HD 21 Decorative Arts
HD 21 Decorative Arts
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Aaron Bohrod / F. Carlton Ball, Monumental, Hand Thrown Pottery Eve Vase 1952-56
AARON BOHROD (1907-1997) USA
F. CARLTON BALL (1911- 1992) USA“Eve” vase 1952-56
Monumental glazed stoneware vase with a brown and cream beige glaze with sgraffito decoration of four stylized nudes.
Signed: A. Bohrod F.C. Ball (inscribed)
Illustrated: Aaron Bohrod: Figure Sketches, Edwin E. Elliott and Howard E. Wooden (Dodge City, Kansas: Gall and Shaull, 1990) p. 17, fig. 32. A Decade of Still Life: Aaron Bohrod (Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 1966) p. 41.
H: 20 3/4 x Dia: 12 1/2″
Price: $29,000
***Aaron Bohrod himself considered this vase his most important work in ceramic. This exact vase is illustrated in “A Decade of Still Life: Aaron Bohrod” in a bisque state. There is a stable firing crack that is visible on the base (see photo) near the Bohrod signature which happened in the firing, but in no way affects the structure of the piece. A letter from Aaron Bohrod himself describing this piece and the history surrounding it also accompanies the vase.
For more information see: The Potter’s Art in California: 1885-1955, Hazel V. Bray (Oakland: Oakland Museum Art Department, 1980) pp. 56-57.
A painter of cityscapes, landscapes and trompe l’oeil paintings, Aaron Bohrod lived in Chicago from birth until 1948, when he moved to Madison, Wisconsin. There he was a member of the University of Wisconsin’s art faculty. Bohrod was a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and he also attended the Arts Students League in New York.
Aaron Bohrod was an American artist who was nationally known in his lifetime. He was the subject of frequent exhibitions and gallery shows in various locations, generally focusing on a particular chronological period of his artistic production. The recipient of numerous prizes and awards (including two Guggenheims and the purchase prize at the “Artists for Victory” exhibition of 1942-43 at the Metropolitan Museum in New York), he was both proficient and prolific as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and as an illustrator. In addition, he was the author of several books on art and an autobiography. Although he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York with a number of well-known and influential teachers, the one who exerted the most profound influence on him was John Sloan, who taught him to value both the Old Masters and the visual reality of the urban American scene. Bohrod returned to Chicago after studying with Sloan in New York “determined to do in my own way with my own city what Sloan had done with New York.” (Bohrod’s stylistic development has been typically characterized in terms of his early relationship to the gritty urban realism of the Ashcan School with which Sloan was associated and his later magic realism style with its virtuoso and meticulous technique and witty visual repartee, almost as if they were two separate and unrelated developments. Although his own description of the origins of his unique still life approach in his autobiographical book, A Decade of Still Life, may have guided critics to look at his oeuvre in this way, a closer assessment reveals clear connections between the earlier and alter periods. Before 1940, for example, he had created a prototype of the still lifes that were to become his hallmark. By the mid 1950s, he began to dedicate himself to the creation of paintings that are by turns resonant, mysterious, evocative and humorous. The studied and careful detail of the bricks on the buildings foreshadow the care that Bohrod will lavish on each of the carefully observed and realized objects in his later still lifes, while the anecdotal detail predicts the accumulation of objects on which his later work depends. The polished and masterful technique of this later work also suggests the Old Masters to whom he was introduced by Sloan.
F. Carlton Ball (1911-1992)
F. Carlton Ball was born in Sutter Creek, California, He studied art at Sacramento Junior College before enrolling at USC. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1933. He later did graduate studies under Glen Lukens at USC. He taught at several colleges/universities, such as the CCAC (his first position in 1935), Mills College, University of Wisconsin at Madison, University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale, USC University of Puget Sound and etc. From our research, we believe his last teaching position was in Tacoma, Washington, at the Tacoma Community College. Primarily known for his throwing, he did combine his pots with the decorative artistry of his first wife Kathryn Uhl Ball and most importantly, the Wisconsin artist, Aaron Bohrod. He exhibited at the Association of San Francisco Potters, 1952 Los Angeles County Fair’s 6000 Years Art in Clay and the Crocker-Kingsley of Sacramento, California, to mention a few locations. Exhibited at the Nationals in 1941-1949, 1951-1960 and 1966. -
Didier Gardillou Trompe L’Oeil Porcelaine “Plat des moules et serviette” c. 2008
DIDIER GARDILLOU France
Trompe L’Oeil Porcelain “Plat des moules et serviette” c. 2008
High fired porcelain with a matte and shiny glaze, blue border detail on the napkin and realistically painted mussels.
Marks: DG (Didier Gardillou) monogram
H: 4 1/2″ x D: 10″ x W: 11″
Price: $5,450
Didier Gardillou is a master porcelain artist who creates Trompe L’Oeil masterpieces. He revived the antique craft of the porcelain florist. This technique and style first appeared in France in the 1740’s at the Manufactory of Vincennes, which in time would move and become known as the Royal Manufactory of Sèvres Porcelain.
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Jan de Swart hand carved Zebra wood Mystery box c. 1970
JAN DE SWART (1908-1987) Netherlands / USA
Mystery box c. 1970
Hand carved and assembled box form with a curiosity element of a large turquoise cabochon with raw hide wraps underneath the lid.
For more information see: Jan de Swart: A Day That Becomes a Lifetime, exhibition catalogue (California: Fine Arts Gallery at the San Fernando Valley State College, February 1972); Jan de Swart, Mike McGee and William G. Otton (Laguna Beach, California: Laguna Art Museum, 1986).
W: 16 1/2″ x H: 4 1/2″ x D: 5″
Price: $4,700
Constantly seeking and inventing new materials Jan de Swart was a true modernist. He was influenced by artists such as Isamu Noguchi, Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames, and later Sam Maloof and Wendell Castle. Although he had been creating small sculptures since his arrival in California from Holland in 1929, he had not been widely recognized until being introduced to John Entenza, publisher of Arts & Architecture magazine in 1947. Soon thereafter, he was able to create larger works and began collaborating with architects such as Whitney Smith and Victor Gruen on special commissions. His work is in the permanent collection of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, and the Ford Foundation. He was honored with the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for Sculpture in 1965.
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Flavio Poli / Seguso Vetri d’Arte Murano Mid-Century Modern art glass vase c. 1950’s
FLAVIO POLI (1900-1984) Italy
SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE ItalyVase c. 1950’s
Blue and clear Murano glass
H: 10″ x D: 3″ x W: 4 1/2″
Price: $1,850
Designer, businessman, ceramic artist. Born in Chioggia, he attended the Istituto d’Arte di Venezia and began work as a designer in ceramics. in 1929 he switched to glass and for Libero Vitali’s I.V.A.M. he designed animals, splendid Novecento-style nude figures in massiccio glass, as well as bowls and urns with figures resting on the inside, on lids or as handles. He subsequently collaborated with the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano, with the furnace of Mario and Lino Nason and with the engraver Gino Francesconi. in 1934 he accepted the artistic direction of Barovier, Seguso & Ferro, later to become Seguso Vetri d’Arte, and became partner three years later. Together with the master of the principal team Archimede Seguso, Poli was the author of grandiose lighting installations, of corroded vessels, of sculptures in bulicante glass, of animals in massiccio glass shaped while hot, productions which represented a milestone in the development of Murano glass. At the height of his artistic maturity, in the years between 1950 and 1960 he designed a series of sommerso glass pieces in a Nordic style, essential forms and sharp cold colors, which were awarded prestigious prizes (Compasso d’Oro). After leaving Seguso in 1963, between 1964 and 1966 he organized the artistic glass division at the Societˆ Veneziana di Conterie e Cristallerie.
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Fontana Arte Italian, Mid-Century Glass “Fruit” Bookends, circa 1950
FONTANA ARTE Milan, Italy
“Glass fruit” bookends c. 1950
Glass, chromium-plated brass
For more information see: Fontana Arte, Una storia Trasparente, Laura Falconi (Milan: Skira, 1998).
H: 5” x W: 3 3/8” x D: 5”
Price: $3,500
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Flavio Poli / Seguso Vetri d’Arte Brown Murano Art glass vase c. 1950’s
FLAVIO POLI (1900-1984) Italy
SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE ItalyVase c. 1950’s
Asymmetric vase in a dark brown Murano glass cased inside with a layer of pale green and clear glass
H: 10 1/2″ x W: 5 1/2″ x D: 2 3/4″
Price: $4,000
Designer, businessman, ceramic artist. Born in Chioggia, he attended the Istituto d’Arte di Venezia and began work as a designer in ceramics. in 1929 he switched to glass and for Libero Vitali’s I.V.A.M. he designed animals, splendid Novecento-style nude figures in massiccio glass, as well as bowls and urns with figures resting on the inside, on lids or as handles. He subsequently collaborated with the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano, with the furnace of Mario and Lino Nason and with the engraver Gino Francesconi. in 1934 he accepted the artistic direction of Barovier, Seguso & Ferro, later to become Seguso Vetri d’Arte, and became partner three years later. Together with the master of the principal team Archimede Seguso, Poli was the author of grandiose lighting installations, of corroded vessels, of sculptures in bulicante glass, of animals in massiccio glass shaped while hot, productions which represented a milestone in the development of Murano glass. At the height of his artistic maturity, in the years between 1950 and 1960 he designed a series of sommerso glass pieces in a Nordic style, essential forms and sharp cold colors, which were awarded prestigious prizes (Compasso d’Oro). After leaving Seguso in 1963, between 1964 and 1966 he organized the artistic glass division at the Societˆ Veneziana di Conterie e Cristallerie.
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Linda Lee Johnson, Organic Shaped Sculpted Silver bird bowl Vessel XII c. 2004
LINDA LEE JOHNSON (1944-2018) Washington, DC
Sculpted silver bowl “Vessel XII” c. 2004
Irregular organic shaped lost wax cast silver bowl with an irregular shaped top and one pierced hole (3/4 inch). Approx. silver weight is 80 troy ounces.
Marks: Logo monogram, 5/20, initial monogram
H: 5 1/4″ x W: 8 1/2″ x D: 7 1/4″
At the age of three Linda Lee Johnson was given a handmade Native American bracelet from her father, a naval aviator, and subsequently another every time they crossed the country. By the time she was seven, she had seven bracelets which she never removed. She was an American field service exchange student to Greece in high school. It was here that she developed her love of theater, sculpture and ancient
jewelry. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in English literature and dramatic art and immediately began to study sculpture making.She was a founding member of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and a professional actress for nineteen years with many major roles in New York city and regional theaters around the country and abroad.
She studied jewelry making in New York City 1984-88.
In 1986, she was asked to place her pieces in Tiffany & Co. in all major stores. At the same time she had many featured pieces of jewelry, small sculpture and functional objects in the Museum of Modern Art design store.
Barney’s New York began to represent her in l989, where her jewelry and limited edition decorative art work are still found today.
She lived in Washington DC and the Adirondack Mountains where she continued to craft and sculpt her jewelry and decorative works of art until her passing in 2018.
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Wolfgang Gessl Unique sterling silver Arc pitcher with acrylic handle 1990
WOLFGANG GESSL (b. 1949) Austria
Arc pitcher – unique 1990
Hand wrought silver in a rounded arching form with a cylindrical luminous yellow-green acrylic handle
Marks: Wolfgang Gessl (script impressed signature), WO.GE (in a rectangle), Swedish assay mark for Stockholm, 925 (silver guarantee in a rectangle), Q10 (in a rectangle)
Illustrated: Gold and Silversmith Wolfgang Gessl: Exceeding Geometry, Kerstin Wickman, p. 17, cover.
H: 13 1/2″ x W: 10 ¼” x D: 4 ½”
Price: $27,500
Wolfgang Gessl was born in 1949 in Vienna, Austria and trained as a goldsmith with Professor Hans Angerbauer. Upon moving to Sweden, Gessl studied under the eminent silversmith Sigurd Persson at Konstfack, the National University of Art, Craft and Design in Stockholm, Sweden.
Wolfgang Gessl has had fifteen solo exhibitions including shows at The National Museum, Stockholm and The Royal College of Art in London. His metalwork has been widely exhibited in Sweden, Europe and the U.S and his pieces can be found in many private collections throughout the world. He has taught at Konstfack for more than twenty-four years, and continues to live and work in Stockholm.
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Marcello Fantoni Torched bronze and white plaster painted mirror 1950’s
MARCELLO FANTONI (1915-2011) Italy
Starburst mirror 1950’s
Torched bronze and original white plaster painted finish.
Marks: Fantoni, Firenze, Italy (hand script)
***This mirror has great style and character.
Overall dimension: H: 26″ x L: 33″ x D: 4″
Mirror dimension: H: 12″ x L: 17″Price: $17,500
Born in Florence on October 1, 1915, Marcello Fantoni registered at the Institute of Art at Porta Romana in 1927 to attend the course The Art of Ceramics, which at that time was taught by the ceramist Carlo Guerrini, artistic director of the Cantagalli factory. Other teachers also contributed to his artistic formation including Libero Andreotti and Bruno Innocenti in sculpture and Gianni Vagnetti in the figure. He graduated in ’34 as a ‘maestro’ of art, and began working as a ceramist. In 1936, after having worked for a few months as the artistic director of a factory in Perugia, he established himself at Villa Fabbricotti in Florence and founded the Fantoni Ceramic studio. It’s production of serial and unique pieces had remarkable success at the Florentine Arts and Crafts Exhibit in ’37, revealing itself in line with the most recent tendencies, so much so that at the beginning of hostilities his production had already received notable artistic and commercial attention in Italy and abroad. After the war years, when Fantoni was involved in the resistance, in ’46 he began the creative and productive fervor that will allow him to enlarge his company, reaching at the beginning of the next decade the impressive size of over fifty collaborators. Among his employees were many students who, in ceramics and other fields, would become excellent artisans and even famous artists. In the following decades, especially between 1950 and the 70’s, the success of his work continued to increase, his unique pieces of sculpture and sculptural work, characterized by a design in step with the contemporary artistic currents, like archaic stylization inspired by Etruscan models, rendered modern because of their modern handling of materials, glazes and colors. For this original spirit of modernity, his works are in many private collections and in some of the most important museums of the world: in the United States his works can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Fine Art of Boston, the Currier Gallery, the Syracuse Museum. In Britain they are in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London, the City Art Gallery of Manchester, at Royal Scottish Museum of Edinburg. In Japan they are present at the Museum of Modern Art of Tokyo and Kyoto. In Italy they are represented at the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, the National Bargello Museum and at the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe of the Uffizi. In his long and versatile career, Fantoni has completed works for churches, public and private buildings, schools, cinemas, theaters and ships cementing himself in both figurative and abstract ceramics and various metals, and qualifying himself also in the field of medalism. In 1970 he founded the International School of Ceramic Arts at his laboratory in via Bolognese in Florence. Fantoni died at the age of 95 in 2011.
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Ane Christensen Contemporary British Sterling Silver Bowl 1999
ANE CHRISTENSEN (b.1972) born in Copenhagen, Denmark/ based in London, UK
Bowl 1999
Sterling silver
Marks: AKC, 925, Z, British hallmarks
H: 2 ½” x L: 12”
Price: $5,950
The starting point for all of metalworker Ane Christensen’s tableware is a single sheet of metal. Her aim is to develop a three dimensional object from a flat sheet without adding or removing any elements. Japanese paper packaging influences Ane’s work, but a more important influence is the half finished or half demolished structures of building sites that she says can hold unexpected sculptural qualities.
Ane graduated from the Royal College of Art and has since been involved in exhibitions in London, Denmark and Copenhagen, including more recently at Collect, V&A.
Ane makes pieces in a variety of metals including silver, stainless steel and powder coated copper.
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Kishimoto Kennin Japan Hand Thrown Monumental “Iga” Stoneware Vase, c. 1995
KISHIMOTO KENNIN (b. 1934), Japan.
Monumental “Iga” vase, circa 1995.
Hand thrown and handbuilt stoneware vase with a natural ash glaze in rich salmon rust, celadon, grey and black glaze
H: 20″ x Dia: 22″
Price: $20,000
1934 born in Nagoya 1953–1955 attends college in Nagoya 1960 moves to Mino, Gifu Prefecture 1965 establishes his own studio 1970 builds an anagama in Mikuni-Sanroku, where he lives and works until today 1976 appointed member of the Japan Crafts Association (Nihon kôgei-kai) Group exhibitions 1967 Asahi Ceramics Exhibition (Asahi tôgei-ten) 1968 Exhibition of Japanese Ceramics (Nihon tôgei-ten) 1970 International Exhibition of Chûnichi Ceramics (Chûnichi kokusai tôgei-ten) 1972–75 Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Nihon dentô kôgei-ten)
One man shows:
1979 Takashimaya Gallery, Tôkyô; since then again in 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1990.
1982 Hankyû Gallery, Ôsaka; since then again in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987.
1984 Maru’ei Gallery, Nagoya; again in 1986. -
Peter Shire Memphis Group California Art Pottery Rare Early “Peach Tea Set” 1980
PETER SHIRE (b. 1947) USA
Rare and early “California Peach” teaset 1980
Handmade earthenware with polychrome glazes
Made by Shire at his studio in Echo Park, CaliforniaSigned: Shire 1980 EXP (painted on base of each)
Model illustrated: Tempest in a Teapot, the Ceramic Art of Peter Shire, Norman M. Klein et al. (New York: Rizzoli, 1991) p. 11.
Teapot H: 10” x W: 11 1/4” x D: 5 1/2”
Pair of teacups H: 7 3/4” & 8”Price: $8,500
Peter Shire (born 1947) is a Los Angeles artist. Shire was born in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, where he currently lives and works. His sculpture, furniture and ceramics have been exhibited in the United States, Italy, France, Japan and Poland; Shire has been associated with the Memphis Group of designers, has worked on the Design Team for the XXIII Olympiad with the American Institute of Architects, and has designed public sculptures in Los Angeles and other California cities. Shire has been honored by awards for his contribution to the cultural life of the City of Los Angeles.
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PER SAX MOLLER / Scandinavian Modern Sterling sculptural centerpiece 2000
PER SAX MØLLER (b. 1950) Denmark
Round sculptural centerpiece with geometrical shapes 2000
Sterling silver
Marks: PER SAX MØLLER, Copenhagen, 925s, Sterling
Exhibited: Danske Sølsmede-nye arbejder (Danish silversmiths-new work), Museet på Koldingshus, 2002.
Diameter: 8 ¼”
Price: $12,500
The silversmith Per Sax Møller was trained in the Danish silver tradition with Jeweler to the Royal Danish Court, A. Michelsen, from 1968-1972. The workshop specialized in style copies and modern silver, which during the 1900’s was designed by architects such as Thorvald Bindesbøll, Kay Fisker, Erik Herløw, Tove and Edvard Kint-Larsen, among many others.
After completing his apprenticeship, he worked at Preben Salomonsen’s workshop in Copenhagen, mainly creating style copies for stores such as Tiffany, Bloomingdale’s and Aspery. Here, the ancient silversmith’s craft he had learned at A. Michelsen, was further honed. During the years 1973-1975, he attended classes at Guldsmedehøjskolen, but he was disappointed in the low standard of teaching and therefore did not graduate.
He found the opportunity for a far richer artistic education as a conscientious objector, stationed at the art museum Louisiana in Humlebæk, outside Copenhagen. He spent more than a year here, surrounded by the works of Henry Moore, Arp, Calder, Laurent and Danish artists such as Astrid Noack, Ejler Bille, Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Villy Ørskov and many more, which left a deep and profound mark.In 1976, Per Sax Møller established himself in a workshop alongside goldsmith Jørgen Bindesbøll, in St. Kongensgade in Copenhagen. Over the next couple af years, he also joined the association “Danske Sølvsmede” in exhibitions throughout Scandivavia. He retired from the workshop with Jørgen Bindesbøll in 1980, but continued to create works in rented space. To help earn a living, he drove a city bus and worked for Folketeateret in Copenhagen, creating theatre sets.
Jørgen Bindesbøll moved to Møn in 1984, and Per Sax Møller took over his workshop in St. Kongensgade. Soon thereafter, he established himself in a workshop in Pilestræde, Copenhagen, and then in 1992, he took over silversmith Kay Bojesen’s workshop in Bredgade 47, where he resides today.
In the mid 1990’s Per Sax Møller rejoins “Danske Sølvsmede”, and in 1999 he succeeds silversmith Ib Andersen as president of the association. As president, he revitalizes Danish silver by initiating the exhibition Danish Silver 2000, which takes up most of the space in the museum Koldinghus and becomes one of the largest manifestations of Danish silver. During one summer month, the exhibition was visited by 30,000 guests.In 2002, Per Sax Møller resigns the presidency of “Danske Sølvsmede” to once again concentrate on his own works. Per Sax Møller has received Danish State Arts Foundation grant in 1979, 1997, 2000 and 2002. His works are represented at Oslo Museum of Art and Design, Danish Museum of Art and Design, at the museum Koldinghus and in private collections in Europe, USA and Canada.
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Gustavo Perez, Mexican Contemporary Pottery, Ceramic vase 2000
GUSTAVO PEREZ Mexico
Stoneware vase 2000
Black, randomly positioned rectangles on a cream / sandy base with a pinned overlap detail
Signed: GP 2000-68
H: 9 1/4″ x D: 6 1/2″
Price: $5,500
Gustavo Pérez makes vessels that are simple, smooth and symmetrical. Their elegance is due to the precision of the incised lines and other markings on the pots. While using the same clay body—sand colored stoneware—throughout his work, the artist achieves a wide range of form and pattern and includes slowly undulating walls beneath the subtly incised surfaces.
Gustavo Pérez works are incessantly experimental. There have been parallel lines, calligraphic traces, geometric cuts into the surface, minimalist vessels, recollections of pre-Hispanic vases and references to other ancient cultures.
The ceramics of Gustavo Pérez are distinguished by eliminating superfluous details, by synthesis of his elements. During the past two decades he has created a visual language that seems closely aligned with music. Pure in form, with a significant structure, completely abstract and without specific associations, his language of line, the bending of forms, and the definition of the vessel mark his work as a distinctive voice. The form is not just a container or a receptacle; it is architecture.
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Gio Ponti / Del Campo enamel bowl c. 1955
GIO PONTI (1891-1979) Italy
DEL CAMPO ItalyGraphic enameled bowl c. 1955
Silver foil enameling on copper with a striated silvery white body with a dark silver grey modernist graphic.
Marks: del campo, ITALY (etched marks)
For more information on Ponti and Del Campo see: Gio Ponti, ed. Ugo La Pietra (Rizzoli International Publications: New York, 1996); Gio Ponti: the complete work 1923-1978, Lisa Licitra Ponti (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1990)
8” square
1″ HeightPrice: $3,200
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Lawrence Hunter Hand Wrought Brass and Walnut Punch Set c.1965
LAWRENCE HUNTER, San Diego, California
Punch Bowl set c.1965
Hand hammered and hand wrought large asymmetric punch bowl with matching ladle, turned walnut pedestal platter and twenty four hand wrought brass and walnut pedestal shape goblets
Marks: HUNTER spelled out within a large outline of an H (name logo and monogram mark on all pieces)
Punchbowl H: 13 ½” x Dia: 16”
Cups: H: 5” x Dia: 3 ½”
Serving tray: H: 2 ¾” x Dia: 17 ¾”Price: $11,500
By repute, this elaborate punch set was a custom commissioned work for a West Coast collector and likewise was purchased directly from Larry Hunter in the mid-1960’s for $2,500.
Lawrence “Larry” Hunter grew up in San Diego and received a BA from San Diego State College in the late 1950s. As an undergraduate, Hunter studied with John Dirks, who founded the furniture design program at San Diego State College, and Ilse Ruocco. While completing an MA at University of California, Los Angeles, Hunter worked in clay and was a teaching assistant for Laura Andreson. Hunter was hired to teach general crafts and design classes at San Diego State in 1962, and later inherited the furniture design program from Dirks.
Hunter was a member of the Allied Craftsmen of San Diego and exhibited furniture regularly in the California Design series at the Pasadena Art Museum and the California Crafts series at the Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento. Hunter led the San Diego State furniture design program until the late 1980s, helping the furniture program to become a vital part of the community. Featured artists will include Toza and Ruth Radakovich, Rhoda Lopez, Jack Hopkins, Arline Fisch, Ellamarie and Jackson Woolley, Larry Hunter, Kay Whitcomb, Ilse Ruocco, and James Hubbell. It was at this same time that Constantine’s, a New York fine wood merchant, offered plans for clocks with wooden works; that John Gaughan made a skeletal grandfather’s clock with wooden works; and that Larry Hunter, who taught at San Diego State, used the clock form to explore kinetic sculpture within a functional format. Hunter eschewed the older traditional adornment of the case and focused upon visible works so that people could watch time actually move. -
Flavio Poli for Seguso Large Murano Glass Bottle with Stopper c.1950’s
FLAVIO POLI (1900-1984) Italy
SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE ItalyBottle with stopper c. 1950’s
Spectacular large decanter or bottle with stopper with a golden cognac cased glass interior tear drop form suspended in a solid clear glass body by FLAVIO POLI (1900-1984) Italy for SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE Italy
H: 16 1/2″
Price: $4,200
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Erik Tidäng Sculptural Artichoke Vase, 1999
ERIK TIDÄNG (b. 1973) Stockholm, Sweden
Sculptural “Artichoke” vase 1999
Oxidized and waxed iron, silver
Marks: ERIK, 2/2
H: 11 ½”
Price: $17,500
***The only other Artichoke vase (Number 1 out of 2) is in the permanent collection of the Swedish National Museum, Stockholm.
Erik Tidäng was born in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1973. He received his Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts from the Institution for Metaldesign, Konstfack.
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Staffan Nilsson / Scandinavian Modern Sterling Pitcher 1992
STAFFAN NILSSON (b. 1949) Sweden
Pitcher 1992
Sterling silver, red acrylic
Marks: SNN P 925 S10
Staffan Nilsson’s work was included in the exhibition “Form and Function, Contemporary Swedish Silver,” the Swedish American Museum, Chicago, Oct. 12 – December 2, 2000.
H: 11 ½ “
Price: $8,000
*** A related teapot in sterling silver with a red acrylic handle can be found in the permanent collection of the Shanghai Museum and it is an innovative use red acrylic and sterling silver.
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International Silver Company / Kurt Eric Christoffersen Sterling “Continental” candlesticks c.1955
KURT ERIC CHRISTOFFERSEN (1926-1981) Denmark
INTERNATIONAL SILVER COMPANY Meriden, CT
Pair of Continental candlesticks c.1955
Sterling silver
Marks: INTERNATIONAL STERLING / Christoffersen Designed / CV200
Illustrated: International Sterling Crafts Associates
These candlesticks are illustrated in a vintage ad from the mid-1950’s and were priced at $70 for the pair!H: 5″ x Dia: 4″
Price: $3,500
Born in Ringsted, Denmark, Kurt Eric Christoffersen graduated from the Academy of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. The gifted young craftsman apprenticed with the Copenhagen fir m of Petersen & Lassen, Goldsmiths, before training under the aegis of A. Michelsen, jewelers to the Royal House of Denmark. In 1949, Christoffersen received the Silver Medal for Excellence, the highest award given by the Danish Gold and Silversmiths Guild. Christoffersen began designing for International Silver Co. in 1955.
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Rose Cabat/American Studio Ceramics Rare “Feelie” Porcelain Vessel, c. 1980-85
ROSE CABAT (1914-2015) USA
Rare and important large scale “Feelie” c. 1980-85
Thin walled porcelain vessel with a silky satiny matte drip glaze
Signed: incised CABAT on bottom
For more information on Rose Cabat see: Rose Erni Cabat Retrospective 1936-1986 (Tuscon, AZ: Tuscon Museum of Art, 1986)
H: 3 5/8″
Price: $1,650
Rose Cabat was an American studio ceramicist living in Tucson. Considered one of the most important ceramic artists of the Mid-century Modernist movement, Cabat is best known for her innovative glazes on small porcelain pots called “feelies” which she developed in the 1960s. Her organic forms often resemble the shape of onions and figs, and her glazes range from organic to jewel tones. Cabat was born in 1914 in the Bronx, New York, began to work in ceramics in the late 1930′s, and moved to Arizona in 1942, where she continued to make innovative ceramics.
Feelies:
Feelies are described as onion, fig, cucumber, and saucer-shaped ceramic vases terminating in an upward closed neck. Bruce Block, an avid collector, has described them as sensual and tactile with a very specific unforgettable texture, spiritual seeming to contain a type of energy. Rose Cabat had developed a silky satiny glaze, and it wasn’t until around 1960 that she had hit upon the first of the appropriate form, svelte and sleek to match the glaze. She exclaimed, “Now this one’s a feelie.”, coining the term. Upon developing the new glazes, she felt that she needed new forms to apply the glazes to, different from what she made before, “craft fair” style coiled heads and wind bells. She is quoted as saying, “The old things did not look good … I wanted simpler shapes that went with the glazes.”They are typically globular in shape, tightening down to a minuscule neck glazed to a satin surface. The tactile experience is most important. The nature of the neck is such that it is closed, so narrow that it cannot hold anything. Cabat would reply when asked why the necks of her feelies are so narrow, “A vase can hold weeds or flowers, but can’t it just be a spot of beauty?” -
Ottaviani Italy Abstract sterling, enamel and wood box c. 1960
OTTAVIANI Recanati, Italy
Covered box c. 1960
Hand wrought and repousse abstract sterling inset top with turquoise, light and dark green and cobalt blue enamel, exotic wood box.
Marks: Ottaviani (script incised signature), 925 (in an oval), Italian touchmark
H: 1 1/2″ x D: 4 1/4″ x W: 9 1/2″
Price: $2,750
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Wolfgang Gessl Cone teapot 1996
WOLFGANG GESSL (b. 1949) Austria / Sweden
Cone Teapot 1996 (designed 1995)
Hand wrought and hand hammered silver cone shaped covered pitcher form with a green PVC handle and spout over silver cylindrical arching forms
Marks: Wolfgang Gessl (script impressed signature), WO.GE (in a rectangle), Swedish assay mark for Stockholm, 925 (silver guarantee in a rectangle), X10 (in a rectangle), 2/9 GD 452
Illustrated: Gold and Silversmith Wolfgang Gessl: Exceeding Geometry, Kerstin Wickman, p. 19.
H: 8 3/8” x W: 8 ½” x Dia base: 5 ¼”
This is No. 2 out of the edition of 9 models.
Price: $22,500
Wolfgang Gessl was born in 1949 in Vienna, Austria and trained as a goldsmith with Professor Hans Angerbauer. Upon moving to Sweden, Gessl studied under the eminent silversmith Sigurd Persson at Konstfack, the National University of Art, Craft and Design in Stockholm, Sweden.
Wolfgang Gessl has had fifteen solo exhibitions including shows at The National Museum, Stockholm and The Royal College of Art in London. His metalwork has been widely exhibited in Sweden, Europe and the U.S and his pieces can be found in many private collections throughout the world. He has taught at Konstfack for more than twenty-four years, and continues to live and work in Stockholm.
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Borek Sipek BIBI I Art Glass Goblet 1996
BOŘEK ŠĺPEK (1949-2016) Prague, Czech Republic
Goblet “BIBI I” 1996
Blown clear glass with red looping details
Exhibited: The Twenty One (Millenium) Exhibition, Arzenal Gallery, Prague, 2000
For more information see: Sípek, Philippe Louguet, Dagmar Sedlická (Paris: Éditions Dis Voir, 1999); Borek Sipek and Christian Tortu: Collection Twentyone 2001 (Prague: Arzenal Edition, 2001)
H: 13″ x Dia: 4″
Price: $1,050
The Czech architect, furniture designer, and glass artist Borek Sípek was born in Prague in 1949. From 1964 to 1968 Borek Sípek studied furniture design at the Prague School for the Applied Arts. In 1969 he began to study architecture at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg. In 1973 he studied philosophy at Stuttgart University. From 1977 until 1979 he was an academic assistant at the Hannover University Institute of Industrial Design. Borek Sípek took his degree in architecture at Delft Technical University. Then he taught design theory at Essen University until 1983. In 1983 Borek Sípek also opened an architecture and design practice in Amsterdam. He founded Alterego, a design business, with David Palterer. In the 1980s, Borek Sípek designed Postmodern furniture and glass objects, which brought him international renown. Borek Sípek’s designs are formally distinctive, both ingeniously conceived and sumptuous, and are often executed in unconventional materials and combinations of materials. Borek Sípek views design as an interpretation of culture. For this reason, he rejects the functional and rational approach to design and does not want striving for technical perfection to lead to disregard of individuality. In 1983 Borek Sípek designed “Bambi”, a fragile-looking tubular steel chair with brass fittings and a back covered in silk. In 1991 Borek Sípek designed the “PCSS” table with blue glass legs and metal fittings. Borek Sípek’s superlative glass objects are executed by glassblowers in Murano and Novy Bor. Borek Sipek is also known worldwide as an architect and has received prestigious commissions. Between 1993-2002 Borek Sípek worked on the Het Kruithuis Museum in ‘s Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands). In 1994 Borek Sípek designed the Kyoto Opera Houseentsteht das Opernhaus in Kyoto. In 1995 Borek Sípek designed a Paris boutique for Karl Lagerfeld. In 1990 Borek Sípek became a professor of architecture at the Academy for the Applied Arts in Prague, where he taught until 1998. Since 1999 he has taught at the Universität for angewandte Kunst in Vienna.
His works are included in major international museum and private collections throughout the US and Europe including Museum of Modern Art, Stedelijjk Museum, Denver Art Museum, The Corning Museum of Art, The Hauge Municipal Museum, Kunstmuseum in Düsseldorf and Design Museum in London. -
Luke Lietzke, Large Glazed Hand Thrown Stoneware Floor Vase c.1955
LUKE LIETZKE (1906-2000), USA
LIETZKE DESIGNS Mogodore, OhioLarge floor vessel c. 1955-1960
Blue glazed stoneware cylindrical vessel which has been shaped at the top into an elliptical form; the black glazed lip is rolled over with a flaring collar-like edge and the body is decorated with an abstract incised sgraffito line decoration.
Signed on bottom: Lietzke (inscribed in oval)
H: 15″ x W: 14″ x D: 13″
Price: $17,500
Luke Lietzke studied art at Michigan State University and the Art Institute of Chicago. At Michigan State she met her husband and life-long partner in design, Rolland. They moved to Ohio when Rolland accepted a job with Goodyear Aerospace and in 1942, when Rolland took a job with Firestone, they moved to Akron, Ohio. It was there that Luke volunteered at the Akron Art Museum. This position quickly developed into a design curator’s position created especially for her. Her memorable exhibits included such notable artists as Charles Eames, George Nelson and Isamu Noguchi. In 1964 she left the Museum and for a short period worked as a design coordinator. In 1966, she and her husband created their own company where she functioned as an exhibition designer, an interior design consultant and most significantly: a designer craftsman. Her porcelain pieces consistently received exhibition awards since 1948 and are included in six museum collections. Her talents would often combine to develop special projects, such as the design for the Akron-Summit County Public Library. Both her pottery and jewelry reflect her wealth of knowledge as well as her exposure to the world of International art.
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Salvatore Meli Important large scale Italian Sculpture / Ewer 1952
SALVATORE MELI (b. 1929) Italy
Important Sculpture / Ewer 1952
Glazed terra cotta, brown and dark green with white scraffito decoration, original stepped and angular wood base.
Signed: Meli 1952 Roma
For more info on Meli see: Design 1935-1965, What Modern was, ed. Martin Eidelberg (New York: Harry Abrams, 1991) p. 237.
Salvatore Meli belongs to that initial group of artists, including Guido Gambone and Lucio Fontana among others, who elevated Italian ceramics to a fine art during the post-war period. Meli conceived this vessel, first on paper, then by laboriously constructing the body in clay, coil by coil, to achieve the richly textured and dynamic form; the incised and painted decoration is in concert with the organic shape. The massive scale of this work defies function as a ewer but was created as a sculptural object. The original wooden base recalls Italian futurist sculpture forms of the early twentieth century.
H (with base): 23 1/2” x W: 13” x D: 9.5”
H (without base): 19 1/8”Price: $27,500
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Robert Schellin American Studio Pottery Hand Thrown Floor Vase 1958
ROBERT SCHELLIN (1910 – 1985) USA
“Calligraphy” Floor Vase 1958
Hand thrown earthenware with a light and dark brown glaze with a stylized abstract calligraphic motif encircling the body
Marks: various marks and estate stamps Robert Schellin, Made in 1958, P88, C118 (paper labels)
For more information see: Schellin, A Retrospective (Milwaukee: School of Fine Arts, The University of Wisconsin, 1975); Who Was Who in American Art, (Madison, Conn.: Sound View Press, 1985), p. 547.
H: 23 1/2″ x Dia: 7″
Price: $9,000
Robert Schellin’s life as an artist was consistent, productive, and based on firm philosophical foundations. Regarding his own progress, he had always been aware, as a young art student and later as a mature artist, that deliberately narrowing the focus of his interests to assure a more constant public notice would run the risk of his becoming highly expert, but sterile in expression. From the beginning of art student days Schellin moved from very satisfying periods of drawing and painting to work in three-dimensional
Media, frequently in the medium of ceramics.Schellin left the W.P.A. in 1937 to teach at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. After a year he moved to East Orange, New Jersey, supervising art in the public schools. It was during this stay in the New York metropolitan area that he studied with Hans Hoffmann at his Eighth Street School and witnessed at first hand the changing art scene and the growing commercialism of the artists market. Robert Schellin later returned back to Milwaukee rejoining the faculty of the University of Wisconsin (UWM). His works have been exhibited for many years in Wisconsin and national shows including the Wisconsin State Fair; the Art Institute of Chicago, 1944; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, 1946; and the Milwaukee Art Institute numerous times between 1939-1960. He was included in the USIA European Traveling exhibition 1959-61.
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Jan Van Der Vaart / Dutch Avant-Garde Pottery “I-beam” Vase, 1991
JAN VAN DER VAART (1931-2000) The Netherlands
I-beam vase 1991
Matte bronze glazed stoneware
Signed: 91 VD VAART (incised)
For more information on Van der Vaart and his work see: Jan van der Vaart, Ceramics, Marjan Unger, et al. (The Netherlands: Stichting Harten Fonds, 1991); Jan van der Vaart Multipels 1967-1997, Allaard Hidding (Leeuwarden: Keramiekmuseum Het Princessehof, 1997), illus. 88, p. 88.
H: 9 1/2” x W: 10 1/8” x D: 5 1/2”
Price: $8,000
Jan van der Vaart, born in 1931, is one of the Netherlands’ best known potters. He was not only a trend-setting artist and industrial designer, he also taught an entire generation of Dutch ceramicists while teaching at the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam (1968-1990). His work is in the collection of many Dutch museums, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
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Wolfgang Gessl / Scandinavian Modern Sterling silver teapot with arching handle 1990
WOLFGANG GESSL (b. 1949) Austria / Sweden
Teapot 1990
Hand wrought and hand hammered spherical silver teapot with cylindrical handle and spout elements, maple and padouk wood layered arching handle
This is No. 2 out of the edition of 3 models.
Marks: Wolfgang Gessl (script impressed signature), 2/3, WO.GE (in a rectangle), Swedish assay mark for Stockholm, 925 (silver guarantee in a rectangle), E11 (in a rectangle), LF
Exhibited: Glänsande Geometri, Mettalum, Stockholm, Sweden
Illustrated: Gold and Silversmith Wolfgang Gessl: Exceeding Geometry, Kerstin Wickman, p. 16.
H: 10” x W: 16 ½” x D: 5 ½”
Price: $32,000
Wolfgang Gessl was born in 1949 in Vienna, Austria and trained as a goldsmith with Professor Hans Angerbauer. Upon moving to Sweden, Gessl studied under the eminent silversmith Sigurd Persson at Konstfack, the National University of Art, Craft and Design in Stockholm, Sweden.
Wolfgang Gessl has had fifteen solo exhibitions including shows at The National Museum, Stockholm and The Royal College of Art in London. His metalwork has been widely exhibited in Sweden, Europe and the U.S and his pieces can be found in many private collections throughout the world. He has taught at Konstfack for more than twenty-four years, and continues to live and work in Stockholm.
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Mazzega Murano / Italian Art Glass White opalescent tube top vase c. 1975
AV MAZZEGA MURANO (Italy)
Vase c. 1975
White opalescent blue blown glass with a bottom tube support and a flared
test tube style topFor related information see: Italian Glass Murano Milan 1930-1970, Helmut Ricke and Eva Schmitt (Munich: Prestel, 1997) illus. 66, 67; I Vetri di Fulvio Bianconi, Rossana Bossaglia (Torino: Umberto Allemandi & C., 1993) illus. 17, 21; Murano Glas 1945-1970, Marc Heiremans (Antwerpen: Galerij Novecento, 1989) illus. 181; I Vetri Venini, Franco Deboni (Torino: Umberto Allemandi & C., 1989) illus. 105.
H: 14”
Price: $3,200
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Tsuchida Yasuhiko, Art Glass “Mosaic” Vase, 1999
Tsuchida Yasuhiko (b. 1969) Osaka, Japan/ Italy
Art glass mosaic technique vase 1999
Overall matte finish art glass vase with an elaborate mosaic technique inset with red rectangular patchwork sections and blue murrina jewels all on a chocolate brown body with a black glass foot
Marks: Tsuchida Yasuhiko 99, 77
For more information see: Tsuchida Yasuhiko, exh. cat., Franco Schiavon (Murano, Italy: Palazzo del Vetro, 2000).
Provenance: Pauly & Co. Venice
H: 4 3/4″ x Dia: 5 1/8″
Price: $5,450
Yasuhiko Tsuchida was born in Osaka, Japan in 1969. In 1988, soon after graduating TSUJI Culinary Institute, he left Japan to explore food and art in Paris. Since 1992, he has lived in Venice, Italy. Tsuchida has been making glass work in Murano Island since 1995, and next year assumed the office of art director at Schiavone Glass Co. Ltd. In 1996 he presented a glass sculpture entitled “Bamboo Collection” with Japanese motif of bamboo. The work was highly acclaimed, which gave him a chance to start to hold solo exhibitions around the world. In 2000, Tsuchida became a member of the board of directors at Venetian Glass Institute, and a chief director there in 2003. In 2004, he won Honorary Technique Prize in Düsseldorf, Germany, and in 2008, received Award of Contribution to Cultural Promotion from Grosseto city, Toscana. In the same year, he represented Japan at International Open Exhibition of Sculpture, and won the Grand-Prix. In 2010, Tsuchida was invited to the Issei Miyake “IM10” Project Competition, and held a solo exhibition at Lorusso Gallery, Andria, Italy. Tsuchida continues to exhibit in many solo shows around the world.
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Borek Sipek Bagatti Valsecchi Art Glass Goblet c. 1994
BOŘEK ŠĺPEK (1949-2016) Prague, Czech Republic
Goblet “BAGATTI VALSECCHI” c. 1994
Blown clear glass with blue bow details
Exhibited: The Twenty One (Millenium) Exhibition, Arzenal Gallery, Prague, 2000
For more information see: Sípek, Philippe Louguet, Dagmar Sedlická (Paris: Éditions Dis Voir, 1999); Borek Sipek and Christian Tortu: Collection Twentyone 2001 (Prague: Arzenal Edition, 2001)
H: 12″ x Dia: 4 1/2″
Price: $1,150
The Czech architect, furniture designer, and glass artist Borek Sípek was born in Prague in 1949. From 1964 to 1968 Borek Sípek studied furniture design at the Prague School for the Applied Arts. In 1969 he began to study architecture at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg. In 1973 he studied philosophy at Stuttgart University. From 1977 until 1979 he was an academic assistant at the Hannover University Institute of Industrial Design. Borek Sípek took his degree in architecture at Delft Technical University. Then he taught design theory at Essen University until 1983. In 1983 Borek Sípek also opened an architecture and design practice in Amsterdam. He founded Alterego, a design business, with David Palterer. In the 1980s, Borek Sípek designed Postmodern furniture and glass objects, which brought him international renown. Borek Sípek’s designs are formally distinctive, both ingeniously conceived and sumptuous, and are often executed in unconventional materials and combinations of materials. Borek Sípek views design as an interpretation of culture. For this reason, he rejects the functional and rational approach to design and does not want striving for technical perfection to lead to disregard of individuality. In 1983 Borek Sípek designed “Bambi”, a fragile-looking tubular steel chair with brass fittings and a back covered in silk. In 1991 Borek Sípek designed the “PCSS” table with blue glass legs and metal fittings. Borek Sípek’s superlative glass objects are executed by glassblowers in Murano and Novy Bor. Borek Sipek is also known worldwide as an architect and has received prestigious commissions. Between 1993-2002 Borek Sípek worked on the Het Kruithuis Museum in ‘s Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands). In 1994 Borek Sípek designed the Kyoto Opera Houseentsteht das Opernhaus in Kyoto. In 1995 Borek Sípek designed a Paris boutique for Karl Lagerfeld. In 1990 Borek Sípek became a professor of architecture at the Academy for the Applied Arts in Prague, where he taught until 1998. Since 1999 he has taught at the Universität for angewandte Kunst in Vienna.
His works are included in major international museum and private collections throughout the US and Europe including Museum of Modern Art, Stedelijjk Museum, Denver Art Museum, The Corning Museum of Art, The Hauge Municipal Museum, Kunstmuseum in Düsseldorf and Design Museum in London.
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Rose Cabat / American Studio Ceramics “Feelie” Porcelain Vessel, c. 1980-85
ROSE CABAT (1914-2015) USA
“Feelie” c. 1980-85
Thin walled porcelain vessel with a silky satiny matte drip glaze
Signed: incised CABAT on bottom
For more information on Rose Cabat see: Rose Erni Cabat Retrospective 1936-1986 (Tuscon, AZ: Tuscon Museum of Art, 1986)
H: 4 3/4″
Price: $2,500
Rose Cabat is an American studio ceramicist living in Tucson. Considered one of the most important ceramic artists of the Mid-century Modernist movement, Cabat is best known for her innovative glazes on small porcelain pots called “feelies” which she developed in the 1960s. Her organic forms often resemble the shape of onions and figs, and her glazes range from organic to jewel tones. Cabat was born in 1914 in the Bronx, New York, began to work in ceramics in the late 1930′s, and moved to Arizona in 1942, where she continued to make innovative ceramics.
Feelies:
Feelies are described as onion, fig, cucumber, and saucer-shaped ceramic vases terminating in an upward closed neck. Bruce Block, an avid collector, has described them as sensual and tactile with a very specific unforgettable texture, spiritual seeming to contain a type of energy. Rose Cabat had developed a silky satiny glaze, and it wasn’t until around 1960 that she had hit upon the first of the appropriate form, svelte and sleek to match the glaze. She exclaimed, “Now this one’s a feelie.”, coining the term. Upon developing the new glazes, she felt that she needed new forms to apply the glazes to, different from what she made before, “craft fair” style coiled heads and wind bells. She is quoted as saying, “The old things did not look good … I wanted simpler shapes that went with the glazes.”They are typically globular in shape, tightening down to a minuscule neck glazed to a satin surface. The tactile experience is most important. The nature of the neck is such that it is closed, so narrow that it cannot hold anything. Cabat would reply when asked why the necks of her feelies are so narrow, “A vase can hold weeds or flowers, but can’t it just be a spot of beauty?” -
Tapio Wirkkala Finland sterling silver and walnut vase 1968
TAPIO WIRKKALA (1915-1985) Finland
KULTAKESKUS OY HämeenlinnaVase 1968
Sterling silver in a streamlined sculptural form, canted cylindrical attached walnut plinth.
Marks: TW monogram, 916H (Finnish silver assay
mark), maker’s touch marksIllustrated: Zilver uit Finland, exhib. cat., Leo De Ren (Antwerpen: Provinciaal Museum Sterckshof, 1995) p. 18.
H: 10 1/4″ x Dia: 3 1/4″
Price: $3,900
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Ohlsson & Rice Rare Streamline American Art Deco Tether Race Car Model No. 88 with Trailer c. 1950
OHLSSON & RICE (founded 1941) Los Angeles, CA
Tether Race Red car Model No. 88Gas powered tether car racer 1950
Steel and various metals with the car and trailer details painted red, rubber tires and cork details
The license plate reads: California, 19-50, 61U421
H: 5″ x L” 13 1/2″ x D: 7 1/2″
Price: $3,000
In 1941 Irv Ohlsson teamed up with Harry Rice, and the firm of Ohlsson & Rice was founded producing model race cars and propellers. No other engines at the time combined the reliability, ease of maintenance, simplicity of operation and unlimited life of the Ohlsson & Rice engines. The Second World War put a temporary hold on their success, however, as all manufacturing facilities were turned over to military production. By the time the war shut down their production, they had produced about 75,000 engines.
As soon as the war was over, Ohlsson & Rice got back into production. Even with a shortage of needed materials and machines somewhat worn out by 3-shift a day wartime production use, they jumped back into a market that had a seemingly endless demand for their products. Modelers were hungry to get back into flying, and O & R took advantage of the market by buying the machinery needed to meet the huge demand.
Ohllson & Rice die cast tether cars were first manufactured in 1946. The early model cars had solid rear brake drums. open air front grill, 10 air vent slots in the seat, windshield, manual fuel pump, external hand brake lever, 4 nerf bars or radius rods, and plated front axle. The cars were fitted with a .23 or .29 Ohlsson and Rice engine. The easiest way to tell their plane engines from the car engines was the exhaust port. The cars have a straight cut exhaust and the planes had an angled cut port. However they are interchangeable except to be estetically correct. Basic colors included white, black, red , blue and yellow. The .29 engine were available in either spark ignition models or with a glow plug. In the early days Ohlsson and Rice had trouble with their engines and discovered a lot of the problems were due to inferior fuel sources. To rectify this they started to manufacture their own Nitro Glow fuel. This seemed to cure their engine problems. The later models in the fifties went to a closed front grill , 1 air vent slot in seat, hollow brake drums, no windshield and a smaller .049 engine. The last of the midget racers were made in 1959.