Antiquarius is old, old, old. The weeklong holiday celebration is heralded in by an antiques show the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich created more than a half century ago, initially under the management of storied promoter Russell Carrell.
A key emphasis for the show marking its 52nd year on December 4‶, however, was a bit of rejuvenation. Its theme †What’s Old is New Again †sought to illustrate that antiques can be used as design elements in today’s homes, and there were also activities targeted toward a new generation of collectors in their early 20s to late 30s. Indeed, as more seasoned supporters may have swapped cocktail attire for kerchief and cap following the December 3 gala preview, young collectors dashed off to an after party from 9 pm to midnight at Louie’s Restaurant & Bar in Cos Cob.
A total of 34 antiques dealers showcased a variety of design styles and periods inside the Greenwich Civic Center for the three-day show, now under the management of Josh and Sandy Wainwright, Keeling Wainwright Associates.
Back at home and catching up after the show, Aileen Minor of Centreville, Md., reported that she did okay, selling mirrors, garden architectural pieces, such as a pair of large wooden fluted columns, curtain pins or tie backs and porcelains. “I am finding more and more interest in the antique garden pieces and exceptional decorative items like a huge silvered glass gazing ball in an iron stand that I sold,” she said. “Garden antiques sell year round, so I am incorporating them more and more into my winter show.”
A highlight in her booth was “Menacing Cupid,” a glazed Italian Nineteenth Century terracotta statue of Cupid after Etienne-Maurice Falconet’s (1716‱791) original marble sculpture, circa 1750. The original marble sculpture was done by Falconet for Madame de Pompadour in 1750 and later copied for Catherine the Great. The original is in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. The Italian glazed terracotta version that Minor offered is the same size as the original, 32 inches high by 12 inches wide and 18 inches deep.
Garden décor was also to be found at The Elemental Garden, the business Tracey Young operates in Woodbury, Conn. Set up fronting the entrance to the Civic Center’s Holley Room, Young displayed “Bodacea,” a beautifully patinated bust of the Queen of Celts, 1871, along with many other earthly delights, such an exceptional pair of cast stone lidded urns that had been newly lined. Possibly by Austin and Sealy, the urns were English, circa 1860s. English copper street lanterns, circa 1840‵0, with untouched verdigris patina had nonetheless been restored, and additional statuary included an English patinated cast stone statue of a woman kneeling with a jar, circa 1930s.
At Peter Rosenberg’s Vallin Galleries, Chinese and Asian art and antiques were on view, including a trio of Chinese mythical phoenixes dating from the Nineteenth Century. All displayed the vibrant colors of the famille rose palette, with one pair of the enameled birds shown standing on colorful rockwork and displaying elaborate peacock-type tails, covered with multicolored neck and wing feathers and chicken-type head and combs. The 19-inch-high birds were from Qing dynasty, circa 1875.
Philadelphia dealer David Salkin also filled his booth with Asian art. He sold an interesting pair of wall panels to a Westport, Conn., couple for a Nantucket home. The panels were mid-Eighteenth Century pieces, and entirely untouched †all the original hardware and painted surfaces. A local collector bought a reverse painted image on mirror of a little boy eating a watermelon. It is a classic Chinese fertility wish, and this one was beautifully executed, said Salkin, from early Nineteenth Century Northern China.
“There was significant interest in old porcelain and scholar’s objects by Chinese nationals visiting the show, and I sold several pieces in these categories, which I assume will be repatriated to China,” said the dealer. “It is the first time I have seen Chinese nationals in significant numbers shopping antiques shows outside of New York City. It is a good sign.”
Salkin added that he was pleased by the level of interest expressed by the attendees in his material. “It is, I imagine, one of the most knowledgeable groups of enthusiasts you can find at a show, and it’s a pleasure to discuss design and history with them. Interest in traditional and classic design is readily found on the show circuit, but interest in material that is in its entirely original condition is harder to find. This show seems to be the place for that.”
Fine art is always a magnet category at the Greenwich Antiques Show, and this edition had several fine dealers, including the Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, Conn., Fletcher/Copenhaver Fine Art, Fredericksburg, Md., David Brooker Fine Art, Woodbury, Conn., and Fontainebleau Fine Art, Rowayton, Conn. Jeff and Betsy Cooley presented standout artworks, such as Edmund C. Tarbell’s (1862‱938) “Girl’s Head (Lydia Hatch),” oil on canvas, 20 by 15 inches; Irving R. Wiles (1861‱948), “The Rose,” watercolor and gouache on paper, 8¾ by 6¾ inches; Laura Coombs Hills (1859‱952), “Peonies,” pastel on paper, 23 by 28¾ inches; and John Henry Twachtman (1853‱902), “Brook in Summer,” pastel on gray paper, 11½ by 8½ inches.
Bibi Mohamed of Imperial Fine Books, New York City, brought a selection of first edition treasures, such as a set of Ian Fleming’s novels †all first editions rebound in full black morocco with original covers bound in the rear. Mohamed said that while she noted no particular interest in the books at the show, she was able to sell a few items to a loyal customer, a 24-volume set of Theodore Roosevelt Works, in full morocco with autograph letter, the set of Fleming novels and a nice set of History of India .
The warm glow of antique oak emanated from Hamilton and Helen Merserve’s exceptional collection of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century English oak and country furniture. The Newagen, Maine, couple’s business, Running Battle Antiques, also deals in Nineteenth Century clipper ship and China Trade marine paintings. Among the furniture highlights they showed was a Welsh potboard dresser featuring an open shelved rack with shaped cornice and cuphooks on the upper frieze rail. With a two-plank potboard base, the piece was from South Wales, circa 1790.
An English country table, circa 1800, had a two-plank top over chamfered posts terminating on a block and peg form. It was joined by two short and one long central stretcher. An artwork highlight was a reverse painting on glass by Petrus Cornelis Weyt (Belgian, 1799‱855) of the “Bark Stratira of Newburyport Passing Flushing,” 1841.
“We had a good show,” said Helen Meserve, “selling a Welsh dresser, two pub signs, other smalls and many books from Ham’s marine art collection. Though it was not as good as two or three years ago, no show is, so we were very happy with the results. We sold to new clients, which was a good sign, and saw many old clients, who showed interest but were not buying at the moment. We also are sending photos to several decorators, whom we haven’t seen in awhile. All good signs for an upswing in the market.”
Nearby the Meserves, Michael and Marjorie Whitman sold some candlesticks and hollowware, both copper and brass, to customers. The Fort Washington, Penn., dealers who specialize in metalware, showcased a German lion aquamanile, circa 1400, that rivaled similar examples in the collections of the de Young Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Formal antique furniture is always well represented at this show, and two Woodbury, Conn., dealers †Thomas Schwenke and Gary Sergeant †stocked their respective booths with stellar pieces. A highlight in Schwenke’s booth was a Philadelphia Chippendale transitional mahogany four-drawer chest, circa 1780. With an applied molded top above four graduated, cockbeaded drawers, the piece was further enhanced by figured mahogany fronts, flanked by fluted engaged quarter columns and was raised on bold ogee bracket platformed feet.
For Sergeant, it was a George I⁉I burl walnut bureau bookcase with all the bells and whistles †mirrored doors, pagoda-shaped top, candle slides and fitted top above a graduated drawer case raised on bracket feet.
Silver gleamed inside showcases at Spencer-Marks, the Southampton, Mass., business owned by Spencer Gordon and Mark McHugh. As they do every year, the dealers included among their wide inventory of items a showstopper item guaranteed to excite the crowd. This year it was the World’s Columbian Exposition special order sterling silver tray by Gorham made in March 1893. The masterpiece tray, representing 125 hours of making and then 650 hours of hand chasing representations of Columbia on each corner and dolphins in each of the handles, was “one of the finest America silver trays we have ever seen,” said McHugh.
He observed that show patrons appeared to be people looking for unique gift items for the season. “One couple was in our booth and the wife loved an English sterling Art Deco coffee service with striking ivory handles,” related the dealer. “The husband appeared uninterested and escorted her out of the booth. A few minutes later, he returned with a check and said he wanted to surprise her for Christmas and to wrap up the coffee service.” Other sales highlights were important Tiffany flatware pieces, an exceptional pair of mid-Eighteenth Century English sterling figural salvers and an American rowing trophy from 1867, which featured a figural handle and repoussé river scene of teams racing.
For information, 203-869-6899 or www.antiquarius-greenwich.org , 301-263-9314 or www.keelingwainwright.com .
