Beautiful Birds in Bronze

This superb sculpture captures a covey of quail bursting out of cover and taking to the air.

The artist not only captures in meticulous detail everything from the birds' plumage to the twisting foliage, he manages to portray in metal their movement and grace. You can almost hear the sound of the birds' outspread wings as the quail take flight.

Entitled "Heading for New Cover," this outstanding example of wildlife art is by Utah artist Clark Bronson.

Born in 1939 in Utah, the son of a game warden, Clark Bronson grew up with a keen observation of wildlife. He attended the University of Utah and studied for three years under famed American illustrator Arnold Friberg. In 1960, Bronson was commissioned by the Utah Game and Fish Commission to do illustrations. His detailed and realistic watercolors and drawings of wildlife soon gained him admiration and accolades. By 1969 he was recognized as one of the leading wildlife painters in America. His illustrations appeared in a wide variety of of outdoors and sport magazines, as well as books. Bronson started sculpting in 1969, transferring his artistic skills to three dimensions, his meticulously detailed sculptures capturing the beauty and movement of the animals and birds he portrayed. Bronson died in 2020.

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Wunderbar Büfett

This beautiful buffet is a magnificent example of mid-century modern, a movement stretching from 1945 through the 1960s. Influenced by the German Bauhaus school and Scandinavian design, mid-century modern furniture is characterized by the simplicity of style, the use of natural materials, and the lack of unnecessary embellishment. This outstanding example of this sought-after style ingeniously incorporates the gorgeous grain of the contrasting woods to complement its clean lines and restrained design.  

The piece carries a small metal label for Möbel-Mühlschwein in Frankfurt, Germany. However, this is not the maker, but a "einrichtungshaus" or furniture store (möbel is German for furniture). The store reportedly closed in 1981. Think of the stories this incredible piece of cabinetry could tell as it traveled through the decades, beginning Frankfurt and ending up in the Next-to-New trove. However, this is not the end of its journey, as the unique piece could enhance your home.

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

15959-142

When Papa Plays the 'Cordion . . .

. . . ev'rybody dances,

When Papa plays the 'cordion in the afternoon,

Mail man whistles "Ain't that fine!"

Waiters hum while people dine, 

Clothes are dancing on the line and a toy balloon

Dances gaily on the air and the kid that had it 

Kicks his heels and doesn't care where it comes to land,

People going diff'rent ways 

Stop and smile and do sashays

All the time when Papa plays his accordion.

When Papa Plays Accordion, Malvina Reynolds, 1958

You can have you neighbors smiling and sashaying, too, when you play this astounding Italian vintage accordion, complete with its carrying case. Called a piano accordion because of its keyboard, this instrument is as beautiful as the music it may make. It has a glowing yellow pearlized finish with a filigree front panel inset with glittering rhinestones.

This is the Napoli model made by Soprani, Inc. The Soprani name has long been renown for its exquisite Italian accordions. In the early 1860s, an Austrian traveler sought shelter at the Soprani family's small farmhouse in Castelfidardo, Italy.  To entertain his hosts, the traveler played an early version of the accordion, first patented in Vienna in 1829. One of the sons, Paolo, was fascinated by the instrument and studied it closely. In 1864, he opened a small workshop to craft accordions, with assistance from his brothers. This was the beginning of the Italian accordion industry, which continues to create finely-crafted instruments to date. The instrument quickly gained popularity and Paolo's workshop later expanded into a factory employing hundreds of workers. In 1872, Paolo's brother, Settimio, opened his own workshop and over the generations other members of the family started their own accordion companies.  

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

16151-24

Pass the Salt. . .

. . . and the pepper and the mustard. Inside this antique case. . . .

. . . is the answer to all your finer condiment serving needs in stunning sterling silver. Fitted in its original satin and velvet lined presentation case, such splendid silver sets were the epitome of elegant dining in Victorian and Edwardian England. 

The set consists of two pepper pots, a mustard pot, two open salt cellars, and three matching serving spoons. Other than needing a little polishing, the pieces are in remarkable shape for their age. 

The pieces carry British silver hallmarks. The top mark is the maker's mark, in this case the initials "R.P." in a shield for Robert Pringle and Sons. The firm was first founded in 1835 by Robert Pringle and renamed Robert Pringle and Sons in 1899. They were known for their fine sterling pieces and made a wide variety of tableware and other items. The firm was in business through the 1960s. The trio of marks below indicate the purity of the metal, where the piece was assayed, and when it was made. The first mark, a lion, indicates the piece is .925 or sterling silver. The center shield contains the stylized leopard's head assay mark for London and the final stamp is known as the date mark. Beginning in the 1500s, the London assay office each year issued a date mark. The date mark uses a cycle of twenty letters of the alphabet in a shield, with different combinations of font and shield shape for each cycle. This particular mark would indicate that this exquisite set was made in 1908.

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

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A Fine Catch. . .

for a collector of Lladró is this large and lovely sculpture of two pescadoras (fisherwomen).  Called "Sea Harvest" or "Pescadoras," this evocative figurine was sculpted by Antonio Ramos in 1984 and retired in 1990. It is stamped underneath with the Lladró mark and comes on its original wood base. 

The figurine is in a finish called "gres." In the 1970s, Lladró developed a unique material that blended  porcelain with clay, giving a figurine the earthy tones of pottery. Lladró used a warm color palette for its gres creations, carefully layering the enamel glazes to give the colors a special depth, luminosity,  and subtly. Gres requires significantly longer firing and cooling times that porcelain to ensure that the enamel paints crystalize evenly.

Lladró was founded in 1953 by three brothers, Juán, José, and Vicente Lladró. Encouraged by their mother, the brothers were educated at the Valencia School of Arts and Crafts, where they studied sculpture and painting. They first began with a kiln they built at their parents' home, producing ceramic flowers and decorative items for sale in the local market and by 1956 the brothers began creating the sculptural figurines for which Lladró has become world famous. After expanding their workshop several times to meet growing demand for their porcelains, the brothers in 1958 relocated to a factory in Tavernes Blanques, where Lladró still resides today.

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

15901-90

You'll Raise a Toast. . .

. . . to this incredible credenza. In a soft golden-brown finish named "champagne," this marvelous mid-century modern buffet was made by the American furniture company Heywood Wakefield. The company was created in 1897 with the merger of the furniture companies Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company. In the 1920s and 30s, Heywood Wakefield introduced designs based on the art deco and art moderne movements and these sleek streamlined styles remained popular until the factory closed in 1979. The furniture was finely crafted from solid America birch wood and offered in wheat and champagne finishes. 

This model is was called M193 and would have served as a buffet or sideboard in the dining room.  However, this understated versatile style would fit in any room or decor, from a bedroom bureau to a stylish home office.

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

16122-9

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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