Gee Vee 7 inch 13 jewel enamel plate This 7 inch diameter enamel on copper plate features a Tischler like background done in tones of gold and off white which serve as a background for the 13 jewels on the plate. It is unusual for the jewels to be so different on the designs I have seen. They are all more or less the same size which gives them a certain unified look. The plate is counter-enameled in a dark green black color. The Words Gee Vee are the signature. The plate has three felt pads to protect the surface upon which it sits. It is in very good condition and a good example of the enamel work done in the Mid-Century time period.
Manufacturer: unknown  

Bovano 6 inch Crowing Rooster plate Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this 6 inch wide square early Bovano plate is unusual for a few reasons. First, although the label on the back was put on in its usual position, the decoration on the front was place in the diamond position of the plate. IT features a crowing cock or rooster but it was done with the use of negative space. Tiny red, green and gold jewels decorate his comb and tail and are coming out of this beak. The design uses the early white enamel which Brower used in his work. My feeling is that this is a very early Bovano piece and may in fact have been a Brower design.

It is in excellent condition. Add it to your Bovano or Midcentury enamel collection today.



Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Ernest Sohn Walnut plaque Fish enamel insert

Designed by the very busy and popular Midcentury designer Ernest Sohn, this circular walnut wooden plaque measures 6 3/4 inches wide. It features 4 1/4 inch wide enamel plaque of a multi-colored fish. Done in shades of dark green, cobalt blue, red, yellow and turquoise, each colored section is outlined in black, giving it an abstract stylized quality which was very popular as a motif in consumer goods produces in the Mid-century era.

Signed on the back in a burnt wood signature, it reads: Genuine Walnut designed by Ernest Sohn. I suspect that the enamel insert was made by the Bovano Company of Cheshire CT particularly as the background of the piece is a greenish gold color which Bovano used a lot. I have a wall plaque with a Bovano label made with the same walnut frame. So, this piece could have been produced totally by Bovano under contract to Ernest Sohn. There is no hanging device on the back, so, this could have also been like a large coaster or underplate.

It is a cool and funky retro design by a noted American industrial designer whose works are gaining both in popularity and value. Add it to your Mid-century Eames era enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Ernest Sohn  

Edward Winter 6 Jewel purple low bowl

Made by the very Edward Winter who is attributed with launching the enamel on copper studio movement in Cleveland in 1936, this 8 inch wide low bowl is not typical of his work. It does not have the speckled rim found on many of his pieces. Instead, the color is a dark and vibrant shade of eggplant with some lighter tones near the rim and the 6 pumpkin orange jewels symmetrically arranged around the center. The jewels are each surrounded by strokes of gold paint which gives them a more geometric look. The bowl is counterenameled in white and a light lovely lavendar color and has his standard script Winter signature on the back. It is excellent condition. Add it to your Mid-Century or enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Edward Winter, Cleveland OH  

Edwards Star 11 inch enamel for Gumps Produced in California by the Edwards Star Original company, this 11 1/4 inch enamel dish does NOT use this firm's characteristic use of a bold dark base color and oblong jewels alternating with large wide panels. This piece is therefore very unusual and the only one like it I have seen.

There are 12 radiating oblong jewels in a symmetrically placed arranged of three red then a yellow, but it is the background and center of this piece which make it truly unusual. The background is a wild green and white mixture with a bluish and white mixture between the jewels. It's like someone went a little wild as a takeoff of the normal pattern.

The edges appear to be rough and damaged but that is not the case. This is a desired effect as there is a clear enamel glaze over them. Weird. In the middle you have Edward Winter inspired white straw lines over some tiny yellow jewels. All in all, it's a wild wild piece of Edwards Star made for the Gump's San Francisco department store.

Add it to your Mid-century or Califonia Eames era enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Edwards Star, Los Angeles, CA  

Margaret S. Hall enamel 7.5 inch blue bowl The remnant of the original gold foil paper label on the beautifully counter-enameled back of this 7 1/2 inch wide bowl states that the artist who created it was named Margaret S. Hall, from Encino, California and gives what must be a phone number as it ends in 86-2585.

This is a well executed piece from a well-trained enamelist. There were many good enamelists practicing in southern California in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The front of the bowl is a beautiful shade of bluw with a snowflake-like central design which is repeated in the five circles on the outside of the bowl with chartreuse and blue dots between them. It is in excellent shape and would make a great addition to a collection of California artists or Mid-century enamel artisits.
Manufacturer: Margaret S. Hall, California  

Landau California enamel 10 inch square dish Produced by Landau Associates of Los Angeles, California, this carries an original label stating that this item was part of the California Cloisonne line. This is the most common pattern I have seen but this large shape is uncommon. The pattern features the use of many large and small jewels, arranged more realistically than Davidson or Bovano did. There is a spray of jewels in the center in a floral design, though it is highly stylized and abstract as one would expect from the time period. Five large jewels are in the center: deep red, pink, seafoam green, carnelian and a transparent yellow. These same colors are found around the piece along with a pumpkin orange color. The branches and stems are painted on. The two tone pink and white background is distinctive as only early Bovano pieces use it. The sheared off corners are also interesting giving the piece an octagonal shape. The copper color counter-enameling is distinctive as well. The large black paper label in the shape of an artist's palette reads: California Cloisonné 1958. Hand Decorated Enamel On Copper, by Landau and Associates, Los Angeles. There are also three green felt pads to protect the surface upon which this piece would rest. There are some crazing lines on the back to the counter-enamel but the front has none such damage. It is excellent

An up-and-coming collectible as evidenced by the seminal exhibition at the Long Beach Museum of Art in 2007. Use it for your keys on an entrance table at your Malibu beach house or put bonbons in it and put it on your Noguchi or McCobb coffee table in your Eames era house.

Manufacturer: Landau Associates, Los Angeles, California  

Bovano 18 inch blue Jewel ashtray Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this is the widest piece that Bovano made in the 1953-1964 period. It features various sizes of dark blue Jewels on a turquoise background background over a 10 inch portion of the interior.

The back is done in the standard Bovano black counterenameling. It has two of its original felt protective pads and the original gold paper label. It is in very good condition and would look stunning on a blond wood Mid-Century coffee table or a Noguchi or Eames piece. Add it to your Mid-century enamel or Bovano collection today.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Bovano Crescent & Jewel 9 inch ashtray Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this dish is 9 inches wide and features a background in a yellow gold shade. The pattern I have named Crescent & Jewel as it is formed of a crescent formed of small jewels in three colors (deep orange, light orange and a pink gold) around one big orange jewel, a standard Bovano motif.

The back is done in the typical black counterenamel Bovano uses with remnants of the original three brown felt pads and the gold circle label which reads Handcrafted by Bovano of Cheshire Conn. It is in excellent shape with only some stress lines near the rim and near one of the rests, but no chips to the rim or loss to the enamel. Use it as intended or put bonbons in it and display it on your Noguchi or McCobb or other Eames era designer furniture. Add it to your MidCentury enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Bovano tricorner Orange Gumdrops bowl Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this 8 inch wide tricorner shape bowl stands 3/4 inch high and features a pattern I have named Gumdrops. Four large deep orange jewels are the motif. It is unusual for Bovano to have both background and jewels be of the same color family, here two shades of orange. Most work was done in contrasting colors. There is some shading to a darker orange near the rim. The bowl is in good condition with no chips to the rim or enamel loss but there are some stress cracks on this piece, so I would label it good condition but not excellent. It certainly remains a practical utilitarian piece of decorative Mid-Century enamel ware.

The back is done in the standard black Bovano counterenameling. The remnant of both the paper label and the three felt protective pads can still be seen but they are no longer there. Add some of your own, easy to do. Add it to your Mid-century enamel or Bovano collection today.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Bovano enamel 6 Fruits round trivet plaque Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this is a great funky example of Bovano's work. It features a Bovano 6 3/8 inch round insert into a wooden plaque which can also be used as a trivet. The motif is a still life like scene of 6 Fruits round plaque with 3 oranges, 1 pear, 1 two-tone apple, 1 bunch grapes in green bowl with black horizontal stripes.. It features hues of purple, red, orange, green, white and black.

Most likely this piece was made between 1952-1962, as after that Bovano shifted its focus to wall art, its current mainstay today. It is in excellent shape. It carries a standard gold paper Bovano label on it and well as three brass attached feet. Add it to your Mid-Century Enamel collection today

Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Bovano enamel 2 blue vases round plaque Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this Bovano enamel 2 blue vases round plaque is not in perfect shape with a small area of missing enamel near the top of the taller vase and some spider lines dues to some crazing but it is a very interesting piece!

To me, it clearly shows the transition from what Bovano was doing after purchasing the firm from Brower. In the 1953-1964 period, Bovano concentrated on utilitarian decorative consumer articles but rarely used figural motifs on their ware. The round wooden framed plaques show the direction the firm would move in post-1964. Here the design is very Mid-century abstract art! Three containers are shown in a very minimalist design of 2 shades of blue and black. The grapes are gold and outlined in black. The background is a blue over gold. A few of these plaques have been found with the Ernest Sohn burnt signature on them, which is a mystery to me.

All in all, an important piece in an interesting form.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Annemarie Davidson 9 1/2 red Jewel dish Annemarie Davidson learned her enameling craft first from the great Doris Hall (1907-2001) in Cambridge, MA in 1957. In California she continued her studies with Curtis Tann. Her combination of geometric and organic form in her designs culminated in her most celebrated abstract designs, her Jewel line which features pieces of glass used to create free-form organic shapes which she calls Jewels. She also uses a sgraffito technique, incising straight lines from the center of her plate with the sharp point of a dart.

This 9 1/2 inch plate, most likely is from the 1961-1962 time period. This ashtray features 3 large deeo red and 6 smaller deep red jewels arranged in pairs between the larger red jewels. The background color is a rich and lustrous green over gold. The underlying copper color can be seen near the edges. A prominent Palm Springs CA dealer James Elliot-Bishop on his website has named this pattern as Ghostline.

The back of the plate is signed with her charcteristic AD interwined intiails and her paper label which reads Annemarie Davidson handcrafted enamels Sierra Madre California. This is what I think is her earliest label with the black line separating the words handcrafted enamels and the words Sierra Madre, California. Every piece was handcrafted by her alone, from start to finish. Excellent condition.

The work of Annemarie Davidson was included in the seminal exhibit titled Painting with Fire which opened in Jan 2007 at the Long Beach Museum of Art. She was one of 30 enamelists included with a one page entry on her life and work. Her page is page 266 of the catalogue.
Manufacturer: Annemarie Davidson, Sierra Madre, California  

Bovano small early studio jeweled dish Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this is an early Bovano design and decoration. This item may well be from the transitional period of 1953 when the firm had just succeeded Brower as this size of dish and type of jewels is more characteristic of Brower pieces than later Bovano pieces, especially the rare use of white jewels.

This small dish measures 2 1/2 wide. It is counterenamled in a gold and greenish brown color which is different from the later black Bovano counterenameling. Though it has no label, I carries the inscribed name of Mary Decker, as did the two companion pieces I bought at the same time, each with a Bovano label on it.

This dish has 4 variegated jewels, carefully arranged, in a circular pattern. The layout of the colors and sizes of the jewels is perfectly symmetrical. The ashtray is in excellent condition. A very interesting item from a great firm.

Add it to your Mid Century enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Bovano HUGE palette shaped jeweled dish Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this is an early Bovano design and decoration. This item may well be from the transitional period of 1953 when the firm had just succeeded Brower as this shape of ashtray and type of jewels is more characteristic of Brower pieces than later Bovano pieces.

This chevron or palette shaped dish measures 15 inches long x 9 inches wide at its widest. It is counterenamled in a gold and greenish brown color which is different from the later black Bovano counterenameling. Though it carries no label, I have an identical shaped piece with a label in my collection. It DOES have a very interesting label on it which states Distributed by George Rilling New York. It also has an etched name, Mary Decker on it. I bought three pieces with the same design and all signed, probably by the owner of the piece who purchased it.

This large dish has clusters of red, yellow and white jewels, some very small. The layout of the colors and sizes of the jewels is unusual. The ashtray is in good condition though it does have many stress lines and its tip is bent down. A very interesting item from a great firm.

Add it to your Mid Century enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Louise Evans enamel biomorphic copper dish This Mid-century enamel item was created by a woman named Louise Evans, who lived in California. Now deceased, she created this item in the early 1960s. I purchased this from her daughter Lee in late 2007. In her e-mails, the daughter stated that her mother had taken enameling classes in the early 1960s in southern California. Perhaps she worked with Annemarie Davidson or Mary Sharp or Elizabeth Madley or the great Curtis Tann. The daughter didn't know the name of the teacher.

What is very clear is that she mastered the enameling process as her works compare favorably with some of the best made in California at the time.

This funky biomorphic plate measures 5 3/4 inches long x 4 inches wide at its widest point. It is a classic biomorphic shape. The background is done in a technique pioneered by Edward Winter and used extensively by Harold Tischler. It has lines in pinkish gold with some hints of green at the rim. The jewels on the top surface make me think of gumdrops and are done in tones of yellow and chartreuse! The back is nicely counter-enameled in a dark bronze or brown color. She signed this piece with her initials LE. It is likely this piece came from the year 1968 as her other dated pieces I own did which were purchased at the same time. She was a talented artist and in her daughter's words was "was heavily into copper enameling, lapidary craft and gardening". Add this item to your enamel collection today!
Manufacturer: Louise Evans, California  

Louise Evans enamel biomorphic copper plate This Mid-century enamel item was created by a woman named Louise Evans, who lived in California. Now deceased, she created this item in the early 1960s. I purchased this from her daughter Lee in late 2007. In her e-mails, the daughter stated that her mother had taken enameling classes in the early 1960s in southern California. Perhaps she worked with Annemarie Davidson or Mary Sharp or Elizabeth Madley or the great Curtis Tann. The daughter didn't know the name of the teacher.

What is very clear is that she mastered the enameling process as her works compare favorably with some of the best made in California at the time.

This plate measures 6 7/84 inches long x 3 1/4 inches wide and stands 7/8 inches high. It is a classic biomorphic teardrop shape. The background is done in a technique pioneered by Edward Winter and used extensively by Harold Tischler. It has lines in pinkish gold with some hints of green at the rim. The jewels on the top surface make me think of gumdrops and are done in tones of cobalt blue, light blue, chartreuse, yellow and clear! The back is nicely counter-enameled in a greenish gold color. She signed this piece with her initials LE It is likely this piece came from the year 1968 as her other dated pieces I own did which were purchased at the same time. She was a talented artist and in her daughter's words was "was heavily into copper enameling, lapidary craft and gardening". Add this item to your enamel collection today!
Manufacturer: Louise Evans, California  

Louise Evans enamel single candleholder This Mid-century enamel item was created by a woman named Louise Evans, who lived in California. Now deceased, she created this item in the early 1960s. I purchased this from her daughter Lee in late 2007. In her e-mails, the daughter stated that her mother had taken enameling classes in the early 1960s in southern California. Perhaps she worked with Annemarie Davidson or Mary Sharp or Elizabeth Madley or the great Curtis Tann. The daughter didn't know the name of the teacher.

What is very clear is that she mastered the enameling process as her works compare favorably with some of the best made in California at the time.

This single candleholder measures 5 inches wide and stands 1 1/2 inches high. The background is done in a technique pioneered by Edward Winter and used extensively by Harold Tischler. It has lines in pinkish gold with some hints of green at the rim. Over this background are vertical bands of color in hues of blue, 2 shades of green, orange, light blue. One can see the background pattern of lines through these colored panels, truly gorgeous work. The back is nicely counter-enameled in a dark charteuse color. Though unsigned, I guarantee it to be a Louise Evans piece as it was brought directly from her daughter Lee. She was a talented artist and in her daughter's words was "was heavily into copper enameling, lapidary craft and gardening". Add this item to your enamel collection today!
Manufacturer: Louise Evans, California  

Bovano 7" wide covered bowl Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this covered bowl is very unusual for Bovano. Measuring 7 1/4 inches wide, it stands 2 5/8 inches tall without the cover. With the cover it stands about 4 inches tall. All surfaces of the bottom and the cover are enameled except the outside rim of the cover and the brass finial. Done on Bovano's trademark orange background the decoration is abstract and floral using gold outlining for the stems and leaves of the flowers made up of small jewels in pink, orange, yellow tones. Black enamel on the cover provides great contrast. It is in great shape with no chips or dings to the enamel. A very unusual shape for Bovano. There is a gold paper sticker on the bottom. Add it to your MidCentury or American enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Bovano 10 inch 5 Gumdrops ashtray Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this 10 inch wide enamel 4 rest ashtray with a 1960s era pattern features 5 different color jewels on a chocolate brown background. I have named it Gumdrops! Each jewel measures more than one inch wide. The back is done in the typical black counterenamel Bovano uses. It carries the gold paper Bovano label on the back. It is in excellent shape except for a small ding and some minor stress cracks near one of the rests. Add it to your Mid-Century Enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Brower 4 inch square fish dish Before the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano started in 1953, founded by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden, a man named Brower was doing excellent enamel work in Cheshire. He sold his business to the three men who would rename the business Bovano in 1953. His enamels were simpler than what Bovano would produce. The background of the front was often two tone and the back was counterenamled in black. In this small dish, the front is black and white and the back is black. His designs incorporated mostly small jewels which sometimes overlap. He liked to use white enamel jewels as well as red ones and sometimes clear yellow ones. In this 4 inch wide square dish, the design consists of three fish, two white the largest red one and a blue crosshatching like a net. It is in very good condition with only one tiny chip on one front corner. All in all, a great early Mid-Century enamel item.
Manufacturer: Brower, Cheshire CT  

Win Ng 4" blue gold jewel small dish Made by well-known San Francisco artist Win Ng and signed with his name and San Francisco, this beautiful 4 inch wide low bowl is a masterpiece of enamel. A Chinese American gay artist, Win Ng (1936-1991) was the subject of a recent 2005 retrospective at the Chinese Historical Society of America.

Win Ng worked in enamel early on in his career. His primary work was in ceramics and fine art. He later partnered with Taylor to create the well-loved and collectible series of Animal Orgy mugs as well as high end kitcheware which carried the Taylor Ng mark.

This particular bowl has a deep blue and gold flecked background onto which various sizedjewels in shades of cobalt blue, orange, yelow and light blue have been added. The rim the natural copper color. The back was left in its original copper with no counter-enameling and carries his cursive Win Ng signature as well as what I suposse are the Chinese characters for his name. The third photo is the acual one of the back of this piece. The last photo is one of the back of the matching piece I purchased at the same time and clearly shows the Chinese characters. The piece is signed San Francisco across the top of the back, much like the way pioneer California enamelist Jade Snow Wong signed her pieces. The piece is in very good condition and a good early example of Win Ng's career. Add it to your Mid Century enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Win Ng, enamelist  

Bovano set 4 Orange Ray coasters Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this set of 4 3 1/2 inch diameter coasters features what I have named the Orange Sunburst or Ray pattern which consists of alternating rays of colors: orange, gold, a pinkish brown and chocolate brown coming out of a asymmetrically placed focal area of small enamel jewels in the same 4 colors.

The back is done in the typical black counterenamel Bovano uses and the gold circle label which reads Handcrafted by Bovano of Cheshire Conn. Three are in excellent condition and one has two stress marks on the front. There are no chips to the enamel. All in all, a great set to buy and use! Add this set to your Mid-Century Enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Villanti Italy Produced by the Villanti Company of Italy, this 2 rest enamel ashtray shows their distinctive use of heavy thick enamel in a colorblock application. The piece is in very good condition. Put it on a Heywood-Wakefield blond wood table and add a funky accent piece to your Eames era decor. Beautiful blues in this Midcentury Italian piece. Price is for the pair.
Manufacturer: Villanti, Italy  

Villanti Italy 2 enamel pieces Produced by the Villanti Company of Italy, this pair of enamel items shows their distinctive use of heavy thick enamel in a colorblock application. The red piece is in the better condition, with only two area of enamel loss on the back side. The other piece is the first piece I bought and I thought the gray was part of the desired effect but I know better now. This part is in bad shape, as a lot of the enamel on the front has been worn off. Need a piece for target practice. This is it! Use this one as a real ashtray and put the red one on a Heywood-Wakefield blond wood table and add a funky accent piece to your Eames era decor. Price is for the pair.
Manufacturer: Vallenti, Italy