As thunder repeatedly shook the building, the lights repeatedly blinked off, then back on again, and torrential rain beat off the roof, the dealers taking part in the Litchfield County Antiques Show cast a worrisome eye toward the windows at the far end of the display area. Who would come out to an antiques show in such a mess?
In typical fashion for the lower Berkshires, the storm hovered for a while over the mountain gap that extends westerly from the Housatonic River, then moved on. Also in typical fashion, the locals merely waited out the torrential rains and then went about their business. The business on hand for the evening? A benefit preview party taking place at this, the 12th Annual Litchfield County Antiques Show, June 27 and 28. And, albeit somewhat later than expected, the show attracted one of the largest crowds witnessed in recent years.
Just under 40 dealers were on hand for the handsome show, one of three under the management of the Antiques Council. A pleasing event, merchandise was diversified with items spanning several centuries ranging from Seventeenth Century Oriental porcelains to a more recent watercolor by recently deceased Andrew Wyeth.
Americana is a strong point of the show, with a good selection of formal furniture presented by several of the region’s top dealers; country furnishings were also prevalent.
Arthur Liverant presented a spirited booth, with the door to his New London County Chippendale applewood secretary desk swinging open and closed, seemingly all by itself. “It’s not haunted,” he humorously noted as the door swayed with the breezes provided by one of several large fans circulating air through the show.
A rare Shaker harvest table spanned the front of the booth, with its massive one-board top measuring at least 8 feet in length tastefully offsetting the simple turned legs and skirt. Liverant attributed the table to the Canterbury community and dated it circa 1810. Although there was plenty of room to display a number of items on the table’s top, the dealer placed a single impressive item, a monumental oval burl bowl with elongated shaped sides and carved handles.
First-time exhibitor Roberto Freitas American Antiques, Stonington, Conn., was on hand with a stellar selection of furniture, accessories and paintings. A pair of fanback Windsor side chairs, Rhode Island, circa 1785, were attracting attention from the rear of the booth, while a nice pair of bow back armchairs were positioned at the forefront. Also displayed was a bold Chippendale mahogany bonnet-top secretary desk, circa 1790, that was believed to have been made in New York.
Crossing over from formal offerings into the realm of country furniture, Freitas offered a show-stopping green painted blanket chest with a decoration similar to a peacock pattern emblazoned across the front. The dealer attributed the chest to New England, but believed that it had strong ties toward pieces having been made in Maine.
Several nice weathervanes were set amid a selection of country painted furniture in the stand of A Bird in Hand, Florham Park, N.J. A horse and jockey in a verdigris surface was prominently displayed, as was a running horse weathervane. A large architectural ornament in the shape of a lion’s head dominated one wall, while a selection of nature’s lesser dominant animals †ducks †were displayed on the opposite wall through carvers’ interpretations as waterfowl decoys.
Another weathervane of interest noted on the floor was an unusual gilded copper banner vane with a weighted “pointing hand,” circa 1860, that was offered by Cunha-St John Antiques, Essex, Mass. Also displayed was a pair of nicely painted wall-mounted barber poles, and a folk art painted patriotic shield that served as a flag holder.
Featured on one outside wall of the booth of Jeff Cooley, The Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, Conn., was a monumental painting titled “Gentleman’s Ride, Outside Albany” by William Van Zandt. The majestic painting depicted two gentlemen riding in a carriage in a wonderfully executed landscape. A closer look revealed the masterful depiction of the horses drawing the carriage, something that the artist is quite well known for, according to Cooley.
Other paintings on display in the stand included an attractive Connecticut scene, “Mianus River, Cos Cob, Conn.” by Leonard Ochtman, an oil on panel landscape from 1845 by John White Allen Scott titled “Travelers in the Wilderness,” and “Still Life with Fruit,” an oil on board from 1864 by Paul LaCroix.
“These are extremely rare and I recalled that we had sold one many years ago,” stated Susan Stone, Eve Stone Antiques, Woodbridge, Conn. Although she was sure it was not the same one that the dealer had previously offered, a lift of the lid of the rare mid-Nineteenth Century brass wedge-form cheese box revealed a small tag still affixed to the inside lid that stated “one of a pair.” “Isn’t that amazing,” she commented in regard to the chances of discovering the mate to the previously sold box after a couple decades. The rare box was fitted with a lock clasp as cheese was a coveted food that the master wanted to have kept away from servants, according to Eve Stone.
A selection of ship’s woolies were displayed at Earle Vandekar of Knightsbridge, New York City, along with numerous nautical theme paintings. Fine porcelains were also abundant, including a Sevres-style Chamberlain Worcester dinner service in an attractive pale blue with a red and white floral pattern.
New to the show was local Kent dealer Eckert Fine Art, with an eclectic offering of materials that ranged from Andrew Wyeth’s watercolor “The Dormer Window, Cushing, Maine,” from 1941, to an attractive folk art album quilt that was inscribed “Made by the First Society of Spiritualists, November 1865.” The quilt was decorated with appliqué patriotic shields, baskets, boots, symbols of local trade, flowers and an elephant, with an extra piece of material that served as a floppy ear.
The next show conducted by the Antiques Council will be the annual Nantucket August Antiques Show, July 31 through August 2.
For further information, 860-567-0613, email lcas@optonline.net or www.antiquescouncil.com .
