“I felt that it was time to change things around, give a shot in the arm to the floor plan, so I did,” Catherine Sweeney Singer said as she stood at the entrance to the Antique Garden Furniture Show and Sale on Thursday, May 6. A record crowd was on hand that day for the annual preview gala of the show and the rare plant sale, sponsored by the New York Botanical Garden, events that give a popular opening to the three-day garden antiques show, May 7‹.
The new design eliminated the stale look of rows of booths by bringing together three booths forming a wall of interesting garden objects, wall decorations and countless accessories. It was set to spark interest, pull people in, and that is just what it did. And coupled with wider aisles, the show had an openness that it lacked before. These changes moved it away from the traditional look of an antiques show and Catherine said she plans to do some more fine tuning before the show celebrates its 20th year in 2012.
Joseph Stannard Antiques of Norfolk, Conn., decorated the back and side walls of his booth with six iron fence panels, American, dating from the Nineteenth Century. He also offered a pair of French grape carriers, old red painted surface, late Nineteenth Century, and showed one of the few well pumps on the floor, a fine French example in cast iron, late Nineteenth Century, with the spout coming out of the mouth of a lion.
Michael Trapp of West Cornwall, Conn., was running a bit behind schedule, however, for good reason. “I have been to Old Lyme, Greenwich, New Canaan and Thimble Island before coming here to finish setting up,” Michael said, noting, “I had to check on some of the garden projects I have going at this time.” At present he is involved in the design and overseeing of about 25 garden projects scattered about the state, in addition to doing several antiques shows. This time out he had a large corner booth, filled to capacity with objects including a long scrubbed top table from Spain, Nineteenth Century, in pine, and an interesting giant plaster capital from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, circa 1880, 6 feet wide, and weighing in at about 200 pounds.
A larger-than-life size lioness and her cub rested comfortably in the booth of Treillage, Ltd, New York City, a French cast sculpture dating from the late Nineteenth or early Twentieth Century and measuring 78 inches long, 34 inches wide and 41 inches high. From southern Holland was a large carved stone trough, Nineteenth Century, 134 inches long, 12½ inches high and 19 inches wide.
Drawing attention in the booth of Aileen Minor, Centreville, Md., was a set of four cast iron armchairs in the Lily of the Valley pattern and produced by Coalbrookdale, each with the English registry mark and dated 1864. On a bench at the front of the booth was a pair of frog-on-a-lily-pad fountains, French, bronze with a good green patina, circa 1910. “According to the holes in the base, they are designed to be mounted facing each other,” Aileen noted.
Many parts of the world were represented by the objects shown in the booth of Barbara Israel, Katonah, N.Y., including a wonderful carved stone well head with wrought iron overthrow, English, circa 1930, that measured just over 70 inches high. The well head was 33 inches high, 31 inches wide and 21 inches inside diameter. Germany was represented by a stoneware figure representing the Applied Arts, circa 1900, 65 inches tall, wearing a classical robe with a sculptor’s tool in the right hand and a palette in the left. Several benches were shown, including a rare cast iron example with a Moorish-style sunburst in the center flanked by plant motif, American, circa 1880, and measuring 46 inches wide, 39 inches high and 24 inches deep.
Judith and James Milne, New York City, made a fine impression at the front of the show, offering a wide range of garden antiques with a good measure of folk art thrown into the mix. An exceptional set of four carved stone pots, overflowing with lush ferns, circa 1920, was offered, and against one wall stood three Nineteenth Century classical figures in old silver leaf surface. A rare set of eight steel Windsor armchairs, circa 1950, made to be used outside, was shown near a pair of unique carved wooden swan saddle holders, circa 1920.
Dawn Hill Antiques of New Preston, Conn., also positioned at the entrance of the show, had a large oil on linen by French artist E. Pateux depicting rabbits, half circle frame measuring 54 inches high and 81 inches wide. A late Nineteenth Century two-part birdcage on stand, French origin, circa 1890, was 64 inches high, 28½ inches wide and 18 inches deep, and among the garden seating furniture shown was an ornate pair of American cast iron settees in the Renaissance scroll pattern, circa 1900, 44 inches wide.
Finnegan Gallery of Chicago was the third booth forming the redesigned entrance to the show, with a Victorian cast iron and wood slatted garden bench just inviting people to come in and have a seat. This bench, of Aesthetic Movement design, dated circa 1875 and was in old green with white painted slats. Dating from the late Nineteenth Century was a French cast stone statue of a winged Eros with remnants of a bow still evident. It sported a fine weathered surface.
Antique American Wicker, Nashua, N.H., offered a large suite of Heywood Wakefield Wicker Furniture, Gardner, Mass., circa 1915. Pieces included three three-seat sofas, two armchairs, a chaise, sofa table, two side tables, a drink stand and a pair of lamps. Of interest was an example of “Grotto” furniture, so-called after the fashion for building shell-encrusted grottos from the Seventeenth Century. This matched set of chair, settee and fern stand, Venetian origin, dated from the late Nineteenth Century. “I told Catherine that all we were missing was a goldfish bowl with a fish in it for the fern stand, and she appeared with one the next day for us,” James Butterworth said.
A pair of large cast iron fence posts, green painted surface, Pennsylvania origin, circa 1880s, was displayed at the front of the booth of Kimball & Bean, Architectural and Garden Antiques, Woodstock, Ill., along with a pair of turn-of-the-century terra cotta figural urns on large plinths, with lion paw feet and measuring 60 inches tall. The urns were manufactured by Northwestern Terra Cotta Co.
Measuring close to 8 feet tall was a four-panel wrought iron gate of Philadelphia origin, 1890, in the booth of Jeffrey Henkel, Pennington, N.J. At the front of the booth was a pair of Art Deco-style cast stone vessels, round and shallow, circa 1930, and from Chicago.
Oceanside, N.Y., exhibitor Joan Bogart brought a variety of objects to the show; some small, such as doorstops, and some large, such as the Salterini tree that measured about 6 feet tall, original condition, and fashioned to hold ten pots of plants. Salterini was the premier maker of wrought iron furniture in New York during the period 1928‱953. Measuring 6½ feet tall was a Twentieth Century cast stone figure of Neptune, possibly once part of a fountain.
Francis J. Purcell, Inc, Philadelphia, had a small school of fish swimming about in an octagonal cast iron aquarium with glass panels, a central fountain, footed on an ornamental ball with cattails and foliage decoration. Three cranes were lending to the support of the aquarium, a J.W. Fiske, Park Place, N.Y., signed piece. It measured 4 feet 6 inches high, 3 feet 3 inches wide. The back corners of the booth showed a rare pair of English or French cast iron torchieres dating from the early Twentieth Century, 8 feet 6 inches tall. In the original condition with old white painted surface, they had a rich neoclassical decoration. Flame glass globes were the only replacement.
Probably the largest urn in the show was in the booth of Mark Morris of Wadsworth, Ohio. Of cast iron and dating from the late Nineteenth Century, it was made by Stewart Iron Works, American, excellent condition, with the original handles and decoration. An equally large fountain, cast iron from the Sweeney Bros Foundry, Jeffersonville, Ind., dated circa 1900 and was in excellent original condition.
Variety is the trademark of the Village Braider Antiques, Plymouth, Mass., and this booth was ample proof. A cast iron wall sundial, dated 1849 and made by James Scott, Providence, R.I., was properly hung, with a large pair of cast stone lions resting on the floor nearby. A wooden swing set, two benches on stand, circa 1915, in perfect working condition, was painted a bright green and orange and ready for any yard. Ready to serve many uses was an industrial cart dating from the late Eighteenth century, wood with large iron wheels and steel top.
Linda & Howard Stein, Solebury, Penn., had a set of perforated metal garden furniture, circa 1950, with curved back and in excellent condition, and among the cast stone pieces was a two-part birdbath with fluted base, circa 1930.
Once part of the décor of a hunting lodge in Belgium was a large pair of reclining stags, circa 1900, shown in the booth of R.T. Facts, Kent, Conn. These cast stone pieces were of fine quality and retained an old white painted surface.
To be sold only as a set were eight pencil and watercolor drawings of amaryllis, all the same species but different varieties, shown in the booth of The Red Horse Antiques, Bridgewater, Vt. Each watercolor was dated, either 1846 or 1847, and signed by the artist, E. Marchand of Enghien, Belgium. Furniture in the booth included a pine serving table with traces of the original gray paint on the top, English, circa 1850.
All three days of the show offered special events that were included in the price of admission. Topics such as Cast in Stone, Interior Design, Using Architectural Elements, Living with Ancient Stone, Garden Ornament and American Wicker were all on the schedule this year, presented by some of the exhibitors, including Bruce Emond, Steve Abeles, Ray Attanasio, Beau Kimball, James Butterworth and Catherine Sweeney Singer, the show’s director.
This year the New York Botanical Garden is presenting “Emily Dickinson’s Garden: The Poetry of Flowers,” the annual spring exhibition in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, on view through June 13.
