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”
Lötz Witwe / Hans Ofner Austrian Art glass vase c. 1920
HANS OFNER attr. (1880-1939) Austria
JOH. LÖTZ WITWE Klostermühle, Bohemia
Vase c. 1920
Handblown cobalt glass with undulating metallic chartreuse bands, four applied glass teardrops at the rim
For related examples by Ofner see: Innen Dekoration, “Lötz glass by Hans Ofner,” 1906.
For the identical glass technique see: Lötz: Böhmisches Glas 1880-1940, Vol. 1, Helmut Ricke and Ernst Ploil (Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1989), p. 294, ill. no. 357.
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, California
Signed: 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.
Christopher Dresser / James Couper & Sons Aventurine blown glass “Clutha” pitcher c. 1895
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
JAMES COUPER & SONS Glasgow, Scotland
“Clutha” pitcher c. 1895
Aventurine blown glass with iridescent gold streaks and internal bubbles
Illustrated: “Liberty & Co.” Yuletide Gifts catalogue, 1895, “Clutha” Glass; Truth, Beauty, Power: Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhib. cat. Historical Design, Inc. (New York, 1998) p. 72
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