A Thoughtful Gift

This extraordinary enamel ring features a pink and deep purple pansy flower set with a gleaming white pearl. "Pansy" comes from the French word "penser," meaning to think. Pansies have long been associated with thoughts, particularly the romantic kind. In the language of flowers, a gift of pansies symbolized that the giver was thinking of receiver. Because of this symbolism, pansies were often incorporated into jewelry, making them a most "thoughtful" gift.

The ring is made of 14 karat gold and carries the double "B" mark of Baskin Brothers, a New York City jewelry company that operated from the early 1900s through 1950.

 

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

3-14018

Lady of Spain. . .

Right from the night I first saw you

My heart has been yearning for you

What else could any heart do?

Lady of Spain, 1931

And who could not yearn for this lovely lady by the Spanish porcelain firm of Lladró. Entitled "La Maja," this beautiful bust was sculpted by Juan Huerta and introduced in 1970. Lladró retired this piece in 1985. Although "maja" now generally means a pleasant and attractive woman, in the time of the Spanish painter Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746 –1828), the word referred to a pretty and vivacious young woman of the lower classes who dressed in a vibrant and bold manner. Goya featured majas in a number of his paintings, the most famous of which are his La Maja Desnuda and La Maja Vestida. 

Her raven tresses are adorned with two realistic roses. These roses were formed petal by petal, hand-molded out of clay and carefully applied to the figurine before the piece was fired. This delicate detail and workmanship are typical of the finest of Lladró's creations. Lladró was founded in 1953 by three brothers, Juán, José, and Vicente Lladró. Educated at the Valencia School of Arts and Crafts, where they studied sculpture and painting, the brothers first began producing ceramic flowers and decorative items for sale in the local market, but by 1956 they began creating the sculptural figurines for which Lladró is world famous. After expanding their workshop several times to meet growing demand, in 1958, the brothers relocated to a factory in Tavernes Blanques, where Lladró still resides today.

This delicate damsel comes in her own display case. 

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

16455-16

Here Be Dragons!

This elaborate antique pewter tea set from China is intricately engraved with dragons flying amidst exotic flowers and swirling waters.  

Pewter is an alloy of tin and lead. The softness of the metal makes it malleable and it can be polished to a soft sheen. Pewter appeared in China some 2,000 years ago. Tea caddies made of pewter were preferred for storing the valuable tea leaves and some tea connoisseurs argued that pewter tea pots made 

for superior brewing. 

In addition to the Chinese markings, the set is also stamped "Kut Hing Pewter Swatow." The City of Swatow, now known as Shantou, was opened as a foreign port in 1860 and quickly became an important export market, with many local artisans creating wares for the foreign trade. Beginning in the late 19th century, a number of workshops produced elaborate pewter items for the Western market, including everything from traditional tea sets to modern cocktail sets, often covered in intricate engraving. The Kut Hing company was one of the prominent pewter makers of the era.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

16473-1

You Scream, I Scream. . .

 We all scream for ICE CREAM!

And what could be better than ice cream?  How about ice cream molded in festive forms? Our trove currently has a collection of antique pewter ice cream molds.

With the invention of the hand-cranked ice cream maker in the 1840s, homemade ice cream became a popular treat. The Victorians, who apparently could not leave anything unadorned, began serving ice cream that had been frozen in decorative molds. From the mid-1800s through the 1950s, individual servings of ice cream molded in a variety of inventive shapes appeared at everything from holiday feasts to birthday parties to weddings. To support this craze for decorative desserts, a number of companies turned out pewter ice cream molds in thousands of shapes. In the United States, Schall and Company was established in 1854, soon followed by their major competitor, the Eppelsheimer Company. However, the introduction of packaged ice cream and commercial ice cream novelties, plus concerns about the lead content in the pewter molds, saw the demand for these molds dwindle.

These lovely lovebirds would be the perfect for upcoming Valentine's Day, or for an engagement, wedding, or anniversary celebration.  This one is marked "S& Co" for Schall and Company. As is typical of these molds, the outside is rather plain. . . 

. . .but the inside is beautifully detailed.

This chubby cherub could play Cupid for Valentine's Day.

For Halloween parties, there is this scaredy cat.

This turkey would be an appropriate ending to any Thanksgiving feast.

And for Easter luncheons, there is this little lamb.

This perky pig maybe from the European tradition that a pig is a sign of good luck and prosperity. In Germany, glücksschweinchen (good luck pigs) in the form of candy or other treats were given as gifts during Christmas and New Year's.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly.

Lovely Landscape by Texas Artist

This serene Southwestern landscape is an oil painting by awarding-winning Texas artist Daniel Faz Maldonado (1940-2019) .

Maldonado is known for his detailed renderings of open spaces and natural settings, highlighted with warm colors and subtle natural light. In this painting, the bright red of a male cardinal stands out against the soft greens and browns of the foliage while hints of pinks in the wispy clouds floating through the bright blue sky suggest the fading dawn or the coming of dusk. In the distance, smoke rises from the quiet Native American encampment pitched by a deep blue brook. Dashes of red along the teepee echo the cardinal's vivid feathers.

 

Maldonado is renown for his Western landscapes and themes. He graduated from Austin High School in 1959, where he had discovered his love for art. Maldonado worked in both watercolor and oil paint. In 1984, he won the Gold Award in watercolor at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame art show, followed by many other honors. His works have been exhibited at shows throughout the Southwest. 

 All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

1677-1327

Pick Pocket. . .

 . . . is what you will want to do when you see this wonderful array of vintage wall pockets. 

A wall pocket, also known as a wall vase, is a vase that is flattened on one side and intended to hang on a wall to hold flowers or root plant cuttings. The Victorians, with their love of fresh flowers and the desire to ornament pretty much every square inch of their homes, popularized wall pockets. These pretty and practical pockets were made in a wide variety of style and materials, such as glass, majolica, pottery, and porcelain. From the early 1900s through the beginning of WWII, wall pockets were also popular in the United States. Some were made in Europe and the United States, but many of the most colorful and imaginative creations originated in Japan. 

Luster glazes were a popular way to add a pop of bright color and often are found on Japanese products

This piece is decorated in a style known as moriage, in which raised lines of clay slip were used to add texture and depth. This method was widely used in Japanese pottery, especially items intended for export.

This vase has a dainty art deco design.

Some wall pockets could be large and elaborate.

Pairings of wall pockets were popular.

While most of the wall pockets in our trove are Japanese, we also have some examples of American manufacture. This piece was made by The Nelson McCoy Pottery Company. Established in 1910 in Roseville, Ohio, as the Nelson McCoy Sanitary and Stoneware Company, the company changed its name to the Nelson McCoy Pottery Company in 1933, concentrating on more decorative wares.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

Beautify Your Boudoir. . .

. . . with this stunning sterling silver vanity set enameled in glowing guilloché.  This five-piece vanity set would look lovely on any dressing table.

The translucent aqua enamel is applied over a machined background, a technique known as guilloché, which gives the design depth and makes it shimmer. Guilloché enamel was popularized by renown Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in the 1880s. 

This substantial set is clearly marked "Sterling" and with a model number. Although the maker's mark is blurred, it appears to belong to the Thomas Company, founded in Attleboro, Massachusetts, in 1920. Overall the set is in wonderful condition considering its age and fragility. There is some slight chipping on the shoehorn and the mirror needs to be replaced (something that could be custom cut by a glass company), but the set displays beautifully as is.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

16378-225