Fantastic Fossil Vase

This extra large vase is part of the fossil series created by Kjell Engman for the famed Swedish glassmaker Kosta Boda. The body of this unusual and artistic vase resembles mottled silvery gray stone.

A glass medallion with the frosted image of a trilobite is applied to the front, looking like a fossil embedded in rock. Trilobites were one of the earliest known groups of arthropods, first appearing 521 million years ago. They died out around 251.9 million years ago, leaving behind their fossilized exoskeletons.

Kosta Boda is famous for its fine glassworks and its creative avant-garde designs. Its history can be traced back to 1742, when a glassworks was founded in Kosta, Sweden. Although the company originally  made utilitarian glass, beginning in 1898, it began to hire its own glass designers. Kjell Engman is part of this tradition, joining Kosta Boda in 1978. He is one of Sweden’s leading glass artists and examples of his work are in the Swedish National Museum of Art and Design.

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

16049-398

Thrashing it Out

We get a lot of unique art in our trove, but this large stencil and acrylic work may be one of the most unusual. It is by Thrashbird, a Los Angeles-based street artist of unverified identity. He works in various mediums and is especially known for his stencils and posters. Thrashbird typically uses urban structures for his street art, such as billboards, walls, and abandoned buildings. His works satirize social media and selfie culture, consumerism, and society's obsession with technology. Thrashbird's most recognized image is a character entitled "The Clone," a silhouette of a slender figure, its face obscured by a hoodie, hunched over a cell phone and ignoring the world around it. He has been called one of the most exciting contemporary street artists to watch. His work has been included in street art auctions, including the 2016 Street Art and Contemporary Art sale at Julien's Auctions alongside works by Banksy.

The work is Thrashbird's interpretation of the cover of the May 1974 edition of Esquire magazine, which featured a Norman Rockwell inspired image of a young graffiti artist. The cover article, "The Faith of Graffiti," was written by Norman Mailer.

Thrashbird featured his version, this time painted on the side of a building, in his Instagram account. The artist wrote, "I have always loved the original image, to me it invokes feelings of nostalgia and wonderment of the time. I'm a great admirer of #normanrockwell as well and the image reminds me of his work."

On the back of the back of the work is a label authenticating the piece. The piece is described as "Aerosol, acrylic, & resin on wood," and was originally priced at $2,995.00. But our price is currently only $795.00!

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

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Merry (Christmas)-Go-Round

This intricate example of German woodcraft is called a Christmas pyramid. Each of the graduated tiers is centered around a rotating axel, with a multi-bladed fan atop. When the candles are lit, the warm air causes the fan to rotate and the miniature figures turn as if on a merry-go-round. These pyramids, called "weihnachtspyramide," trace their origins to the Erzgebirge region of Germany, which has a long tradition of woodcarving, including the production of toys. Some historians think that the Christmas pyramid predates the Christmas tree. The ancestor of the Christmas pyramid was the 18th century lichtergestelle ("light stand"), constructed of four poles and decorated with evergreen boughs, which were tied together at the top, and lit with candles. As the lichtergestelle was eventually replaced with the Christmas tree, Erzgebirge artisans refined the lichtergestelle, crafting it from wood, decorating it with tiny scenes, and adding a spinning motion.

The Christmas pyramid incorporates scenes from the nativity. On the top tier, angels herald the birth of the Christ child.

On the next tier, the first of the rotating levels, an angel appears to the shepherds watching their flocks, One kneels in awe while the his fellow shepherd follows the sheep.

The third tier depicts the shepherds journeying with their flocks.

The bottom tier depicts the arrival of the Magi, bearing gifts as they circle Mary, Joseph, and the baby in the manger.

In Germany, outdoor Christmas markets may feature a giant Christmas pyramid, but you don't have to travel all the way to Germany to see one. Every year, Fredericksburg, Texas displays a 26-foot high version during the holiday season.

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

230-9787

 

A Kiss on the Hand. . . .

May be quite continental,

But diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949)

And ladies, your new best friend is waiting for you at Next-to-New! The antique Edwardian ring has been tested as 14 carat white gold (shout out to Ricky Wilson Jewelers!) and is set with a sparkling white diamond. 

This pretty petite ring has a delicately detailed openwork shank.

For its dainty size, this elegant antique ring makes a substantial statement. 

Diamonds

Diamonds

I don't mean rhinestones

But diamonds are a girl's best 

Best friend!

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

12482-1582

I must go down to the seas again,

to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by. . . .

"Sea-Fever," John Masefield, 1902

Looking at this extraordinary painting portraying a sun-lit harbor with ships sitting serenely under a misty sky would give any viewer the desire to go down to the seas.

Entitled "Harbor, San Pedro, N.M.," it was painted by Ovanes Berberian (the plaque appears to have misspelled his name!). Born in Russian Armenia in 1951, Berberian first received his art education under his father, who was a member of the Armenian Artists' Society, as well as a theatrical set designer and college art professor. In 1977, following his father's death, Berberian emigrated to the United States. He was awarded a scholarship in 1981 to study with master painter and noted teacher Sergei Bongart. Berberiam became a nationally renown plain aide (open air) artist, as well as a respected teacher and mentor to younger artists. He founded the Berberian School of Fine Art in Idaho, where he gives regular workshops. Known for his confident and bold impressionistic brushstrokes and harmonious use of jewel-like colors, his works are found in numerous public and private collections, including The Forsthye Group, Jack Nicholas, and Palm Springs designer Steve Chase.

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

16263-2

 

Next to Nouveau

This beautiful bronze-colored vase features two graceful art nouveau nymphs in flowing robes and streaming tresses. Art nouveau was an artistic movement from the 1890s through 1910s that looked to nature for inspiration and is exemplified by undulating and sinuous lines, giving the feeling of movement. Art nouveau was a reaction against staid academic art and the overdone and eclectic Victorian decor that jumbled together influences from disparate cultures and eras, from Middle Eastern harems to Gothic cathedrals.

This antique artwork was created by the Judd Manufacturing Company in Wallingford, Connecticut. From the early 1910s the the late 1930s, the company produced a decorative line of fine-quality castings in bronze, brass, and iron, including book ends, doorstops, and vases. Of substantial weight, this piece may be bronze.

The piece originally had a glass insert for holding flowers.

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

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Sitting Pretty

This lovely lady seated in quiet contemplation is an original watercolor by Israeli artist Patricia Govezensky. She is best known for her stylized watercolor studies of elegant women in private repose against a background of vivid colors.

The painting is signed in the lower righthand corner. Govezensky was born in Tel Aviv in 1961 and raised in Jaffa, Israel. She took courses sponsored by the Tel Aviv Museum in lithography, engraving, photography and sculpture and graduated from the Avni Institute and the Art Academy at Ramat Hasharon, two of the most highly regarded art academies in Israel. Her works have been exhibited not only in Israel, but at expositions and galleries throughout the United States, and internationally in Hong Kong and Japan. 

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

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