cast and retains a fair amount of the original patina. The surface is a lovely mottled brown and black finish and there is significant red and green patina underneath where it was not exposed to UV light over the past century. The detail shots show the quality of the cast clearly and the markings of Tiffany Studios 1000. There is minor overall wear and modest scratching from both use and from cleaning. Nonetheless, the photos show how astoundingly attractive this example is and would we really expect a century old desk...

The variety of glass made in Czechoslovakia in the Art Deco period is astounding. And, some of the most beautiful exports were the dresser boxes with jeweled lids, many clearly stam...

Art Deco Bat pattern cut crystal vase Attributed to Charles Graffart (1873-1967) Val Saint Lambert circa 1928 Charles Graffart is described in the Bri...

Monochrome Chinese Fish Scale cloisonne is long famed for it's high quality of craftsmanship and understated elegance. A staple of interior design...

Bertil's work is often haunting, but this bottle vase is ready for display or perhaps for the most adventurous as a container for your personal witch's brew. A entire layer of end of day type scattered glass has been cameo acid cut back to reveal a frosted midnight blue glass underlayer. But, just look at these birds. Ravens, crows... certainly birds of the night. A taller neck than I have seen before and the slight slumping and bubbled inclusions reinforce the visual message that this is both art and handicraft. The fortuitous bold coloration of the birds makes the pattern boldly assert. Marked Kosta Boda Atelier 92 and B Vallien...

An early and fully three dimensional sculpture by Edwin Scheier exhibiting a symbolic or mythological representation that represents the circle of life. The bent wood, carving, piercing and rope work are all manifest at a high level in this quixotic almost whimsical work of 1964. Edwin (and Mary) spent over a decade in the 1960's and 70's in Oaxaca, Mexico where he often worked with Guanacaste wood and local fibers, to great success. A perfect compliment to a mid century modern interior and a must have go along with any major mid century and/or Scheier ceramics...

Ott Jones is one of the nations best known wildlife artists and his bronze sculptures are found in private and corporate collections world wide. From Bozema...

Carlton Ware pattern 3074 in red. Candlestick form 8337 is elegant and super rare. And, to find it decorated with one of the most popular composite patterns including the bird of par...

A 1960's space age orbital design from Lee Rosen and Design Technics in celestial or cerulean blue. This statement piece is a perfect accent for your mid century modern home. Seldom ...

Rookwood pottery was established based upon Arts and Crafts ideals positing the celebration and elevation of pottery as an art form. Both professional and amateur decorators and potters were instrumental in the success of what became an art industry and the nations first Internationally recognized art pottery. It is marked 1885, 61 and W. Rookwood's font, Form # 61 and the use of W to indicate white clay are well known to Rookwood collectors and have been identified in most publications concerning the pottery dating back to Peck's books. Sometimes we just can't figure out who decorated them. Many of the decorators were married society ladies and some used their spouse's initials or names on pots. I have been unable to identify what appears to be M AED in under-glaze initials. Nor does the pencil notation which appears M.E. Foster (or Foote) turn up in my review of the literature, including The Ladies God Bless 'em. The quality of the decoration is high and represents the interest in Japonisme and Aesthetic Movement art. The four cobalt lined vertical panels recall vertical Japanese woodblock prints and the gold tracery and rim is surprisingly present with only modest wear to the high points and minor bleed through of the under-glaze around the lip. (shown). It is important to note that unless or until the decorator is identified, it is impossible to assert that the decoration is by a Rookwood artist. Many amateur ladies and gentlemen, particularly members of the Cincinnati Pottery...

This grand tour bronze sculpture depicts the version of Venus so important to the history of art and literature in the U.S. that the original was temporarily loaned to the National Gallery of Art from the Capital Museums in Rome in 2011. Mark Twain visited Rome and upon his return home in 1867 he published "The Capitoline Venus" and he described the work as the “most illustrious work of ancient art the world can boast of". (with credit to the National Gallery of Art catalog...

Thomas Minton is believed to have created the famous Blue Willow Pattern and sold the original design to Thomas Turner in the 18th century. The pattern is clearly inspired by Canton Chinese Export...

A monumental weed vase by studio potter Clyde Burt. This is 20" tall by 5.5" diameter and is from the 1960's series "Zig Zag Lines". A related (smaller) ex...

In 1886, John Northwood, famous glass artist of Stourbridge, UK, (later instrumental in the development of art glass in the US), invented a pull up machine allowing small metal teeth...