Pottery, Porcelain & Ceramics Expo

OLD GREENWICH, CONN.

:"The idea of an exclusive and all-inclusive Pottery, Porcelain and Ceramics Expo came to me over a year ago," explained Vivien Cord, whose inaugural event - the first of its kind in the area - wrapped up on December 11.

The two-day show mounted by Cord Shows Ltd of Armonk, N.Y., assembled nearly 30 dealers inside the Greenwich Civic Center with a broad and varied exhibition of merchandise ranging from formal china place settings to collect to alien forms of fused and fired clay that virtually defy description.

The show's concept took awhile to gestate, according to Cord, who, with partner Ed McClure, runs a number of general antiques shows in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y., throughout the year. She started by assuming that she and McClure could rely on their list of regular dealers who would be willing to cull their merchandise for this unique event. "The show list was growing slowly when, out of the blue, as a result of seeing an ad, Paul Katrich - a young, well-known studio potter - called us from Michigan," recalled Cord. "Paul suggested that we contact Patti Bourgeois, president of the American Art Pottery Association [AAPA]."

Cord said that Katrich's popularity with antique ceramic collectors quickly became evident when she announced that he would present a talk on collecting art pottery and would be offering his own work for sale. "We suddenly became more important in the eyes of an entire collecting community," said the show promoter.

For his part, Katrich said he personally found the show a pleasant experience. "The merchandise was varied and interesting, and much was quite affordable," he said. "In fact, I purchased two antique items for my personal collection - an American Indian pot and a West German vase."

Adjacent to Katrich's booth, the AAPA had set up a special display dealing with "Fakes, Reproductions and Knockoffs" to educate dealers and collectors on the perils of being taken in by counterfeit merchandise. Maintained by Bourgeois, the association's president, the collection had been assembled over past years from pieces donated by members who were taken in by them. "The exhibit seemed very popular," said Katrich. "I heard comments about its educational value throughout the weekend."

Education was not limited to the fakes exhibit. Katrich, a masters-certified archivist and degreed art historian, spoke on "Collecting & Enjoying Art Pottery" in a free seminar on Saturday. "I thoroughly enjoyed being the guest lecturer, and was surprised and delighted by the turnout," said Katrich. "We had arranged for about 35 people, and we actually ran out of chairs and had to bring more. More antiques shows should provide such events, as visitors always seem to turn out." Indeed, two of Katrich's clients flew in from Detroit just to surprise him.

The ceramist is unique in the trade in that antiques collectors appreciate and buy his luster pottery, which, although contemporary, evinces the timeless aesthetic of the ancient Middle Eastern practice of utilizing metalized glazes, a craft that was rekindled by Nineteenth Century ceramists. At the same time, new and young collectors are drawn to the bright, iridescent colors and visually arresting forms that complement contemporary home decors.

"I was quite pleased with my own sales, as I began with 21 vessels, and had only nine left at the show's conclusion," said Katrich. "The two most important vases, titled 'Midsummer Nights Dream' and 'Golden Sea,' each priced at $1,700, found ready purchasers."

Also generously providing guidance, according to Cord, was Bourgeois, who in addition to leading the AAPA, operates Patti's Past Perfect Pottery, Westport, Mass., with partner Don Gill and had a display at the show. Bourgeois is one of the country's foremost authorities on American pottery, specializing in Ohio pottery, such as Roseville, Weller and Rookwood. At the show, she also provided restoration advice to attendees who brought in pottery for evaluation.

"The show looked absolutely beautiful," said Bourgeois. "The caliber of dealer was high, so it was not a surprise that the quality of the show was over the top." Acknowledging that attendance was not as robust as expected, Bourgeois nevertheless pointed out that there were buyers at the show. "We sold a number of mid- to low-range pots, including some North Carolina chrome red pots, which are very popular at this time," she said. "We sold some McCoy pottery, some Japanese match holders, some midline Roseville, Red Wing and Weller."

Snowbirds will find Patti's Past Perfect Pottery at the Fifth Annual Florida Winter Antique & Collectible Art Pottery Show & Sale, which will be conducted January 27-29 at the Maitland Civic Center, just outside Orlando, Fla.

Also specializing in American art pottery, Barbara Gerr and Arnie Small of Absecon, N.J., had sent complimentary show passes to their customers who live in the New York metropolitan area. "We sold a few good pieces to them," they said. "Some of our more notable sales were a rare Roseville Futura Michelin Tire vase, a 16-inch Wheatley matte green floor vase and a large decorated Pillin bowl. This was a beautiful show, filled with a wide variety of pottery, porcelain and ceramics."

Indeed, variety was covered in spades - often within the same booth. At La Galeria, Midlothian, Va., owner Rod Ganser displayed a Rookwood scenic vellum nocturnal landscape, 1916, which originally came from the Glover collection in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ganser sold the vase to a woman who collects artist-signed Rookwood. And, briefly, before they were purchased and spirited away by another dealer during setup, a pair of abstract sculptures by Irving Poole, circa 1979, looked like alien life forms one would encounter at the bottom of the sea. Poole, who taught at Sarasota Art School in the late 1970s, has made no pottery since the early 1980s, so his pieces are sought after. An experimental piece by Robert Sunday of Illinois at La Galeria was titled "Volcano," a 71/2-by-111/2-inch piece featuring enamel geometric designs.

"I loved the show - it had quality dealers with quality merchandise, and it had a great promoter," said Ganser. "Unfortunately, the attendance was not what we hoped it would be in spite of an enormous amount of advertising. We need to get Manhattanites to the show."

This was Jim Kaufman's first Cord show as an exhibitor, and he noted that he was very impressed by the professionalism of the promoter. The Dedham, Mass., dealer of Dedham pottery reported sales both days that made the show a financial success for him. "My sales included a finely painted $500 artist-signed Dedham Pottery Crab plate to an advanced collector who came to the show from New Jersey," said Kaufman. "I also sold a Dedham Pottery Polar Bear plate to a sophisticated dealer who attended the show. My largest individual sale was three Rabbit decorated pieces at $750 to a local ceramics collector, constituting his first Dedham Pottery acquisitions."

Chinese Export, popular in the Nineteenth Century for export to the English and American markets, was abundant at Mimi's Antiques, Columbia, Md., where owner Peter Stiltz observed, "For a first-time show, it went fairly well. I made two good sales totaling $5,000. I am confident that this show will grow annually and be known as a good show to attend by pottery and porcelain collectors."

A highlight at Appleton Manor, New Ipswich, N.H., was a hand painted 47-piece place setting of Imperial Stone China by John Ridgeway, circa mid-Nineteenth Century. Joe Fionda, who operates the business with his wife, Bobbie Davis-Fionda, also pointed out a rare piece of Royal Doulton, a three-handled jug, circa 1883, based on Isaac Walton's fisherman theme. "These figural pieces are hard to come by and bring serious money," said Fionda.

Bill Miner of The Farm, Duanesburg, N.Y., had culled through his general line of antiques to bring to the show examples of Rookwood, majolica, some Flow Blue, Indian and art pottery. "I sold a factory Roseville Imperial lamp with a great glaze treatment, two wonderful Rookwood matte glaze pieces from the 1920s, a spongeware platter and a few other pottery pieces," said Miner. "I also purchased a great rabbit ware plate for my wife's collection."

Miner offered his perspective on the concept of a specialized pottery, porcelain and ceramics show, which he believes is excellent and will need to be nurtured for a few years to become a commercial success. "The dealers that participated brought an excellent array of merchandise; the quality was top notch," said Miner. "It appeared that we had some experienced collectors, but also a substantial number of novice collectors interested in starting or adding to modest collections. Attracting new collectors obviously is vitally important to expanding the market. The show was never mobbed, but there was a steady flow both days. This allowed the dealers the opportunity to share their knowledge with many of the interested newcomers who had lots of questions and seemed to really appreciate the time dealers were able to spend with them. I think Vivien did a great job promoting this show. As collectors learn that the show is a great place to add to their collections, I'm sure it will flourish in the years to come."

Rufus Foshee, an authority on Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century English and American pottery, filled his lighted showcases with his trademark mocha ware in a variety of colors and forms, spongeware, creamware and pearlware." I sold some very nice pieces of creamware and pearlware," said the Camden, Maine, dealer. "The show is hopeful, with rethinking and long-term planning for the next one. Much more work is needed by participating dealers and by management."

High-end Rookwood, such as a 1916 103/4-inch artist signed vase by Charles J. McLaughlin, along with Bennington stoneware and spongeware, were among the treasures on view at Sweet Pea Antiques of Bennington, Vt. Owners Jerry and Sue Kline also showcased the Schiffer book they co-authored with Cheryl Wehrspaun on Florence Ceramics (200½002), as well as a good selection of the colorful figurines, mainly lovely ladies in elegant gowns decorated in great detail - sometimes with real lace covered with ceramic - that were produced in the 1940s into the 1960s in Pasadena, Calif.

Porcelain and glass dealer Hope Aria of Hope's Antiques, Stamford, Conn., displayed an unusual figural porcelain teapot by Irina Zaytceva and a rarity from the Victorian era - a Royal Doulton Aquarius water pitcher that swiveled on a cast iron stand to pour milady's wash water.

Cara Antiques, Langhorne, Penn., was "Majolica Central," with an unbelievable variety of English and Continental pieces. Richard and Constance Aranosian's colorful display of Clarice Cliff pieces was also a visual magnet at the entrance to the civic center's Bush Room. Said the Aranosians, "There were many fine dealers with excellent merchandise, and whether it was the time of year, the weather or general lack of interest, attendance was very low and buying suffered as a result. We think Vivien Cord put on a lovely show and the losers were the public, which did not come to see it. We believe a ceramic show like this is needed and hope Vivien will find a way to promote one again."

The Aranosians - and enthusiasts - are in luck. Cord said that while she and McClure wished more people had come to witness the scope of the merchandise and the beauty of the displays, they are moving ahead with plans for next year. "We realize that the fault was not with the show, but the sign of the times in our industry," said Cord. "We think the highlight of the weekend was the willingness of the dealers to share their enthusiasm and knowledge with the public. Everyone who left had to have gained something positive from the experience. If they were not carrying a package this trip, they most certainly will return next year."

For information, 914-273-4667 or www.cordshows.com.