For the fourth year in a row, antiques dealers set up beneath pristine white tents erected among the 36 acres of flowering gardens of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society surrounded by acres of water meadows of the Charles River. The Elm Bank property is good looking, and the show is handsome.
This year, 90 dealers, down about 20 from last year, greeted the Saturday morning surge of visitors. Marvin Getman is a meticulous show promoter, and dealers are confident that he publicizes his shows and draws strong crowds. The little extras he does also mean a lot. Getman dropped the entrance fee from $10 to $8 this year; on Sunday it was down to a modest $5. His plan worked: the gate on Sunday was up over last year.
Getman estimates that of the dealers in this year’s show, 90 percent have been there since the beginning. Several days after the show, Getman described it as “one of the nicer looking events I’ve had at that location.”
Crisply painted white country furniture, ceramics and other smalls were irresistible to buyers who visited the booth of Au Ciel Studios of Black Rock, Conn. Beds, chairs, cupboards and cabinets, tables and stands in varied shades of white, some with subtle decoration, provided an amazing display. Proprietress Erica Haba was completing sales as we visited. She adorned various smalls, including a mercury glass ball set in a basket, with charming vintage hat flowers, which were included in the purchase price.
Most dealers were enthusiastic about the show. One unidentified dealer from Munich, Germany, who also lives in the Boston area, said he visits the Elm Bank show every year because it is such an impressive event.
Beth and Gary Bardsley of Sudbury, Mass., had fine furniture and accessories. A sleek circa 1820 English mahogany dining table with rope twist legs formed two demilune tables or could open to a full table of 82 inches †fine for empty nesters who downsize to smaller spaces but want to maintain elegance. A Biedermeier chest had distinct bone escutcheons and an English rosewood tea poy had fancy carving to the legs.
Dunstable, Mass., dealer Dan Mullen, who operates Aran Antiques had a Japanese Art Deco cocktail set in gold lacquer comprising a shaker and 12 glasses. Two palace vases also attracted interest. He emailed Getman post-show that he had “a great show.”
Dark Flowers of Haverhill, Mass., had a generous selection of vividly colored and patterned plates, bowls and jars painted in the Art Nouveau style of artist Alphonse Mucha, along with an entire table full of Art Deco pitchers and a group of pieces by Consolidated Glass. There was also an eye-catching parrot vase made in Limoges. Dealer David Weidner said he was gratified by the numbers of return buyers who made for strong sales across the board.
One visitor spied a fine ruby ring for sale from Moonstone Antiques but hesitated. She called Getman a day or two after the show to track down the Mansfield, Mass., dealer. He put them in touch and the sale was consummated.
Robert Trites and Laura Schoene of Red Rock, N.Y., brought along an array of porch and garden furniture that included five, six-strand rattan pretzel chairs, cast iron garden benches and garden figures. The centerpiece, however, was a Black Forest oak mantel, circa 1900, that was made for a home in Pittsburgh and was carved with birds and dogs.
The booth of Amesbury, Mass., gallery Interiors with Provenance was filled with fine Oriental rugs set off with a few carefully chosen pieces of furniture. Kenny March and Deb Gott showed a Nineteenth Century William and Mary-style walnut bench, a Queen Anne wingchair in leather upholstery and a Queen Anne bench with a needlepoint seat. In discussing the show, Gott said, “We love Marvin’s shows!”
Steele and Steele of Middletown, R.I., had sold stickers sprinkled around the booth. A sold tag hung from a Canadian pine bench carved with a heart. Furniture and garden related objects, like urns and jardinières that resonated with the setting, went easily to new homes. A carved and painted French Canadian bird was awaiting a new nest, as were several hanging cupboards and some painted boxes.
Abroms Antiques and Jewelry enjoyed steady traffic in pursuit of vintage and estate jewelry. The Medway, Mass., dealer also showed Mid-Century Modern enamel jewelry by German silversmith Karl Schibensky, who created enameled pieces in deep colors and geometric designs.
Pittsford, N.Y., clock gallery Standard Time and Lighting had a dandy Connecticut eight-day shelf clock by Williams, Orton and Preston with two eglomise tablets. A circa 1930 English “granddaughter” eight-day clock with Westminster chimes was housed in a well-defined grained oak.
A double Noah’s Ark with the ark and the animals before and after the flood attracted keen interest in the booth of Baltimore dealer Marvin Wies. Other folk art included a group of painted Dancing Jiggers, decoys, boxes and prints, as well as a curious Philippines carved wood figure of St George slaying the dragon, which Wies estimated at between 100 and 200 years old.
The 1907 Georgian revival manor house, the centerpiece of the former Benjamin Pierce Cheney property, was unavailable this year because of health department concerns (mold, apparently). Instead, the far less glamorous Education Building was called into service. A Mid-Century marvel of 1950s cinder block walls and terrazzo flooring, the building was converted to a pleasant exhibit space. Utilitarian halls and classrooms were hung with white curtains and ten dealers set up shop.
Glenbrook Antiques had its own spacious arena suited to its room settings. A fine Sheraton slant front desk with reeded columns had an interior fitted with a bank of drawers, and a Classical card table for sale was attributed to Duncan Phyfe. Glenbrook also had a fine Nineteenth Century kettle stand, a Regency work table with a slide out writing surface and a slide out game board and a selection of hall lanterns. A Nineteenth Century Scottish oak armoire was accompanied by a matching dressing table in the same fancy wood grain.
Luscious pearls, set out with other fine beads, were for sale from Armen Amerigian of West Bridgewater, Mass., who also showed a selection of excellent Asian porcelain for which he is known. Voorhees, N.J., dealer Bernice Conn had some appealing enamel boxes among the fine smalls she offered and sales were good.
Kairos Gallery of New York showed a Seventh to Ninth Century Tang dynasty pottery figure with a bird that had been in storage for 64 years. A pair of Qing dynasty figures was for sale with a miniature scholar’s rock and a Ming dynasty Buddhist stone altar. A Nineteenth Century Korean blanket chest was secured by a fish form Eighteenth Century lock from Korea or Northern China.
Crone’s Collectibles, a stalwart of Getman’s shows, has relocated from Cape Cod to Northwood, N.H. Meg Chalmers and Judy Young had a busy booth and a good show, as a number of their regular clients came to check their wares and buy.
Japanese prints, Tibetan metal ware, a Chinese cabinet and an Indian mu wood table with bone inlay were available from Robinson House Antiques of Westwood, Mass.
At the entrance to the Hunnewell Building, the carriage house for the former Cheney-Baltzell estate, keyboardist Lou Yelle played for the entertainment of dealers and visitors. He is a fixture at Getman shows. Inside, his wife Jan attended the booth the Methuen, Mass., dealers filled with choice estate jewelry.
The booth of East Amherst, N.Y., dealers J&M Antiques occupied an entire wall and wrapped around the corner of the Hunnewell Building. Jerry and Marsha Ritch had arranged their objects in room-like settings, with related objects. An apothecary chest with a fine surface was paired with a 1950s or so cowhide doctor’s bag treated to look like alligator. Such bags were given by the Upjohn pharmaceutical company to graduates of American medical schools only, according to Jerry Ritch. He added that they are sometimes today used as handbags.
A Pennsylvania Federal cherry corner cabinet from about 1810 was most desirable, as was a New England Sheraton cherry and tiger maple desk. Both Ritches were pleased with the show traffic; Marsha Ritch pronounced it a “wonderful crowd.”
Marshfield dealers Camille Buda and Matt King were making sales †they had cleared out an entire case of tie backs.
For information, www.neantiqueshows.com or 781-862-4039.
