My Bimini cocktail picks in mercury holder

This is a wonderfull and colourful set of art deco cocktail glass from the Bimini Werkstatte Glassworks in Vienna (Austria) in the 1930s. There are eight cocktail pick birds (one bird is missing) in a mercury stork. The pieces are all hand-blown glass. Like all Bimini objects this one is unsigned.

The Bimini Glass

The Bimini Glass Co. was formed in 1923 by Fritz Lampl in Vienna, Austria. Fritz Lampl and his brother-in-laws Arthur and Josef Berger, architects, started Bimini Glass. In 1938, Fritz Lampl emigrated to England where he re-established Bimini Ltd. in London and changed the name to Orplid Glass. Originally the pieces had a paper label “Bimini” but these labels are rarely seen anymore. Some labels say “Made in Germany”. Often times this glass is referred to as Lauscha and is difficult to determine the difference.

Josephine Baker Figure by Fritz Lampl - 1930

In 1925 the African-American dancer Josephine Baker escaped the restrictions of the racially-divided United States to become a sensation in Paris. Her erotic dances and risqué costumes, which included a skirt made of bananas, found instant success amongst Parisian audiences enraptured with all things exotic, as too did her menagerie of pet animals which included Chiquita the cheetah. Baker became a design icon in her own right and appeared on many objects of the period. In this glass figure she is wearing her signature banana skirt.

Josephine Baker"Pearls and Feathers" Lego Aguirre Personal Collection

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My art deco bakelite hat pin- 1920

I love this yellow butterscotch bakelite hat pin! It’s carved in the pretty geometric art deco shape and is in fabulous condition.

My Hat Pin Collection

The Bakelite

Bakelite was invented in 1907 by Dr. Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a Belgian chemist, known as the “Father of Plastics”. Baekeland’s bakelite was made of phenol and formaldehyde to combine in a thermosetting resin. Once the resin hardened, it could not be remelted by the application of heat. Bakelite consumption was at its greatest in Europe and the US from the mid-twenties to about 1950. Bakelite comes in an array of dazzling colors, which is one of the reasons it became so popular. There were a number of items made from bakelite, such as pot handles, egg beaters, spatulas, bowls, dishes, and cups used for domestic purposes. Bakelite was also used for electronics, such as radios, phonographs and televisions. Shaver handles were also made out of bakelite, toothbrushes, buttons , telephones, alarm clocks, barrettes, toothbrushes, etc. Bakelite jewelry was originally produced as a substitute for more expensive materials, such as coral and ivory. It flourished widely during the Jazz Age of the twenties and thirties. Exotic floral and geometric patterns in the Art Deco style were popular. Bakelite was dramatically combined with rhinestones, metal, glass, or wood in the early thirties. Bakelite could be found in the most prestigious department stores around the world, including Saks of New York, Harrods of London, and the Galleries Lafayette in Paris. In 1935 it was estimated that two-thirds of all costume jewelry was made from bakelite. Bakelite jewelry included, brooches, necklaces, bracelets, compacts, purse frames, and Scottie dogs due to the President of the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt; also belt buckles, cufflinks, rings, dress clips and earrings. Some of the bakelite jewelry was beautifully, intricately, and heavily carved by hand, while others had a smooth surface.

Art Deco Hat Pins

"Le Chapeau Epingle" by Auguste Renoir

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My art deco style brass Hanukkah lamp Menorah

Unique artisan brass Hanukkah lamp Menorah, in Ludwig Wolpert style, Israel, C. 1950.

Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert (1900-1981)

Sculptor and designer of Jewish ritual objects.
Born in 1900 in Hildesheim, Germany, to a traditional Jewish family. From 1916 until 1920 he studied sculpture in Frankfurt-am-Main’s Kunstgewerbeschule, School for Arts and Crafts.
After several years of independent work as a sculptor, he returned to the School of Arts and Crafts to study metalwork under the silversmith Leo Horowitz. Wolpert decided to devote himself to Jewish ceremonial art, applying the new trends of that time.
In 1930 he created his first work with Hebrew lettering, a Passover plate for the Seder table, made from silver, ebony, and glass.
In 1933 he immigrated to Palestine. In 1935 he became a professor at the New Bezalel Academy for Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem.
His teaching stressed simplicity and functional purity of design.
In 1956 he was invited to the Jewish Museum in New York by Drs. Abraham Kanof and Stephen Kaiser.
There he established and was designated director of the Tobe Pascher Workshop, which is devoted to the creation of modern Jewish ceremonial art.

The bronze gates of the synagogue at the Kennedy International Airport, in New York, 1968

Ludwig Wolpert authentic Hanukkah Menorahs

Hanukkah Menorahs in Ludwig Wolpert style

Art Deco Hanukkah Menorahs

Collection of menorahs at the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt.

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My Japanese teapot – Art Deco

This is an art deco teapot made in Kyoto, Japan with banded decoration. In the bottom has a red stamped mark: “IDEAL IRON STONE CHINA SK KYOTO TOKICO.”

Date c. 1925, Taisho period (1).

(1) Taisho (1912–26) Period in Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Taisho emperor, Yoshihito (1879–1926). During this period the art deco movement was dominant in fashion, furniture, textiles, ceramic and porcelain.

Japanese Art Deco

Japanese Teapots

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My art deco compact by Houbigant

This compact box is pure art deco. The interior is fitted with a pair of rouge pots, two original puffs, the mirror and one lipstick case.

Period 1900-20

Marked HOUBIGANT

Houbigant – Collectibles

Houbigant mark

Jean-Francois Houbigant opened his first shop at 19 Faubourg Saint-Honore, Paris, in 1775. Named “The Flower Basket” (1), the shop originally sold wig powder, perfume, fans, pomade and gloves.

An early client was Queen Marie Antoinette, and patronage by various royal families continued throughout the nineteenth century (Joséphine, Napoleon, King Louis XV, Madame du Barry, Queen Marie of Romania, Queen Victoria). The legend has it that when Marie Antoinette was fleeing to Varennes to escape the French revolutionaries she was recognised as royalty because of her Houbigant perfume, which only royalty could afford. By the late 1920s, Houbigant had a base in the United States (New York) and was selling its fine face powders in compacts. Compacts featuring Houbigant’s flower basket logo and vanities with abstract Deco designs are highly collectible.

(1) “A la Corbeille de Fleurs”

Marie-Antoinette by Jean-Baptiste Gautier Dagoty

Copy of Napoleon's order

Houbigant Prints

Houbigant purse - 1931

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My Nippon porcelain cup and saucer set moriage gilded

This is a beautiful hand painted cup and saucer set by Nippon. There are gilded moriage decorations and beading on both pieces.

Style: Art Deco – Unmarked

Age: C late 19th – early 20th century

Nippon Porcelain

Nippon is not the name of the manufacturer as many think, but rather the country of origin. Today, Nippon items are among the most sought after collectibles on the antique market. In October of 1890, the “McKinley Tariff Act” required items entering the United States be marked with the country of origin. In September of 1891, the Nippon era began and lasted until 1921. During that time, merchandise from Japan, had to be marked Nippon, the Japanese name for Japan. After 1921, the United States required that imports carry the word Japan or made in Japan.

During the Nippon manufacturing era the Japanese government commissioned a number of foreign artisans to come to Japan to instruct them in the production and painting of porcelain in the European style. They were highly successful in their efforts at imitation, and much Nippon porcelain that was produced bears a strong resemblance to such European porcelain products as Limoges, Sevres, KPM, R.S. Prussia, Beleek, Wedgwood, Gouda, Royal Bayreuth, and the list goes on and on. The advantage to the American consumer of the day was that hand painted Nippon porcelain could be acquired at a fraction of the cost of its European counterparts.

Early unmarked Nippon is of higher quality. The artwork and decorations are superior. The gold was used quite lavishly on the pieces exported during this time. However, much of this gold was not very durable and today we find that a number of these pieces have much of the gold worn off.

Nippon has secured a reputation as fine art in the world of porcelain. This is because its superb techniques are being re-evaluated and the art deco and moriage (1) of Nippon are not just viewed as second-rate western style porcelains. They are viewed as outstanding artistic porcelain works.

(1) Moriage or “raised enamel decoration”: is a special type of raised decoration used on some Japanese pottery. It is the art of laying “beads” of porcelain on the item prior to firing in the kiln. Most typically it was decorated later in gold. Sometimes pieces of clay were shaped by hand and applied to the item; sometimes the clay was squeezed from a tube in the way we apply cake frosting.

Examples of Nippon Porcelain

Reproduction Alert

The authentic cracker jar is on the left. Note that the gold on the reproduction cracker jar is darker and looks burnished.

Again, note the color difference in both the porcelain and gold.

Note that the inside rim of the authentic cracker jar lid (on the left) is shaped differently than the inside lid of the reproduction.

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My antique cigar cutter- Art Déco 1920

This is an antique hammered copper cigar cutter in art déco style. Has great patina. As you can see in the picture, it is spring loaded. Insert the cigar, press down and cut. The cutter accommodates two different size cigars.

Country: Germany or Austrian

Year:c1920

Marked: stork (in triangle) – Ges. Gesch. (The abbreviated form of Gesetzlich Geschutzt: legally protected, patented, copyrighted, used in Austria and Germany)

Another examples

• The closed end (or head) of a cigar is the end that you put into your mouth, but you have to cut it, first. When a cigar is hand rolled, a cap is put on the head of the cigar to keep it from unraveling and drying out. A cigar should not be cut until you are ready to smoke.

J.D. Hogg is the “Boss” in The Dukes of Hazzard

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My silver plated spring-push pickle fork

Maker: L.SFORNI

Style: art deco

Age: 1900-1930

Specifics – Silver Composition: Silver plate

This wonderful silver plated pickle fork was made circa 1920/30. Ideal for cocktail onions and olives, gherkins, eggs, even sausages, cherries……the list goes on. This serving fork has a mechanical push button for item to fall off making it easy to eat. An amazing collector’s item and a great gift!

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My silver egyptian revival pendant

Excavations in the 1800’s created an interest in Egyptian style in Victorian era jewelry. The Art Nouveau jewelry makers utilized Egyptian motifs; winged scarabs are a beautiful example, often with wings of translucent plique a’jour enamel. Discovery of King Tut’s tomb in the 1920’s made Art Deco jewelers interested in re-creating the style. In the 1960’s, the movie “Cleopatra” created another surge of interest in these motifs. Each era interpreted Egyptian designs in their own way. Scarabs, asps, ankhs, sphinxes, pharonic heads – these and other motifs reflected the art and history of ancient Egypt.

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My Compact Powder Sifter – ART DECO

This is a watch-winder compact with a very intriguing mechanism and a screw-in section in the bottom to hold the powder in place.

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