Berkshires

Mid Century leather sofa by Mogens Hansen, model #535. This sofa features gently curved track arms with soft, refined silhouettes. It's finished in supple leather with a soft, sun wa...

A stylish and useful rectangular shape Chinoiserie style three strand carved wood gold tone faux bamboo frame mirror. Search terms: wall mirror, mantle mirror, dressing table mirror...

This large set of 16 signed Lalique crystal plates in the "Muguet" in French and the translation of "Lily of the Valley" pattern evokes the taste of Spring! Mother's Day to be exact ...

When Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was at her peak during the ArtDeco period as a Parisian couture designer in the early 1930s and working closely with her favorite jewelry parurier Fulco di Verdura, for one of her clients, she commissioned this unique handcrafted gem-fringed medallion brooch with a yellow-gold circle rope of flexible thick chain that dangles from an unseen ornate open-work curvilinear yellow-gold base. Marked only "FRANCE" on the bar pin with a trombone clasp, like some early 1930s Chanel couture jewelry collected by TheMet museum, its artistry reflects the colorful organic-form starburst sketches of Verdura, which you can see from our photo of one of them. The Sicilian duke began creating fabric patterns for Chanel in 1927, which shortly expanded to executing fine jewelry beginning with custom pieces for the house founder. These included the iconic Byzantine-influenced gem-adorned cuffs referencing the Maltese-military cross, which the French designer can often be seen wearing in circa-1930s photos. Chanel reproduced some of Verdura's originals for her clients, but those variations featured faux gems. This softly-shaped abstract brooch design suits goldsmith Verdura's early anti-Art-Deco aesthetic that was considered a radical departure from 1920s silver-tone geometric jewelry, which otherwise featured linear designs or figurative representation. The deconstructed bouquet of gems mixes amethyst and rose-quartz beads with natural Keshi pearls and intricate tiny gold leaves, which are discreetly wired to a Baroque-motif frame that dangles a round gem surrounded by a chain halo. Significantly, Verdura was credited with re-introducing since Victorian times the rope motif to fine jewelry. Since 1930, Verdura's unique style was influenced by travels with Chanel to explore Byzantine art, Baroque architecture, and the exotic flora-and-fauna among his native Italian aristocratic estate. The legendary fashion-editor Diane Vreeland and American entertainment-stars were among the first Chanel clients to acquire couture real-gem-adorned jewelry made by Verdura, while one of the two brooches treasured by Vreeland was titled "Theodora". See our photo of the Byzantine mosaic of Empress Theodora, whose image--with an abundance of teardrop pearls and colorful gems above her chest, and with a gold halo surrounding her head--could have inspired the design of our brooch. As one of the most important modern-design collaborations, Chanel's close relationship with Verdura lasted largely undocumented years in Paris, until he launched his first outside jewelry venture with a Hollywood designer-boutique after emigrating to the United States in 1934. Within five years, as a financially-backed in-demand goldsmith in the States, he founded the namesake fine-jewelry company Verdura in New...

This unique handmade deconstructed cotton and satin cape that is convertible as a wrap skirt was created in 1998 by radical New York City artist-and-architect collective ORFI. The co...

Directoire Maison Jansen style desk. Label inside drawer inscribed "A. Alavoine and Co., NY and Paris." Leather inset writing surface, drawer ...

Small and elegant crystal inkwell with a brass collar with a square base and faceted lid makes a wonderful accent on your desk or table top. Ink-well, ink well, inkwell.

A handsome and sophisticated mixed media on canvas by American artist John Rigsby. Found in a original state of preservation. His works are few and far between. The following biography was submitted by John David Rigsby, Jr., son of the artist. The author is Lisa Rigsby Peterson, daughter of the artist, and owner of the copyright of the biography. John David Rigsby was born on October 10, 1934, the seventh child of an Alabama Depression-era sharecropper's son. He and his family moved frequently, from one one-room structure to another, often with no running water, no plumbing, no heat but the stove. His father was killed in a car accident when Rigsby was just 9 years old. Life for the remaining eight family members proved tumultuous and difficult -- food wasn't plentiful, nor money. The family moved from place to place, following work -- Rigsby attended 30 different schools before graduating from high school. Despite living in poverty, Rigsby demonstrated academic and artistic aptitude at a young age. Two oil paintings on covers ripped off of old books that he painted when he was eight years old show the promise of an imaginative and gifted eye. Rigsby was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1953. As he later wrote, "When basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, was over, I was told to go out and find a job. Jasper Johns was painting visual aids for the 28th Regimental Headquarters. He suggested the Band Training Unit." Rigsby played the clarinet in that unit, and after 2 years of service, he enrolled at the University of Alabama on the G.I. Bill to study art. After just two years, he left school and followed his mentor (and one of the greatest and longest-lasting influences on his art), Japanese artist and U of A art instructor Tatsu Heima, to New York City. Heima introduced him to Isamu Noguchi and suggested that Rigsby work as Noguchi's assistant. Instead, Rigsby chose a job as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, since "the notion of seeing all of that art appealed more to me than the boring task of studio assistant." The opportunity was a rich one for Rigsby. He had a chance to study the masters, and cited Rembrandt with his simplicity and elegance as another of the most important influences on his work. In the years between 1957 and 1963, when Rigsby eventually earned his BFA in sculpture, the artist traveled back and forth between New York and Tuscaloosa, alternating study with forays into the fertile New York art scene. Rigsby exhibited some of his early sculpture work in 1958 at a small New York gallery, which was also exhibiting the work of Willem and Elaine de Kooning and Theodore Stamos. Shortly thereafter, searching for an educational venue closer to New York City, Rigsby visited New Haven, Connecticut, and spent an afternoon speaking with Josef Albers at Yale. Albers agreed to accept Rigsby into the Yale program on the condition that he take freshman drawing all over again. A brilliant opportunity, but, in Rigsby's words, "When it was time to register, I was hitchhiking back to Alabama, looking for food and shelter." Rigsby had his first one-man show at the University of Alabama in 1959. A visiting critic from New York, J.F. Goosen, reviewed the show and wrote "here is a talent which produces art because that is the thing for a gifted person to do. In his effortless ease of conception and execution, he has already achieved a goal that eludes many artists for a lifetime." Finally, in 1963, Rigsby received his degree in sculpture, dissolved a short-lived marriage, visited his family, packed up his car and headed permanently for New York. That year, his work was included in a group show at the Delgado Museum in New Orleans - which led to a one-man exhibit at the Delgado in 1964. During 1964, Rigsby took drawing classes at Columbia University, and worked at the General Post Office at night. He met his future wife, Linda Palmieri, and married. In 1965, his daughter Lisa was born, followed in 1966 by the birth of his son, John David Jr. In 1966, Rigsby had a successful one-man show at the Pietrantonio Gallery in New York. Shortly thereafter, he and the family moved to Tunis, Tunisia at the suggestion of a colleague, who urged him to "come paint by the light of Klee." Rigsby worked for the United States Information Agency as a teacher, and he spent the next year and a half painting over ninety paintings inspired by the smells, light, and Phoenician and Roman art surrounding him. He also executed a number of character and landscape drawings, capturing the Tunisian way of life. During his time in Tunisia, Rigsby's work was shown there in two major exhibits. Upon the family's return to the U.S. in 1968, Rigsby once again exhibited at the Pietrantonio Gallery. Later that year, Rigsby enrolled in Southern Connecticut State College's Urban Studies program, earning a master's degree in 1970. During his time at SCSU, Rigsby worked as the city of Bridgeport's Curator of Exhibits, driving a mobile art gallery from schools to neighborhood fairs and housing projects. After completing his degree, Rigsby had an exhibit at the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Georgia. This exhibit caught the attention of a member of the search committee looking to hire an artist for a newly-developed program in neighboring South Carolina. In 1970, Rigsby was selected as the first Artist-in-Residence in the state of South Carolina for the National Endowment for the Arts Artists in Schools program. His work with the newly-integrated students at Beaufort (SC) High School over the term of his residency precluded substantial work on his own art. He did, however, set up a studio in downtown Beaufort, and was able to create a modest number of paintings, which were included in exhibits at the Columbia Museum in South Carolina in 1971 and Yale University in 1973. At the end of his residency in 1974, Rigsby was named the National Visual Arts Coordinator of the Artists in Schools program for the NEA, a post he held for two years. In this position, Rigsby traveled the country, reviewing grant applications, meeting with state leaders in government, education and the arts to promote program concepts and explore local opportunities. The message he repeated over and over again echoed that of one of the other major influences on Rigsby as an artist - Ruth Asawa Lanier, whose words taught him that all of the work that the artist does is the artist's work, not simply the paintings he creates. In his capacity as National Coordinator, as well as many times in the future, Rigsby stressed that artists function in the same way as any other person in society, and deserved the same respect and place for their work as did all other professions. After two years traveling the country, Rigsby was ready for a change, saying "for the first time in my adult life, there was not a body of paintings to show for the years put into my work." In 1976, a summer retreat to the mountain community of Central City, Colorado, led to a permanent relocation. Eventually settling in the small town of Evergreen, Rigsby followed his own advice about artists becoming actively involved in their communities, and he established the Evergreen Visual Arts Center. The Center provided working space for artists, classes for adults and children, and, most importantly, a place for Rigsby to create his own work. Buoyed by the opportunity to concentrate once again on his art, and inspired by his new surroundings, Rigsby entered an extremely prolific period in his career. In 1977, he organized a traveling exhibition of his paintings, which showed at the Kimball Arts Center in Utah, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Arvada Center in Colorado. 1978 brought more exhibits, notably in Aspen and Denver, as Rigsby's work continued. He took an extended trip to visit his mentor, Tatsu Heima, in Japan, where he climbed Mt. Fuji, followed by travels to Tehran, Delhi, and several European countries. He chronicled his impressions from his travels in a small collection of paintings upon his return to the U.S. - the beginning of a practice which would continue through the rest of his life. In 1979, Rigsby's marriage failed, and at the same time he lost the lease to his Evergreen studio to redevelopment plans. In response to the personal chaos around him, Rigsby began a series of what he called "hard-nosed process paintings," the watercolor paintings of dots which marked his work from this period. The paintings gained him an NEA Individual Artist grant in 1980, as well as a Yaddo fellowship in 1981. The polka dot paintings were followed by a series of cupcake-like images, again examining space and color. During the early 1980s, Rigsby lived in a suite of old dentists' offices in a rundown part of Denver, with a studio in an area that reminded him of the Bowery in New York. In 1984, Rigsby founded the Progreso Gallery in the building where he lived, using the space both to show his own work and also to mount shows of the work of many Colorado artists. The gallery also served as a focal point for Denver's local arts community, hosting weekly discussion groups and classes. In 1984, Rigsby traveled to the Baja Peninsula and then in 1985 to Yugoslavia. After each sojourn, Rigsby returned to create vibrant and explosive paintings based on his experiences, showing them at his Progreso gallery and another alternative gallery in Denver, the Edge Gallery. The economic recession of the mid-eighties hit the art market and Rigsby hard, however, and although he continued to create new works of art, major exhibitions were difficult to come by. In 1987, Rigsby decided to leave Denver and spent six months in Barcelona, Spain. It was an electrifying trip for him. Rigsby wrote of that time: "The streets alone are a visual feast, and the additions of museums from Saarinen, Picasso and Miro to 12th century icons produced artistic indigestion. My paintings are always about the way things look and feel. Barcelona was a time machine extending those sensory and emotional concerns back to the Middle Ages. I felt the need to reduce my work to essential elements of color, scale, drawing and format. The [resulting] color studies speak eloquently for themselves, and in doing so, redefine all of the work I've done in the past 35 years of painting." Rigsby completed over a hundred paintings while in Barcelona - color studies, street portraits of the characters he encountered on a daily basis, and a number of dark landscape paintings. He found time to run with the bulls in Pamplona, and began writing stories about his adventures that were later published. Upon his return to Denver in 1988, Rigsby continued to explore the alter egos of the color studies - he concentrated on a series of dark paintings, all prominently featuring back. He commented about these black paintings that he " decided it was time to explore the perception of the eye and physical space as defined by low -light conditions…I find these paintings elegant, joyous and light-filled, with no feeling of heaviness at all." In mid-1988, Rigsby moved permanently to Houston, Texas, where he would spend the last five years of his life. Once in Houston, Rigsby made a discovery that would serve as the inspiration and material for some of the last works of his career. In 1989, he discovered a salvage yard filled with scrap rubber, and he began working on black rubber sculptures, as well as paintings with rubber elements incorporated. He made strong connections in the Houston alternative arts scene, and became a regular contributor and art critic for a local weekly newspaper, The Public News. From 1989 through 1992, he exhibited his sculptures and paintings at Houston's Brent Gallery, Fountainhead Gallery, and Blaffer Gallery. He also produced an installation of his rubber sculptures on the roof of the Diverse Works Gallery in Houston. 1992 also marked Rigsby's return to Denver when he exhibited his sculptures at the Payton-Rule Gallery in Denver, leading to an Absolut Rigsby commission by Carillon Importers. The 1990s were a tremendous struggle for Rigsby, with financial crises compounded by physical trauma (he accidentally sawed off the top joint of the index finger of his left hand while working in his studio). Although his work was being shown, it wasn't selling, and the tremendous financial pressure he felt weighed heavily upon him. He spent an increasing proportion of his time going to flea markets and garage sales, rehabilitating and repairing the things he bought there, and then re-selling them simply to raise enough money to keep a roof over his head. He had little time to paint or sculpt, the things in life that had always, no matter what the circumstances, brought him joy. Rigsby's final works were a series of intricate paintings and drawings on used books that he purchased at the flea market. Most of these drawings, which he referred to as sculptural form drawings, were executed on page after page of science texts, music books, and a Korean bible and fill hundreds of pages. Additionally, Rigsby created an exquisite book he titled 28 de los Angeles, in which his twenty-eight simple and elegant drawings of angels resonated with the influence of Rembrandt he had so admired in his early days. In a sense, Rigsby's final works, art created on used books which were the only materials he could afford, brought his work and life full circle from his childhood days. Rigsby's life, though begun and ended in adversity, was nonetheless illuminated and enriched by the irresistible impulse he had to create art and beauty. John David Rigsby was killed in a one-car accident in Colorado in August, 1993. Biography from the Archives of askART Following is a review by Michael Paglia of the artist's July 2004 retrospective at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art. It was submitted by John Rigsby, Jr., son of the artist. There's a magnificent retrospective at Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art devoted to the work of the late John David Rigsby, who was a major powerhouse in Colorado's art scene. "Dots, Blobs and Angels" surveys more than forty years' worth of the remarkable artist's paintings and sculptures. The year 1993 was strange, and by that I mean terrible. Many of the city's galleries closed because of bad economic times, and then the artists started dying. In a matter of a few months, Denver lost three significant artists: Rigsby, experimental photographer Wes Kennedy...

Designed by Spain's Marc Krusin for Coalesse. The MCM Wrapp chairs are stackable, clean and elegant with a snug winged back and generous contoured seat inclined slightly for comfort and support. Great for office or dining. Polished Trivalent chrome legs. Each with manufacturers labels underneath. Design origin, Spain, 2007 by Marc Krusin. MCM Chairs...

World tabletop globe by Replogle in the style of Paul McCobb. USA, circa 1970. Signed. Beige globe supported by swivel stand in dark finish. Featuring square tube design made popu...

In the style of Elsa Schiaparelli couture costume jewelry and one of her paruriers beginning in the late 1930s, Jean Schlumberger, this handcrafted highly-textural glass and crystal ...

Pair of tall painted doors with original hardware. Will need new glass. Other doors available but not with glass panel. Doors can work well in Swedish Gustavian style decor

A profusion of multicolored beads and sequins adorns the surface of this eye-catching evening jacket. The mostly pastel beads cover the entire black silk surface in a riotous patter...

Like a turtleneck ensemble acquired by TheMet, Ann Demeulemeester designed this bold-silhouette contrasting-texture wool set of chocolate ribbed tight high-neck cropped long-sleeve knit sweater and black bias-cut crepe mini skirt for her Fall/Winter 1996-1997 collection, when the latter low-waisted garment without a waistband was worn on the Paris runway over trousers. The soft thick darted pullover jumper characteristically has the designer's hallmark of oversized exaggerated cuffs, which can be left unfolded for a more feminine look. The Belgian designer meticulously tailored the brushed-wool skirt so that its three seams are in the back, where there are also darts to flatter the bias drape, two belt loops, and invisible zip closure at the center. Aside from featuring knitted turtlenecks in almost every ensemble that debuted on the runway that season, this collection was significant because Demeulemeester--who was known for her black-and-white palette of monochromatic pieces until she retired from her independent label in 2013--added colors and textures including this sweater. However, red was the only color featured on the runway. For an alternative pairing idea, we included a photo of a similar brown ribbed darted high-neck sweater, which was worn in Demeulemeester's runway show for Fall/Winter 2000, but with a shiny billowy slit maxi skirt...

Grosse brooch from 1968 composed of an open network of gold tone crownlike elements, each point terminating in a textured drop, and each circular groupin...

Wonderfully stylish, the rustic Neoclassical styled garden dining table base offers the opportunity to add a top that will suit your need for size and style. Combine it with a wood,...

Unusual vintage mercury thermos with wicker outer layer. OFFERING FREE SHIPPING TO CONTINENTAL US. PLEASE JUST ASK FOR A SHIPPING QUOTE.

Unusual early French carved wood mirror.

Charles Blondin French, Mid 20th Century Parisian Art Seller Oil on canvas 12 by 16 in, w/ frame 17 ¼ by 21 ⅛ in Signed "Charles Blondin" lower left A "School of Paris" artist duri...

Signed with the early "Mazer Bros" signature, this Art-Deco period decorative link bracelet was created in the early 1930s while former Cartier designer Marcel Boucher was the design...

Floral voile 1930s day dress in pastel colors. Sleeveless bodice has capelet effect with ruffle border and ties that fit through tab. Paneled skirt flares at sides. Slips over the he...

Classic over-sized French Louis XV provincial style bergère with matching curved ottoman. The chair features an slightly arched back, straight turned arms and a cushioned seat with a...

William Penhallow Henderson American, 1877–1943 Venice Oil / Canvas 20 by 30 in, w/ frame 29 by 39 in Signed lower left W.P. Henderson & dated 1902 Provenance: Private Collection G...

This honey-colored pine armoire or linen press is in two sections -- upper and lower cabinet, four doors with recessed panels. The armoire was later made into an entertainment unit / cabinet. Upper cabinet features a swivel TV shelf...

This highly decorative and hard to find set of 1930s French iron and metal garden furniture includes four side chairs, two armchairs and a match...

2 similar cast style garden urns with gadrooned edge, fluted body on pedestal base with alligatored remnants of old paint. Keyword: planters.

The stone mill wheels are attached to wire stands with iron bases lined underneath with padding. Measures: Two with the height of 15.25".

This unique Jugendstil Art-Nouveau period early-20th-Century intricate sterling pendant with celestial-motif openwork recalling shape-shifting bats in flight by master silversmith Ge...

Vintage industrial rustic rolling cart made of wood planks and cast iron wheels and brackets, the loader has two end wheels that swivel and are slightly shorter than the larger sides...

Contemporary white washed wicker sofa/loveseat with matching lounging armchair and ottoman. Great for porch, patio or garden room. Armchair measures: 34 x 33 x 30 inches. Rattan, s...

As an example of her characteristically luxurious feminine fitted sweaters with colorful stripes, the late Parisian Sonia Rykiel (1930-2016) designed this made-in-Italy soft merino w...

This chased 14k-gold almost-abstract whimsical ostrich bird with a shiny textural plume features prong-set round cabochons of turquoise and chalcedony with smaller colorful cut gems ...

This charming small bachelor tea pot is a wonderfully unique piece of antique silver, intended for one person's use. The piece has an oval form, the l...

The contemporary Maison Jansen inspired wrought iron steel coffee table has a glass top inset in a frame. The two gracefully curved legs, embellished by pairs of brass knobs, are sec...

The wonderfully sturdy rustic French country Provincial style worktable or serving console table is constructed of slotted framing to hold a veined marble top having beveled edges wi...

Late 19th century Chinese elmwood cabinets in an old lacquered finish. This cabinet can be ideal as a bedside chest, end table next to a sofa or a cabinet in an hallway. it has two...

Cesar Villacres Ecuador, 1880–1941 Parisian Street Scene in Winter Oil on canvas 20 by 24 in, w/ frame 29 by 33 in Signed "C. A. Villacres" lower left Inventory Number: 01500 Cesa...

Pair of very decorative brass door or cabinet handles with carved details. Ready to mount.

Two grand and very impressive cast concrete neoclassical style pedestal dining table bases with finely detailed winged griffins. Will support a large stone, marble or glass table top...

A Fine example of a Classic 1930s French Art Deco wrought iron foyer coat rack or hall tree is wonderfully decorated with geometric and circular iron w...

An unusual Industrial style metal table that can be used in a wine tasting cellar or used for drafting or work table. An interesting design with cutouts and 4 different style but har...

Remarkably more expressive than iconic phoenix brooches by Jean Schlumberger or Marcel Boucher, this unique Georgian-style three-dimensional bird bar brooch by an artisan silversmith...

These pink conch 14mm near-round natural pearl stud earring pair with early-20th-Century clips stamped "sterling" each weigh 3 grams including mountings, for an exceptional 10-plus c...

Wonderfully charming hand-carved 19th Century American folk art horse sculpture on stand. Pay special attention to its face and the carved details to appreciate this fine specimen. ...

The pair of twin size vintage Venetian style headboards are painted a black matte finish, bordered with gold trim on wood will give an elegant finish to any bedroom. Search terms: Mid-Century Modern, Hollywood Regency, neoclassical, classical beds...

Featuring five intricate rose-flower charms, Krementz finished this chain link bracelet with its characteristic multi-color gold gilding, which is known for being as much as 30 times thicker than the overlay of other jewelry companies as a testament to the enduring quality of its designs. The elegant textured linked shapes and flowers recall the Art- Nouveau style that distinguished the earliest designs by Krementz for women in the 1920s. The brand signature is on the fold-over clasp. As three pieces of this listing, the excellent-condition bracelet comes with its original signed green-velvet...

One of Minton's most popular patterns is named "Porcelain Ball” which features a large diameter plate bordered by a gold and white floral decoratio...

Contemporary Baroque style steel and glass round coffee table has a large thick, beveled glass top.

Newly painted 40" round Mid-Century Modern Russell Woodard style wrought or cast iron base dining table with center hole for umbrella and four ...

It's always time to entertain! This is one of the most elegant and versatile patterns imaginable in a Classic and rare Minton cobalt blue pattern wi...

Stylish 1940's Stick Wicker / split reed sofa and armchair, deep-seated, angular with wide flat arms giving the sofa and chair that graceful elegant look. The rattan settee and arm c...

This is an incredible Baccarat cobalt cut to clear complete service for 12. All handblown crystal overlaid in cobalt blue and cut in the most complex a...

Graceful and inviting, the recamier chaise with arched back and rolled arm. The fainting couch is upholstered but it does show some ware. Although made in the Victorian period, it ...

Stunning round bleached oak tabletop with starburst design and French Baroque style metal base dining table. Top and base can be sold separately. See detail photo to appreciate table...

This is a complete hand blown Venetian stemware service made by Salviati, circa 1920s. The 36 piece set consists of 12 each of water goblets, wine goblets and champagne coupes, each one featuring a figural golden yellow swan connector and applied rigaree. The color is a soft purple/amethyst with gold leaf inclusions which works nicely with a pastel palette. 12 water goblets measuring, 3.25" diameter x 5.75" tall 12 wine goblets, 3.38" diameter x 8.38" tall 12 champagne/martini coupes...

Industrial Country Style work table, kitchen, or dining table made from reclaimed wood. Use it in a modern or traditional setting, this table will a...

An elegant French envelope game table. By opening the four hinged triangular sections the small end table in the neoclassical style becomes a square game or card table with black lea...

The Elizabethan/ Jacobean style dining table has beautifully hand-carved decorations of grapes, flowers, leaves and rosettes and aged patin...

Elsa Schiaparelli famously embraced "shocking pink" for her Surrealist-aesthetic couture clothing and handcrafted costume jewelry, which she commissioned from Parisian paruriers beginning in the late 1920s--when some of the most expensive gems were fuchsia Burmese rubies. In this glass-beaded sautoir tassel necklace, 37 unusual fuchsia faux-pearls are each delicately caged like hot-air balloons by seven textural strands of faux-pearl-and-gold seed beads. These spherical stations are spaced by lustrous white medium-size faux pearls, ending in a four-strand seed-bead tassel that cages four of the fuchsia beads. The beads are strung on bright magenta silk cord without a clasp. Sautoirs were an essential element of flapper style since Schiaparelli's couture-mentor Paul Poiret changed the silhouette of clothing in the 1920s, while the long necklaces remained popular until wartime 1939. To compete with her rival couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, Schiaparelli (1890-1973) relied on the same French glassmakers, Maison Gripoix and Louis Rousselet--the masters of glass faux pearls at the time. Either workshop that was established by the 1920s could have been commissioned to make the progressive hot-pink pearls for this unsigned necklace that dates to the Art-Deco period. The design of this highly-textural tricolor sautoir featuring fuchsia spheres could suit the style of one of Schiaparelli's most frequent paruriers through the 1930s, Jean Clement. Some of his relevant unsigned work for Schiaparelli is in museum collections like The Met, including highly-textural tricolor sphere-decorated buttons and brooches or a fuchsia-toned metal-rosebud bead necklace. After Schiaparelli had become associated with fuchsia, she made particularly prolific use of this bright magenta in the late 1930s. In her demi-couture collections such as "Circus" and "Comedia dell' Arte" (see our 3 photos), fuchsia jackets are adorned with similar colorful spherical glass beads among embroidered appliques and animal or clown brooches, as well as whimsical painted-ceramic buttons...

This a fabulous five-light table lamp with clustered grapes as shades, handblown applied leaves on Art Nouveau solid iron base. Made in Czechoslovakia it is the perfect lamp for a wi...