Lucille Cantini 1979 Christmas enamel dish Lucille Cantini 1979 Christmas enamel dish. Lucille Cantini was the wife of Virgil Cantini and an enamelist in her own right.

From Wikipedia:

Virgil David Cantini (1919 -2009) was an enamelist, sculptor and educator. He was well known for innovation with enamel and steel and received both local and national recognition for his work, including honorary awards, competitive prizes and commissions, along with a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1957. Cantini long served as a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh where he helped to create the Department of Studio Arts. A longtime resident of the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Cantini died on May 2, 2009 at the age of 90. Today, many of his large scale works on display throughout the city of Pittsburgh.

Beginning in 1948, Cantini’s artwork gained national exposure when his enamel Masquerade was juried at the 13th National Ceramic Exhibition in Syracuse, New York. In 1953 he was named one of the Hundred Leaders of Tomorrow by Time Magazine. In 1956, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts named Cantini the region’s Artist of the Year. By 1959, Cantini was considered among the most prominent contemporary enamelists, with his work included regularly in New York’s Museum of Contemporary Crafts exhibitions.

This low dish or bowl measures 4 1/8 inch across and stands 1 inch tall. It depicts an abstract stylized Christmas tree with a glowing star at the top. Orange, red, cobalt blue and chatreuse ornaments are on the tree. It is counter-enameled in a typical chartreuse color that Virgil Cantini also often used. It is inscribed Christmas 1979 and L. Cantini.

Add it to your Mid-century enamel or Cantini art collection today.

Circa: 1979
Manufacturer: Lucille Cantini, Pittsburgh, PA  

Tischler small low pink gold bowl signed Measuring 4 1/4 inches wide, this bowl by Mid-Century enamelist Harold Tischler clearly shows the influence of Edward Winter. Like Winter, he studied at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule from 1927 to 1932 under such greats as Michael Powolny and Josef Hoffman. In fact, It is Tischler who is credited with getting Edward Winter accepted into the school, according to the information on page 275 of the Painting with Fire exhibit companion catalog produced the the Long Beach Museum of Art, whose groundbreaking seminal exhibit opened in January 2007.

In 1935, Tischler visited Winter in Cleveland. During the visit he saw Winter's signature enameling method of immersing the metal in liquid enamel to achieve better coating than simply sifting powdered enamel on the surface. Tischler quickly also adopted this methold which accounts for the similarity in design between the two men's works.

His work was featured in the 1970 Edward Winter book called Enamel Painting Techniques. He died in 1993 at age 100.

This piece features pink ground with striations of gold on its front. The back is counter-enameled in robin's egg blue and is signed in white block letters H. Tischler. It is in excellent condition.
Circa: 1932-1993
Manufacturer: Harold Tischler  

Harold Tischler 5 inch square jewel bowl Measuring 5 inches square, this bowl by Mid-Century enamelist Harold Tischler clearly shows the influence of Edward Winter. Like Winter, he studied at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule from 1927 to 1932 under such greats as Michael Powolny and Josef Hoffman. In fact, It is Tischler who is credited with getting Edward Winter accepted into the school, according to the information on page 275 of the Painting with Fire exhibit companion catalog produced the the Long Beach Museum of Art, whose groundbreaking seminal exhibit opened in January 2007.

In 1935, Tischler visited Winter in Cleveland. During the visit he saw Winter's signature enameling method of immersing the metal in liquid enamel to achieve better coating than simply sifting powdered enamel on the surface. Tischler quickly also adopted this methold which accounts for the similarity in design between the two men's works.

His work was featured in the 1970 Edward Winter book called Enamel Painting Techniques. He died in 1993 at age 100.

This piece featuresa yellow background. The center has an asymmetrical array of jewels in colors of red, blue, purple, pumpkin orange, and chartreuse on a pink groiund. The sides have stripes or rays coming from the edge down into the center. The whole plate was probably striped before the pink center and jewels were applied. The back is counter-enameled in green and chocolate brown and is signed by incsing the words H. Tischler. It is in fair vintage condition. As often happens with enamel pieces with sharp corners, there is some wear to the back of the piece at the corners and 2-3 chips at the edge of the back. On the front, three of the corners have no damage and one has a slight loss of enamel. Buy it in not perfect condition and add a piece of Harlold Tischler's work to your collection.
Circa: 1935-1993
Manufacturer: Harold Tischler  

Win Ng 4.5 inch blue jewel small dish Made by well-known San Francisco artist Win Ng and signed with his name and San Francisco, this beautiful 4 3/8 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 sized jewels in shades of cobalt blue, pink, green and red. What is unusual is that the red and blue jewels were fired as a second layer over the first, giving the piece incredible depth. The rim and the back was left in its original copper with no counter-enameling and carries his cursive Win Ng signature as well as the letter number combination B4. The piece is signed San Francisco as well, much like the way pioneer California enamelist Jade Snow Wong signed her pieces. There are some areas on the back of enamel loss due to rubbing, but the front is in excellent condition and is a good early example of Win Ng's career. Add it to your Mid Century enamel collection today.
Circa: 1950-1970
Manufacturer: Win Ng, San Francisco CA  

Bovano set 4 Mulberry jewel 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 Jewel or Gumdrop pattern which consists of alternating rays of colors: orange, gold, a pinkish brown and chocolate brown coming out of 3 asymmetrically placed jewels on a dark blue purple on a deep mulberry purple background. This is a rare color background for Bovano in my opinion.

The back is done in the typical black counterenamel Bovano uses and the gold circle label which reads Handcrafted by Bovano of Cheshire Conn. The labels are faded but present. All are in excellent condition. All in all, a great set to buy and use! Add this set to your Mid-Century Enamel collection today.
Circa: 1954-1964
Manufacturer: Bovano, 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 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  

Annemarie Davidson 6" Grooveline bowl 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 6 inch wide low bowl is unusual for its pattern. It is a very freeform mix of her usual controlled Grooveline pattern and small specks of gold on the red background.

The back of the plate is signed with her charcteristic AD interwined intiails but lacks her usual her paper label which reads Annemarie Davidson handcrafted enamels Sierra Madre California. Every piece was handcrafted by her alone, from start to finish. It retains its original three felt pads. 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  

Annemarie Davidson enamel bowl 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 6 inch wide low bowl is unusual for its motif. It is a two tone overlapping snowflake or American Indian design. This plate features orange and brown areas on a gold background.

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. Every piece was handcrafted by her alone, from start to finish. It retains its original three felt pads. 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  

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 6" Tricolor Confetti ashtray Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this 6 inch wide enamel 3 rest ashtray with a 1960s era pattern I have named Confetti features 2 different color jewels on a standard dark orange background. I have named it Twotone Confetti! the jewels in shades of dark red and a pinkish orange vary in size but are all on the small side. The back is done in the typical black counterenamel Bovano uses. It has the standard Bovano gold paper label and three original tan felt pads. What is even more amazing is that it retains the original label from the Hudson's department store and its original price of $5 which was a good amount in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It is in excellent condition but does have two tiny stress lines on two of the three ashtray rests, not unusual. Add it to your Mid-Century Enamel collection today
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire CT  

Bovano 6 inch Green Sunburst 4 rest ashtray Produced by the Cheshire CT firm of Bovano (started in 1953 by John BOnsignor, Gene VAn Leight and Warren NOden), this 6 1/4 inch wide enamel 4 rest ashtray features what I have named the Green Sunburst pattern which consists of alternating rays of 3 colors (gold, charteuse, teal green) coming out of a asymmetrically placed focal area of small enamel jewels in the same 3 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. The 3 original felt pads are still there. What is unusual about this piece is its basic shape, that being a circle with 2 flanges to the side which give it an Art Deco very geometrice shape. It is the only piece using this shape I have yet found.

It is in very goodoverall shape. There are some tiny areas of chipping to the enamel on the underside of the rim and one area of stress fractures but it presents well. Add it to your Mid-Century Enamel collection today.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Bovano 5" Snowflake blue enamel ashtray Produced by the Cheshire Conn firm of Bovano in the 1960s, this little gem of an ashtray featuers a robin's egg blue background with raised jewels in the pattern of a snowflake. There is a black line which is part of the design which gives the impression of a Christmas ornament. The darker blue enamel jewels have purple jewels among them and at each point of the star. It carries the original Bovano gold paper label on the back. It is in excellent condition. Use it as a bonbon dish or just a great accent piece in your Mid-Century decor.
Manufacturer: Bovano, Cheshire, CT  

Ellamarie and Jackson Woolley #804 Bird/Fish Ellamarie (1913-1976) and Jackson Woolley (1910-1992) are two of the pre-eniment artists who worked in the medium of enamel in the 20th century. They are included in the seminal exhibit of 2007 produced by the Long Beach Museum of Art entitled "Painting with Fire: Masters of Enameling in America 1930-1980". One of only 13 artists to merit a full chapter, information about them can be seen on pages 149-165 of the exhibit catalogue.

Based in San Diego, CA, this husband and wife team first saw enameling in 1947. In an interview Ellamarie stated that they were enamoured of enamel for "the medium’s unique properties, particularly its rich color and layered depth, especially appealing."

The plates which they produced between 1947-1953 were signed and numbered sequentially based on the order they were produced. Modern in their design, the plates were decorated with abstract, figurative, or still-life designs. More than 5000 of these plates were produced between 1948-1953.

Their work was shown in the annual Decorative Arts and Ceramics Exhibition at the Wichita Art Association in 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955 (Ellamarie), 1956 (Ellamarie), 1957 and 1961 (Ellamarie), as well as in the biennial exhibitions of 1968 and 1970. Their work was featured in the seminal Kenneth Bate’s book "Enameling: Principles and Practice", as well as in the 1957 publication by Oppi Untracht titled "Enameling on Metal". From 1954 on, their attention turned to larger works.

This #804 plate was created for Gump’s of San Francisco. It measures 4 5/8 inches in diameter. A vibrant chartreuse background serves to makes the abstract birds and fish POP out on this plate. Done in shades of turquoise, teal, green, orange and purple, these animals are asymmetrically placed around the plate. Counterenameled in a rich speckled green, the signatures are on the copper middle of the back.

An important piece of American enameling art, add it to your Midcentury enamel or art collection today.

Manufacturer: Ellemarie and Jackson Woolley, San Diego, CA