M.S. Rau Decorative Objects

This highly detailed Satsuma bowl is adorned with Buddhist monks and signed “Hododa” on the underside. The columns on the underside read, “Satsuma” and “Hododa.” This represents the ...

Blue Glass and Wrought Iron Vase Daum Nancy and Majorelle Circa 1925 This exceptional glass and wrought iron vase represents a striking collaboration between Daum Nancy and Louis Ma...

Favrile Glass Vase Louis Comfort Tiffany Circa 1900 This rare glass vase by Louis Comfort Tiffany is a striking example of Tiffany Studios’ groundbreaking innovation in Art Nouveau ...

Acid Etched and Cameo Glass Vase Émile Gallé Circa 1910 This exquisite Art Nouveau vase was crafted by the renowned Gallé in Nancy, France. Emblematic of Gallé's mastery, the vase’s...

A Gold Lacquer Kōbako (Incense Box) Edo Period (1615–1868), Circa 1850 This exquisite gold lacquer kōbako (incense box) exemplifies the refined craftsmans...

Of all the glassworks produced in the late 19th century, cameo glass was the most challenging to perfect. Only a handful of artisans succeeded in mastering this intricate craft, with the firm of Thomas Webb & Sons standing out as the most accomplished. Webb’s cameo...

Pair of Gilded Bronze Vases Christofle Circa 1930 This rare pair of Christofle bronze vases epitomizes the pinnacle of French decorative arts from t...

Gilt and Enamel Red Pillow Vase Moser Late 19th Century A masterpiece of artistry and craftsmanship, this exquisite Moser pillow vase dazzles with its rich ruby glass and intricate ...

Gold Carnelian Armorial Seal with Agate Handle A. Croisier, Paris Circa 1880 This exquisite agate, gold and carnelian armorial seal, dating to circa 1880, once belonged to the Marqu...

Fairyland Lustre Pillar Vase Wedgwood Circa 1920 One of the earliest Fairyland Lustre motifs, this Pillar pattern vase by Wedgwood features the fantastical Isle of the Genii, popula...

Edo-Period Lacquerware Chest 19th-century This exquisite chest, inspired by Hasami-Bako travel trunks, is a striking example of Japanese lacquerware. The hiramaki-e technique—applie...

Violet Bowl Daum Nancy Circa 1905 This exquisite, frosted glass bowl by Daum Nancy embodies the elegance of the Art Nouveau movement with its intricate floral design. The bowl featu...

Turtle Mystery Clock Table Gübelin Crafted 1926 A marvel of horological ingenuity, this rare Gübelin turtle mystery table clock is one of only several ...

Pair of Crystal and Gilt-Bronze Candelabra Baccarat Circa 1900 An exquisite pair of Art Nouveau Baccarat crystal and gilt-bronze candelabra, these five-light masterpieces epitomize ...

Acid Etched Vase Daum Nancy Circa 1925 This rare and striking Art Deco vase by Daum Nancy represents the pinnacle of French craftsmanship. The spheri...

Fairyland Lustre Pillar Vase Wedgwood Circa 1920 One of the earliest Fairyland Lustre motifs, this Pillar pattern vase by Wedgwood features the fantastical Isle of the Genii, popula...

Pair of Porcelain and Dorè Bronze Vases Sèvres Circa 1845 With porcelain vessels in the iconic Sèvres cobalt blue, encased in lavish doré bronze armatures, this pair of Louis XVI-style urns epitomizes the masterful craftsmanship and refined beauty of the famed porcelain manufactory. Each urn is adorned with three finely chased caryatid figures joined by floral garlands, resting upon a reticulated circular gilt bronze base. Since its founding in the 18th century, the Sèvres porcelain manufactory has been synonymous with the finest porcelain wares. Established under the patronage of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour, the firm quickly became the official royal porcelain producer. Throughout the 19th century, Sèvres expanded its repertoire, designing distinct vase forms that ranged from neoclassical grandeur to Gothic delicacy. These exceptional urns pay homage to Pierre Gouthière, one of the most renowned bronze artists of the preceding century. Appointed gilder to King Louis XV in 1767, Gouthière revolutionized metalwork, pioneering a gilding technique that achieved an exquisite matte finish. Similar caryatid figures appear on vases once owned by the Duke of Talleyrand, while similar mermaid motifs—prevalent in Gouthière’s work—can be found on a serpentine marble vase in the Louvre. These vases embody the grandeur of Louis XVI-style ornamentation, blending rich materials with impeccable detail. Each: 19 3/4 high x 13" diameter Marked under bronze Sèvres Louis Philippe...

Gold Étui in Original Case Jacques Martin Petitjean Circa 1777 Expertly engraved entirely of yellow gold, this remarkably rare Louis XVI-era étui is a work of art. Resplendent colum...

Winter Landscape Vase Daum Nancy Circa 1920 This exquisite cameo vase by Daum Nancy, known as “Paysage d’Hiver” or "Winter Landscape," masterfully captures the serene beauty of wint...

Pair of Silver Candelabra Deykin & Harrison Hallmarked Birmingham, 1899 This exceptional pair of Victorian five-light candelabra, crafted by Deykin & Harrison, embodies the height o...

Sterling Silver and Gold Partagás Cigar Box Bulgari Dated 1976 This exceptional Bulgari sterling silver and gold cigar box embodies the height of Italian luxury and craftsmanship. T...

Art Deco Enamel Clock Grogan Company Circa 1930 This exquisite Art Deco enamel mantle clock, crafted by the renowned American jewelry firm Grog...

Cameo Glass Polar Bear Vase Émile Gallé Circa 1927 This towering Art Nouveau vase stands as one of the finest achievements of Émile Gallé’s iconic gla...

Floating Diamond Mystery Clock Movement by Paul Gerber, Case by G. R. Dorschfeldt Completed in 1994 Movement signed "Paul Gerber" This floating diamond m...

Chimes of Normandy Musical Clock Early 20th Century A masterpiece of horology and woodworking, the Chimes of Normandy Clock exemplifies early 20th-cent...

Cameo Glass Elephant Vase Émile Gallé Circa 1925 This monumental Art Nouveau vase is one of the finest achievements of Émile Gallé’s iconic glassmaking firm. Showcasing Gallé’s mast...

This intricately detailed 19th-century bracket clock from famed English firm J.C. Jennens & Sons is monumental in size, likely made for one of the great world exhibitions or perhaps to put in the firm's own store window. The eight-day timepiece has a triple fusee...

Pair of Black Basalt Sacred to Bacchus and Neptune Ewers Wedgwood Dated 1870 These extraordinary ewers are masterfully crafted in the renowned Sacred to Neptune and Sacred to Bacchu...

This outstanding Swiss cylinder music box was crafted by the prestigious firm of Le Coultre Freres of Geneva. The highly intricate movement plays a selection of twelve popular tunes ...

Acanthes Pattern Vase René Lalique Circa 1921 This rare Acanthes pattern vase by René Lalique captures the refined elegance and natural beauty synonymous with his artistry. Designed...

Royal Rouge Griotte Marble Athenienne After Pierre Gouthière Late 19th Century This monumental pair of Napoleon III gilt bronze-mounted Royal Rouge Griotte athenienne perfume vases ...

This exquisite vase belongs to Loetz's prestigious Papillon collection and is identified as the 7724 form. Renowned for its captivating color palette, this piece showcases a striking...

Silver Basket Peter Archambo Hallmarked London, 1740 This stunning George II silver basket is a remarkable example of the artistry and craftsm...

Wooden Mantel Clock Vincenti et Cie Late 19th century The mechanism is marked "Vincenti et Cie, Médaille d'Argent 1855, Made in France." Vincenti et Cie, established in 1823 by Jean Vincenti in Montbéliard, was revitalized by Albert Roux in 1829, who expanded and innovated the company. Under Roux's leadership, the firm continued its Montbéliard operations and opened a store in Paris in 1850 on Rue d'Anjou in the Marais. The company earned a silver medal (Médaille d'Argent) at the 1855 Exposition Universelle, for which this clock bears the mark "Médaille d'Argent, 1855," symbolizing its excellent craftsmanship. The clock dial is marked Bailey, Banks & Biddle for the oldest nationwide jeweler in America, originally founded in 1832 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company is one of America's most prestigious retailers, known for creating the updated and final version of the Great Seal of the United States as well as the first 40,000 Purple Heart medals...

Of all the glassworks produced in the late 19th century, cameo glass was the most challenging to perfect. Only a handful of artisans succeeded in mastering this intricate craft, with...

A marvelous objet d'art is this exquisite Louis XVI-era étui. Crafted entirely of green and yellow gold, this stunning octagonal vessel bears an exceptional, engraved Neoclassical de...

Of all the glassworks produced in the late 19th century, cameo glass was the most challenging to perfect. Only a handful of artisans succeeded in mastering this intricate craft, with...

This exceptional micromosaic snuff box represents the heights of this ancient art form. Depicting four doves sitting atop a bronze dish, the inse...

Of all the glassworks produced in the late 19th century, cameo glass was the most challenging to perfect. Only a handful of artisans succeeded in mastering this intricate craft, with...

This splendid Empire gilt bronze French mantel clock, signed on the dial by bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire and watchmaker Louis Moinet, features an exquisitely detailed scene of Ve...

Tall Fuchsia Vase Daum Nancy Circa 1900 This monumental Daum Nancy vase is a masterwork of Art Nouveau glassmaking, created around the turn of the centur...

Bronze Elephant and Tigers Genryusai Seiya 19th century This extraordinary bronze sculpture by Genryusai Seiya, a master of the Meiji period, depicts a breathtaking battle between a...

Exemplary of Art Nouveau elegance, the sensuous female form is the focus of this Viennese bronze by Austrian sculptor Carl Kauba (1865 - 1922). The intricately detailed bronze captures the supple form of an exotic Nubian dancer in a true representation of the era’s predominant aesthetic. Both classical and evocative, the nude figure is adorned by an array of bronze jewelry, including a stunning golden belt with chained pendants. Set upon a marble base, she is a stunning example of the erotic bronzes popular at the turn of the century. Born in 1865 to a shoemaker, the Vienna-born Kauba became a well-known early 20th-century sculptor of Native Americans and other western figures. A pupil of Carl Waschmann and Stefan Schwartz in Austria, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and traveled widely in the American West, sketching and modeling, after spending two years in Paris. He is also noted for his "Naughties" - a collection of mechanical push button sculptures...

Crafted by the celebrated French glassmaker René Lalique, this exquisite Danaides vase is one of the master artisan's most unique and beautiful designs. Molded from polished opalesce...

Abstracted foliage swirls to form this Lalique vase in the Acanthes design, first designed by René Lalique on February 28, 1927. Inspired by the timeless natural motif, this vase emb...

An important pair of Old Paris platinum-ground and gilt-trimmed porcelain vases with classical figures on each of the panels. Excellent condition. Circa 1...

A pair of putti holding symbols of the harvest adorn this Meissen porcelain figural group entitled Fall. Part of the company's Seasons series, these charming characters rest upon a r...

A lovely Limoges enamel vase featuring a handsome gentleman in richly appointed period costume. Excellent condition. Circa 1900.

Emperor Napoleon III's Silver-Gilt Library Lamp Alexis Falize Circa 1865 This extraordinary silver-gilt library lamp was custom-made for Emperor Napoleon III by the renowned jeweler...

Odysseus and Theseus French Empire Mantel Clock André Antoine Ravrio Circa 1800 This monumental Empire mantel clock by André Antoine Ravrio, whose case is crafted entirely of gilded...

Of all the glassworks produced in the late 19th century, cameo glass was the most challenging to perfect. Only a handful of artisans succeeded in mastering this intricate craft, with...

This resplendent French Empire gilt bronze mantel clock features an extraordinarily detailed scene of a singing troubadour with his lyre along a rocky river bank. Accompanied by a wi...

Exquisitely crafted of bronze ormolu, these rare twin candelabra exhibit the Neoclassical grandeur of the Louis XVI style. Two brushed-bronze putti holding spears support the five-li...

This rare and significant cameo glass vase exemplifies the exceptional craftsmanship of George Woodall, a master artist celebrated for his outstanding skill in cameo carving. The amp...

This extraordinary First Edition Wedgwood rendering of the legendary Portland Vase is one of the rarest masterpieces of Josiah Wedgwood, the most important ceramics manufacturer of the 18th century. A tour de force of ceramic art, the Portland Vase First Editions are regarded as one of the greatest ceramic accomplishments of the 18th century, and they are a testament to the superior skill of Josiah Wedgwood, his extraordinary ambition and his tireless dedication to perfection. One of the very few First Editions still in private hands, this exceptional Wedgwood Portland Vase is one of the most important works of ceramics on the market. The story of Wedgwood and the Portland Vase is legendary. The original Portland Vase is the ancient world's most famous decorative arts masterpiece—a cameo glass vase dating to circa 25 CE with a frieze representing the myth of Peleus and Thetis, initially thought to be carved from stone. When it was first rediscovered around 1582, it captivated the world with its opaque white cameo figures over its rich blue background. After the vase was excavated it was owned by Cardinal Barberini, whose family later sold it to the Duke of Hamilton who eventually sold it to the Duchess of Portland, from whom the famed vase now takes its name. The famed British sculptor John Flaxman was likely the first to have brought the vase to Wedgwood’s attention. In a letter dated February 5, 1784, he wrote: “I wish you may soon come to town to see William Hamilton’s vase, it is the finest production of Art that has been brought to England and seems to be the very apex of perfection to which you are endeavouring to bring your bisque and jasper…” Indeed, the Portland Vase is a masterpiece of cameo-cutting, with a stunning frieze of opaque white cameo glass over its translucent deep blue form. Its beauty and translucence would inspire Wedgwood to undertake his years-long endeavor to precisely replicate the original in porcelain. Upon closer examination, Wedgwood realized the vase was not made of stone or earthenware, but of cameo glass—a technique so advanced it remains the masterpiece of cameo-cutting. Today, the vase is housed in the British Museum, where it is the second most viewed antiquity, only after the Rosetta Stone. It then took Wedgwood several painstaking years to craft his unparalleled copy of the vase, during which he perfected the jasperware technique that would become his crowning achievement. To this day, the renowned porcelain firm regards the vase as its most momentous triumph, so much so that the vessel’s silhouette is incorporated into the Wedgwood logo. The four years it took Wedgwood to complete his vase were not without tribulations. From the start, Wedgwood encountered numerous problems with his copies, from cracking and blistering to the difficulty of replicating the translucent effects of the original. The first acceptable copy was produced in October 1789 and sent to Wedgwood’s physician and friend Erasmus Darwin, the grandfather of Charles Darwin. Wedgwood presented another copy to Queen Charlotte in May 1790 and afterward organized a private exhibition of the vase at the Portland House in London. The viewing proved so popular that Wedgwood was forced to restrict the show to 1,900 visitors. Much of London wished to see Wedgwood’s greatest major achievement. Perhaps the highest praise of Wedgwood’s copy came from the famed artist Sir Joshua Reynolds, the founder of the British Royal Academy: “I can venture to declare it a correct and faithful imitation, both in regard to the general effect, and the most minute detail of the part.” Over the next few years, Wedgwood's oven records listed 43 First Edition copies of the Portland Vase produced between 1791 and 1796, 11 of which were broken during the firing process. In all, it is believed around 30 First Edition vases were completed, though an unknown number of these were somewhat damaged—one of these imperfect examples is currently held by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The perfect examples such as ours have found their way into the most important museum collections in the world. The British Museum (London), Art Institute of Chicago, Birmingham Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) and the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, UK), among others, all hold one of these highly coveted vases in their collections. In terms of technical achievement, the First Edition Portland Vases...

Of all the glassworks created in the second half of the 19th century, the most difficult to perfect were those done in cameo. Very few artisans ever achieved success in hand-crafting...

This remarkable art glass Lava style vase is a part of Loetz’s Phaenomen Genre 377, the remarkable collection unveiled at the Paris World Exhibition of 1900. The Crete color variatio...

Of all the glassworks created in the second half of the 19th century, the most difficult to perfect were those done in cameo. Very few artisans ever achieved success in hand-crafting...

Henry Dasson used grey granite from the famed Aswan quarries in Egypt to craft this pair of rare and important urns. Aswan was the location from which ancient Egyptian builders quarried the rare granite used...

This magnificent French Empire ormolu mantel clock features the iconic Neoclassical genre scene often referred to as "The Astronomy Lesson." A popular motif during this period, Emper...