“It would take a lifetime of travel to experience all that the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antiques Show has to offer, all in one place, and all at one time,” state promoters Robert Samuels, Scott Diament and Kris Charmonde in the show’s inch-thick and lavishly illustrated catalog. In just its fifth year, this show puts its money where its mouth is.
Opening for preview on February 15 and running through the following Tuesday, this show is a class act. The promoters have succeeded in filling the Palm Beach County Convention Center with a dazzling assortment of antiques that are about as diverse as is possible. Formal French and English furnishings range from Louis XIV to Thomas Chippendale, while Art Nouveau, Art Deco and just plain old artsy pieces by the likes of Fornasetti fill the eclectic displays around the floor. Jewelry dealers are out in force and the visual feast bedazzles even the most seasoned of shoppers †whether they are seeking a special Patek Philippe watch or a bangle that refracts enough light to make the eyes grow wide.
Yet it is the selection of art that makes those attending the show stop in their tracks. Contemporary nudes offered by Haynes Fine Art of Broadway; the folky works by George Catlin at Alexander Gallery; the Andrew Wyeth watercolors at Questroyal; or the iconic American works at Gerald Peters Gallery that included Augustus Saint-Gauden’s bronze “The Puritan” and Gilbert Stuart’s “Washington at Dorchester Heights.”
Creating a niche for a new venue in a region already teeming with upper-crust venues is no small task, yet it seems to be one that Diament, Charmonde and Samuels have handled, if not with ease, then with finesse. This young show has established itself among America’s premier events and it dubs itself “the largest show of its kind in the United States.”
With an exhibitor list that tops 200, it would be easy to imagine this fair as one that centers around a core of elite dealers and then fills in the edges with bright-eyed faces offering a general line of merchandise. Not so; the dealer list is both deep and broad, with a host of international exhibitors on hand, many of whom had most recently displayed their wares at the prestigious Winter Antiques Show in Manhattan.
This is not, however, a show that is out of touch with the public that it caters to; there is a diverse offering with good stuff for all.
The preview party, a benefit for the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, opened to a moderate-sized crowd of society supporters on Friday at 5:30 pm and then swelled for the 7 pm general opening with the line of anxious shoppers extending throughout the massive entryway and out into the evening air.
The wait to get into the valet-only parking area was 45 minutes and Palm Beach police ultimately closed down access to the lane leading to the center as the line of cars waiting to get into the show brought traffic throughout the entire downtown area to a standstill.
As the show opened, aisles became packed and what has surely become one of the most glamorous social events of the year in Palm Beach was underway. Diament, Charmonde and Samuels sparked the show’s atmosphere when they presented a $25,000 check to the Palm Beach Historical Society as preview got underway. The donated monies will be used to expand the educational programs that will be offered in the soon-to-open Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County Historical Museum.
Booths filled with buyers who seemed to be seriously interested in the merchandise offered, at times making it difficult to view everything that was on display. Heavy crowds continued throughout the show’s run, with manager Charamonde placing gate numbers at upward of 50,000 attendees over the show’s five-day run.
“Sundown” by Andrew Wyeth was attracting a huge crowd of lookers at Questroyal Fine Art, New York City. The painterly image depicting a weathered cape home partially lost in the shadows of the day featured the upper-tip of a fencepost in the foreground on which a sun-lit pumpkin had been placed.
Other works of art in the booth included an 11-by-13-inch oil on panel by Robert Henri titled “Evening Mist, Monhegan,” a pleasing scene depicting the fog rolling in off the shores of the island, $95,000. In startling contrast to the tranquil Henri painting was small oil on board that hung above it, a William Aiken Walker scene of an elderly slave picking cotton, appropriately titled “Cotton Picker,” $23,500. Albert Bierstadt’s oil on paper mounted on board titled “Sea and Sky” was $135,000 and Hayley Lever’s animated oil “Lead to the Post,” a horse racing scene taking place before a packed grandstand, was $95,000.
Godel & Co. Fine Art offered a grand selection of art that included such notable artists as William Glackens’ “Lenna with Chestnuts,” Maurice Prendergast’s “In The Library,” Ernest Lawson’s “Country Farmhouse” and Robert Henri’s pleasing “Portrait of a Boy (Edward H. Bennett Jr).”
A Francis Coates Jones painting that amply captured the wonderment and intrigue of youth, “The Trout Pond,” was at Thomas Colville Fine Art. Featuring a young girl watching a boy fish with his pole crafted from a branch, the large oil measured 30 by 36 inches and was executed in springlike greens making up the meadow that engulfed the kids. The New Haven, Conn., dealer listed “Siesta,” a watercolor by John Wharf, among his sales, priced in the high five figures.
A lively and equally fascinating painting appeared further on up the aisle with “A Timid Bather” by Edward Potthast, a small, 12-by-16-inch oil on board, circa 1918, $345,000, displayed at Clarke Gallery, Newburyport, Mass. Another highlight from the stand was the Maurice Prendergast oil “On The Beach, St Malo,” an 8-by-13-inch oil on panel, $375,000.
“The Prophets: Two Heads of a Bearded Man,” an oil on canvas study for the frieze on the north end west wall at the Boston Public Library by John Singer Sargent, was $675,00 at Childs Gallery, Boston. The painting listed an impressive exhibition history, including the 25th anniversary “Paris International 1865‱945: An Exhibition Showing the Influence of Painting in Paris on European and American Artists” from 1965. Extensively published and with a provenance listing Sargent’s estate to Christie, Mason and Woods in 1925, and with Childs listed as only the fifth owner.
A stunning selection of paintings at Alexander Gallery, New York City, included George Catlin’s “Le Chat d’Ostende,” a folky depiction of a playful cat that bore much of the same technique, wonderment and enthusiasm exhibited in the artist’s later depiction of Native Americans.
On the contemporary scene, Worcestershire, UK, dealer Tony Haynes offered a series of paintings by UK artist Tony Karpinski that created quite a stir. “Reclining Model” and “Stretching Nude” highlighted the selection on view in the stand of Haynes Fine Art of Broadway. Haynes commented that a decade ago the stunning paintings could have been purchased in the $10,000 range; however, they have escalated somewhat †priced at $120,000 and $80,000, respectively.
A favorite stop among the large crowds of shoppers was the stand of Gerald Peters Gallery, New York City, where Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ bronze, “The Puritan,” circa 1899, was priced at $400,000. Stunning artworks were also offered, with Gilbert Stuart’s classic portrait of George Washington stickered at $950,000, N.C. Wyeth’s oil titled “Sheriff” was $1.5 million and a captivating oil of “Blue King (Family Muskhogen †Tribe Seminole)” by Henry Inman was $450,000, although the sale was “restricted to a museum only.”
A Francisco Zuniga onyx caving titled “Desnuda Reclina” was $550,000 at Levis Fine Art, Ossining, N.Y. From the artist’s private collection and having since descended through two private collections, Zuniga’s sculptures were said by the dealer to “simultaneously possess depth, strength, fragility and naiveté.” The gallery reported selling works by Milton Resnick and Budd Hopkins and received a good deal of interest from the crowds. Jim Levis, president of the gallery, indicated that it had been a “six-figure show.”
“Sea Urchin,” an attractive and inviting bronze by Edward Henry Berge, stood at the forefront of the display presented by James Graham & Sons, New York City, while “Young Pan” by Edward McCarten stood against the rear wall. Other bronzes included “Carolina Duck” and “Heron” by Geoffrey Dashwood. A stainless steel and aluminum sculpture, “Thirty-Inch Split Disk” by Roger Phillips that was described by the dealers as “modern, contemporary and abstract,” was among their sales.
“The Spirit of the Dance” by William Zorach was one of several Zorach sculptures displayed by Tom Veilleux, Portland, Maine. “Marguerite,” a bronze standing 20 inches tall and executed in a Modernist fashion, was also displayed. The rear of the booth was filled with a wonderful selection of artwork, including “Cushing Saw” by Jamie Wyeth, “Provincetown” by Marguerite Zorach, “Woman with Flower Pot” by Max Weber and “Vermont Symphony Orchestra Angel” by Rockwell Kent.
A selection of silhouettes and an ornate lighting device by William Hunt Diederich were offered by Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts, New York City. The three graphic silhouette images included “Goat and Hound,” a 4-by-10-inch work, “Ice Skaters” from 1925 measured 8 by 10 inches and “Fighting Goats,” circa 1920, was the largest of the pieces at 11 by 14 inches.
The Diederich lighting device, titled “Mountain Goats” and constructed of sheet metal and wrought iron, was from 1925 and was listed as being in original condition, still retaining the original wiring. The art of Dale Nichols was featured with a large and moody painting titled “Town Hall” occupying the rear wall. The dealers reported the sale of “Rush to the Fire,” circa 1900, by Gilbert Gaul (1855‱919) for $65,000.
Aside from the sculpture that filled the booth of Lillian Nassau, New York City, was the trademark selection of Tiffany lamps for which the gallery has become so well-known. Among the sales reported was “La Frilleuse,” a bronze by Malvina Hoffman that was first cast in 1910 and then recast for the Women’s Club in Princeton, N.J., in the 1960s for its garden. Also sold was an Italian glass vase from the 1950s by Barbarini decorated with jelly fish, sea lions and other aquatic imagery.
Macklowe Gallery, New York City, also had a good selection of Tiffany lamps displayed, although the firm’s stand appealed to collectors on several fronts with its stellar selection of jewelry and Art Nouveau furnishings.
Modern was well represented at the show with a stunning Giotto Stoppino black lacquered sideboard with four red lacquered drawers spanning the width of the case piece providing a stylish look at Odyssey Fine Arts Ltd, London, $15,000. An attractive set of four Murano wall lights were $48,000. A set of four chrome and black lacquered “T” chairs by William Katavolos, Ross Littell and Douglas Kelly were also offered.
A post-Modern cabinet by Bruce Vollz from 1990 was at James Infante, New York City, as was a colorful Fornasetti wall screen. Greg Nanamura sold a Rene Lalique vase from the 1920s at $14,000, an important Josef Hoffmann hand wrought brass vase at $18,000 and a Sieling modern line cabinet for $6,800.
A rare pair of George III pier tables thought to have been made by Thomas Chippendale for Harewood House were attracting attention at the stand of William Cook, Marlborough Wiltshire, UK. “It’s a rare opportunity to own the real thing,” said Cook of the tables. A William and Mary mirrored door cabinet in figured walnut was also displayed and priced $48,000, while a large marble bust “by repute from Stormont Castle in Ireland” was $8,100. Two carved stone eagles were purchased from the dealers, who reported that they will be used on the top of gate posts at a residential estate. Additionally, Cook sold a large mid-Nineteenth Century Baccarat chandelier with a silver bronze frame and a Cuban regency mahogany center table with a highly figured top.
“Tete d’enfant, etude,” a portrait by William Bouguereau, hung on an outside corner wall of the oversized booth occupied by MS Rau, New Orleans, La. The dealers took advantage of a stand that opened on either side of the aisle, as well as a third entrance at the end of the booth where it met the cross aisle, by filling it to the brim with classic selections of American, French and English furniture by makers such as Belter and Linke.
A fine selection of Americana, with some Orientalia mixed in, was displayed at Roberto Freitas, Stonington, Conn. Highlighting the Orientalia was an exceptional Chinese Export famille rose goose tureen that the dealer hinted may well have been the “rarest and most expensive” item in his display. Americana included a handsome four-drawer Chippendale chest.
An exceptionally large pair of Sancai glazed “earth spirits” from the Tang dynasty, circa 618‹06, measured 50 inches tall at TK Asian Antiquities, Williamsburg, Va., and New York City. The dealers listed the sale of a pair of his and her solid gold crowns of superior workmanship and artistry for $1.2 million. The elaborate style of crown was unique to the Khitan people, rulers of the Liao dynasty, and the dealers commented that it is the only known pair. Also sold was a king’s belt in gold and silver from the Liao dynasty for $700,000 and a collection of pure water vessels from the Korean Goryeo dynasty for $250,000.
Asiantiques sold a pair of large Japanese sumi-e screens with black ink on gold leaf from the Eighteenth Century, $45,000; a huanghuali table from the late Ming dynasty, $62,000; and a large wood figure of Bodhisattva with remains of polychrome pigments from the Seventeenth Century for “a hefty five-figure price.”
Jewelry dealers sold well, with A.E. Betteridge placing an important Van Cleef & Arpels tutti frutti bracelet that was stickered well into six figures, as well as numerous other items in the $40,000 to $70,000 range.
Camilla Dietz Bergeron Ltd found that the more important pieces moved easily. The dealer sold a Cartier citrine and diamond bracelet from the 1940s for $45,000; three Schlumberger enamel bracelets for $55,000; gold and diamond earrings from the 1960s for $20,000; and diamond Buccelati earrings for $65,000. Dealer Gus Davis commented that gold is “big” right now and everyday, wearable jewelry pieces are “really hot.”
Elizabethtown, Ky., dealer David Overall was on hand with a stunning selection of porcelains that included an extremely rare platter and reticulated undertray from “the famed Washington Memorial service ordered by Joseph Sims of Philadelphia to commemorate the death of George Washington.” It was stickered at $145,000.
Perhaps the most unusual items †and the manly man’s favorite booth in the show †belonged to Christopher Mitchell, Daphne, Ala. A massive Civil War cannon used at the Battle of Gettysburg filled the booth, $85,000, and equally large Civil War flags covered the rear walls. Capturing a great deal of interest was a flag that had flown at the headquarters of Confederate General Gustavus Smith, until captured, $70,000.
Two lectures daily by dealer experts rounded out this popular event. The next Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antiques Show has been scheduled for February 13‱7. For information, 561-822-5440 or www.palmbeachshow.com .
