Eternal Spring

Throughout Austin, purple irises are bursting into bloom, signaling the coming of spring.

However, you can bring an eternal spring into your home with this ever-blooming iris trinket dish or bowl from the French maker of Daum. The dish is created by an intricate and detailed process called pâte de verre (glass paste). Although dating back to ancient Rome and Egypt, the process of pâte de verre was perfected in France during the art nouveau era of the early 1900s. Currently, Daum is the only crystal manufacturer still using this technique. The technique, which uses finely ground crystal called "frit," produces a luminous crystal sculpture with sharp details and soft gradations of precisely placed colors.

The process requires multiple steps by skilled artisans. First, a sculpture is created and used to make a flexible mold. The mold is then filled with molten wax.  After the wax hardens, it is removed from the mold and any imperfections are smoothed over. The wax is then encased in plaster. One the plaster is dry, it is heated and the melted wax is drained from the mold. This leaves a plaster mold, which is then cut open.  The plaster impression is cleaned of residue and the frit packed into the mold, with the artisan carefully layering the different colors. Once filled, the plaster mold is placed into a kiln and heated until the frit has melted. The plaster mold is removed from the kiln and allowed to cool. Because the crystal now adheres to the mold, the plaster must be carefully broken away to reveal the sculpture. The remaining plaster is washed away and the crystal piece is polished, with details sometimes sharpened by hand with a special drill. Only after all these steps are complete and the piece passes a final inspection will it be signed "Daum France." This complex pâte de verre process means that every Daum sculpture is unique.

This beautiful bowl comes in its original fitted Daum box.

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

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South African Sculpture

This charming clay sculpture is from Tribal Africa, a pottery workshop located in Knysna, South Africa, which specializes in handcrafted ceramic figurines garbed in the traditional dress of South Africa’s nine tribal groups. Instead of molds, each piece is individually sculpted out of clay.

In addition to glazed decoration, the pieces are often adorned with jewelry and fabric, such as this whimsical woman's wire earrings and cloth headdress.

Her outfit represents the traditional dress of a woman of the Xhosa people, the second largest ethnic group in Southern Africa.

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

A Luminous Lovely Lady

This beautiful hand-painted tile in its original elaborate antique frame is from the German company of Konigliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM). In the 19th Century, KPM was renown for its painted plaques depicting historic scenes or replicating famous paintings. KPM plaques were typically presented in ornate frames and the unusual frame on this example is exceptional, giving the impression that the lissom lass is looking out of a window.

The plaque is after a painting entitled “Lisette” by the German artist Georg Hom (1838-1911); in fact, when this blogger carefully unscrewed the back of the frame to confirm that it held a tile and not a print, on the back of the porcelain plaque were the fragile remains of a paper label carrying the name “Lisette.” Hom was known for his genre pictures of pretty women, sometimes illuminated by candlelight.

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

 

Intricate Art from Africa

This elaborately beaded sash was created by the Yoruba people of Nigeria.  Originally, beaded objects were considered sacred and only could be worn by royalty and the priesthood. Such sashes traditionally reflected the owner's noble or spiritual position and would be worn during public ceremonies.  Creating these intricate beaded pieces requires great skill (and thousands of beads).  In modern Nigeria, Yoruba artisans hand craft these stunning sashes as a form of artistic expression and these sashes are sought after by collectors of African art.

Cowrie shells were also an indication of wealth.

In some places the canvas base is built up to create a three dimensional effect. Images of birds and lizards originally indicated divine powers.  For example, birds could represent a female force that protected the king and punished those who engaged in immoral acts. 

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

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Pinball Wizard

He's a pinball wizard

There has got to be a twist

A pinball wizard's

Got such a supple wrist

"Pinball Wizard,"  1969, Peter Townshend

You too could be a pinball wizard or put on your own production of the rock opera "Tommy" with this fun and funky "Future Spa" pinball machine by Bally Manufacturing Corporation. Created in 1979, Future Spa was the first pinball game by this company to use a continuous background sound.  

The unique recessed back-box lighting and prismatic diffuser behind the "Future Spa" logo sought to create a holographic effect. Bally's marketing declared that, "Future Spa will awaken your pinball senses." 

The Bally Manufacturing Corporation was founded in 1932, and quickly became a leading pinball maker. By the late 1930s, the company began to manufacture mechanical slot machines. During WWII, Bally turned to manufacturing munitions and airplane parts. Afterwards, the company continued to manufacture and innovate pinball machines and gambling devices, as well as designing and manufacturing vending machines. By the 1970s, Bally expanded into video games, including three of the most iconic, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Ms. Pac-Man. Bally also began acquiring casinos and other businesses and in 1988 sold its arcade game division.

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

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Extraordinary Seascape by an American Master

This vividly colored study of a seascape is a work by renown American impressionist painter Curt Walters. 

Walters is a plein-aire (outdoors) impressionist painter whose works features landscapes and city scenes from all over the world, but he is most famous for his depictions of the Grand Canyon. Born in New Mexico in 1950, Walters moved to Taos to work and study with several artists. Subsequently, Walters moved to Sedona, Arizona, close to the Grand Canyon, which features so prominently in his art. In fact, in 1997, "Art of the West" magazine declared Walters to be the “Greatest Living Grand Canyon Artist." Walters has used his artistic skills to help preserve this national treasure, donating his works to the Grand Canyon Trust for fundraisers.

However, Walters has also captured the beauty of other sites in North American such as the landscapes of Colorado, the Canadian Rockies, and the rugged California coast. His travels through Europe, Bali, and Jordan have also inspired paintings. His skilled brushwork and brilliant colors have won him numerous awards, including the Nona Jean Hulsey Buyer’s Choice Award in 1998, 2002, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2019 and the Frederic Remington Award in 2004 and 2005. In 2011, "Southwest Art" magazine named Walters as one of the Forty Prominent People in the Western Art World. His works are found in public and private collections throughout the world, including the Gilcrease Museum (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Autry National Center of the American West (Los Angeles, California), Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art (Indianapolis, Indiana), and Forbes Magazine Galleries (New York, New York).

Walters is also the subject of a 2018 documentary, "Painting the Air: The Life and Art of Curt Walters." 

Screen Time

This antique screen is a lovely example of the Japanese art of Shibayama. Shibyama features an intricate inlay of a variety of carved materials, such as mother-of-pearl, bone, or coral, on a background, often of contrasting lacquer or wood. Instead of being flush with the background, the carved pieces are slightly raised, giving a three dimensional effect. This lovely and luxurious two panel screen features an elegant dressed woman and a little girl among flowering branches, birds, and butterflies. 

Most of the delicate and detailed inlay is carved from shimmering mother-of-pearl, with the figures' faces and hands sculpted from bone.

 

The shibayama panels are on dark lacquer, framed by red lacquer painted with a stylized floral design. The wooden top and bottom of each panel are intricately carved as well. The top edge features an adorable Japanese dormouse about to feast on some tempting fruit. 

The shibayama technique was developed in the late 1700s in the town of Shibayama. The technique was used on a wide variety of items, from tiny netsukes (carved toggles used to fasten a pouch or container to a kimono sash) to large room screens. The craft reached its peak during the Meiji era (1868-1912), during which Japan moved from an isolated feudal empire to a more modern, industrialized nation. This period saw a flourishing of Japanese art and crafts, as the government not only encouraged artisans, but actively promoted Japanese art for export, such as at the Paris World Exposition in 1867. 

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

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