Richard White

Three of the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. Assembled by Narcissa Niblack Thorne in the 1930s, 68 'rooms' in total at a 1:12 scale. Not dollhouses, but educational displays showing off interiors of stylized decorative art. The lighting is just remarkable.

An over-the-top Tiffany lamp at the Driehaus Museum in Chicago. Circa 1910, a centerpiece lamp with nautilus shells radiating out from the base. OK!

Large famille rose punchbowl for the export market (China, c1785), at Christie's, Hong Kong, (est. HK$30,000-50,000)

At Crab Tree Farm in Lake Bluff, Illinois. A working farm with interiors filled with Stickley and Arts and Crafts furniture and art. No photos inside (sad emoji), it’s still a private residence.

One of the fireplaces at the Driehaus Museum in Chicago. At first I saw Dune-era David Lynch but now I just see the eyes and mouth open ready for artisan-hewn logs. Late-19th century to match the house, of course, with inexplicable gilt highlights.

Seeing an old friend at the Art Institute of Chicago. It’s large, painted by Ivan Albright in 1943; Mr. Dorian Gray looking a little tough around the edges.

An amazing Tiffany chandelier at the Driehaus Museum in Chicago.

A fine Chinese export bourdaloue (portable chamber pot) in the so-called ‘Pompadour’ pattern. Selling at Sotheby’s New York, today.

An interesting large earthenware pilgrim bottle I got to see last evening at the Glessner House, Chicago. Chelsea Keramic Art Works, 1879, created by Isaac E. Scott. That lizard and bird!

A couple of covered soup bowls on stands up for auction at Sotheby's, New York later this week. Sèvres porcelain, second half of the 18th century. Busy but very rich decoration. I wouldn't mind having an equally rich broth in any one of these on a chilly fall day, either.

This very large life-size stirrup cup sold today at Bonhams NYC for an equally large sum, $14.300. Really beautifully-decorated and quite amazing, only two other examples like this are known to exist. Those eyes!

An impressive Marble Torso of an Emperor, 1st half of the 1st century CE, on view now at Sotheby's, New York. For sale at tomorrow night's auction with an estimate of $8m-$10m. Will have to dig a little deeper in my couch for that much loose change. Ha!

18th century Staffordshire salt-glazed teapots galore, today at Bonhams, New York.

A fine porcelain covered soup bowl with stand made at Sèvres circa 1781. Decked out in pearls along the rims and around the flower bouquets. In the Clark Institute, Williamstown, MA.

On the anniversary of Marie-Antoinette's arrival at 'The National Razor' (16 October 1793) here are pieces from the 'Service de la Reine', registered in the Sèvres archive on 26 August 1784. Plates, bowls and bottle coolers in a finely-decorated and gilt pattern. (Not in my collection; I wish!)

On the left in the image: potters' wheels set within recessed sections of the floor of a room in Kawai Kanjiro's house and studio, Kyoto. Why acquire more furniture or change the harmony if you can create a proper space in the floor? With tools and ceramic examples, too. Nicely-arranged.

Creepy Magazine was a childhood favorite as was Eerie and Famous Monsters of Filmland. I had this issue from 1968, here is the cover. And here I am standing in my backyard at the time near Mainz, Germany holding this very magazine. Some memories just stay with you.

Snuffbox made from Japanese lacquer panels, mounted in gold by François-Thomas Germain (Paris, 1755). At Christie's, Geneva (est. CHF 80,000-120,000) #c18 #c18th #18thc

Just a set of Sèvres large salad bowls, circa 1756-64. 'Saladiers Feuille de Choux', the cabbage leaf pattern, in this case appropriate for what was placed in it. A popular 'everyday' stock design at the time and copied by other factories for decades.

An early Baranóvka porcelain dessert plate in the Sèvres style, circa 1810. Don't know much about the factory; the town it is named after was once in Poland, then Russia and now in the Ukraine. I rather like the swirling flowers radiating from the center; perhaps they're just orbiting a pink rose.

This Japanese porcelain bowl that I photographed in the Kyushu Ceramic Museum is remarkable. Circa 1690-1710, the colors are amazing. Chrysanthemums!

You know someone who creates ceramics lives in this house when you see porcelain in the front window (probably a storefront) and you see undecorated wares stacked in the garage. And perhaps the odd metal attachment on the roof top is for the kiln? Love this. Okawachiyama Village, Japan.

A Japanese bronze vase with animal head curved handles, 19th century. Not sure why I acquired this several years ago, it matches nothing else I own other than, well, another 19th century Japanese bronze vase. But it is remarkable in its own way. And with a touch of science fiction.

Resident of Nara, Japan. If you’ve visited there you know there are many, many more.

Netsuke in the Tokyo National Museum, part of the Prince Takamodo Collection. The skull with the dragonfly draped over it, or perhaps clinging to it, is particularly remarkable.

My brief video of a Shinkansen, or bullet train, arriving in the Kyoto station.

At the Imari Village Aritayaki Traditional Industry Hall in Okawachiyama, Japan. A modern three-tiered porcelain box decorated with cherry blossoms by Sakura Sandanju of the Koretaka Kiln nearby. One of many pieces on display there, each a representative work from each kiln. Lovely decoration.

'Hans Sloane' botanical plate (Chelsea, c1756), George R Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto. This would be the perfect serving dish for (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner this weekend #c18 #c18th #18thc

A set of Japanese dishes with Kakiemon decoration, circa 1700-1730. And a Meissen dish with similar decoration, copying the Japanese 'textile' pattern, circa 1730. Lovely to compare. Now on display in the Kyushu Ceramic Museum, Arita, Japan through December 6th.

The Kamo River in Kyoto, Japan. Went on a 10 mile run along the 23 kilometer pathway along the river and nearly ran over a black snake crossing my path. Glad to find out later it was a nonvenomous ‘crow snake’ indigenous to Japan, though I wasn’t hanging out to photograph it or ask questions.

A circa 1700-1730 European gilt bronze chandelier made with imported Japanese porcelain, mostly 16 tea cups and saucers adapted into candle holders. East meets West, creating a remarkable light fixture. In the Kyushu Ceramics Museum, Arita, Japan.

A fairly large white porcelain Meissen cassowary (made in 1985, a copy of the 18th century original) now residing in a garden in the Kyushu Ceramic Museum. About three or four feet tall but still looks like he's ready to stomp on Tokyo.

The Matsuura railway line linking Imari and Arita in Kyushu, Japan, is a single-car line that connects the two towns. On the Arita station platform are displays of locally-made modern decorative porcelain tiles showing flower designs first made over 400 years ago. My kind of train station.

At the Kyushu Ceramic Museum, where even the bathrooms have porcelain with traditional Japanese decoration.

Old Japanese wall construction display, in an Imari city museum. I love this kind of thing.

Sunset, Imari, Japan. The bridge at the bottom is the location of the loading dock that porcelain was shipped from during the 17th through 19th century.

Okawachiyama Village near Imari, Japan. If you’re going to have 30 potteries making porcelain you might as well have a porcelain bridge, too.

Very large porcelain roosters decorating a bridge entrance. Imari River, Japan.

At the Kira Revolving Sushi Bar in Kyoto. Order what you you want or just grab it off the conveyor belt as it goes by your booth. No Michelin stars here, but that’s not the point. Fun.

A statue of a standing guardian dog at the entrance of a Buddhist temple in Kyoto. Just doing his job. But my western eyes see a very good boy with a ball in his mouth that you’re never ever going to get back, or at least for the next 20 seconds.

Visited the home and studio of ceramicist Kawai Kanjiro, (1890-1966) and now a museum, on a rainy day in Kyoto. Not one, but two kilns on the property, and why not?

Chinese blue and white ceramics (late 17C to #c18 #c18th #18thc) from the collection of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, on loan to Tate Britain from The Hunterian, Glasgow

Two jars with covers in the Tokyo National Museum. From a distance they look like typical creamware sugar bowls from the 18th century or later, but no. Chinese ‘Ding’ ware with lotus decoration, Song Dynasty/11th century! Remarkable.

I have a collection of snuff boxes, but only one of this kind. A 19th century French niello (here, etched silver) rectangular box. I especially like the decoration of meandering grape vines, it's perhaps somewhat understated.