A reader wonders how to identify a Japanese Sumida Gawa bowl and another gets a free appraisal of an odd steel lock box with built-in alarm. Read More +
Ask AT: Japanese Sumida Gawa bowl may be worth about $900-$1,200
Stoneware
Country-centric Coffman’s Antiques opening April 1 in Lennox, Mass.
Longtime dealer Joyce Coffman is opening a fresh version of Coffman’s Antiques in a neighborhood well-known as home for other antiques, art and designer boutiques. Dealers will emphasize country settings and folk art as well as accessories complimenting any decor. Read More +
Book Review: Symbols on Chinese Porcelain demystifies culture, artistry and nature
Second only to the stunning photography, “Symbols on Chinese Porcelain” offers valuable context on why this porcelain style matters to the fine-art world, collectors and even philosophers. The book reveals the secrets of the symbols of good luck and the visual imagery of Chinese decorative elements by means of approximately 80 masterpieces of Chinese porcelain spanning 1,000 years. Read More +
Vintage Red Wing Pottery collectors pick Iowa for Feb. 10-12, 2012 Mid-Winter GetTogether
Despite the frigid temperatures, Des Moines will get a little warmer when members of the Red Wing Collectors Society join up for the group’s Annual Mid-Winter GetTogether in Des Moines from Feb. 10-12, 2012. Read More +
South Carolina stoneware spotted in Virginia antiques auction
Hundreds of select, handpicked items from three prominent Virginia estates – in Franklin, Virginia Beach and Norfolk, plus other consignments – will be sold at auction Saturday, Feb. 4. Read More +
British ceramic registration marks
A handy chart to determine the registration date of English ceramics produced during the Aesthetic Period from 1855 to 1900 with examples. This ‘registry mark’ is the equivalent of the American patent numbering system. Read More +
Exhibition, sale of British art pottery coming March 24-25 to Court Barn Museum
GLOUCESTERSHIRE, England — An exhibition set at the Court Barn Museum that celebrates the best of British art pottery will feature several rare Aesthetic-era items for sale. The March 24-25, 2012 event was curated by Alison Davey of AD Antiques, following 18 months collecting specifically for the occasion; no items have previously been offered for sale. Read More +
Ceramic decorative art of the Aesthetic Movement
The design behind Aesthetic Movement ceramics is gaining new popularity in 2012 with a new museum exhibit and better-than-expected sales in Europe and the United States. No other medium reflects the diversity and personality of the movement than its ceramics. Objects and forms are as functional as they are unpredictable, colorful, and, well, just plain odd and very affordable. Read More +
Brush pot earns $17,500 at Asian art, antiques auction
With 500-plus lots of Asian arts and antiques examples, Bonhams Nov. 15 auction of Asian Decorative Arts in San Francisco earns more than $1.1 million. One of the many surprises included a late 18th/early 19th century brush pot that sold for $17,500 against a pre-sale estimate of $1,000 to $1,500. Read More +
Collecting 200 years of vintage Pfaltzgraff
Collectors are starting to tiptoe back into the pottery market as they celebrate the 200th anniversary of Pfaltzgraff, initially produced on a small potter’s wheel and kiln on a 21-acre homestead in York County, Pa., during the early 1800s.
Pfaltzgraff’s milestone bicentennial is also testimony to the power this respected brand has and its ability to change with the times, and repeatedly give consumers a useful and aesthetic product for any finicky dinner table. Read More +