The Pound Ridge Historical Society Antiques Show on November 25–26, now in its 32nd year, continues to impress.
With just over 50 dealers, the compact and attractive show filled two gymnasiums at Fox Lane High School, with a handful of dealers spilling into a common hallway connecting the two rooms. The show, scheduled over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, offered buyers a respite from turkey leftovers and a chance to burn off the calories while indulging in the thrill of the hunt for the perfect antique.
Show promoter Martin Greenstein of The Last Detail Antiques Show Ltd, now in his fourth year managing the event, has perfected the art of crafting an antiques show that offers a diverse and balanced collection for shoppers to inspect.
“The show went well, the most distinctive remarks made were how good looking the show was,” the ever-busy Greenstein said, sounding a little tired three days postshow and gearing up for a new opening at his art gallery, River Stone Arts in Haverstraw, N.Y.
Saturday’s gate was up 20 percent from the previous year, he said, and though final figures were not in yet on Sunday, he felt while not as strong as Saturday, Sunday was a good day.
Grace Packer, Bridgeport, Conn., is known for Victorian silver plate, of which several important examples were on display in her booth, but it was a stunning and monumental brilliant-cut glass period lamp, circa 1880–90, in a daisy and button pattern with a mushroom shade that caught the eye. “I haven’t seen one of these in this size in 15 years,” she said. The lamp, which she purchased at auction years ago, was intact with all its original prisms.
Carlo Giovannelli of Giovannelli Fine Art, New York City, said he sold several small paintings and while strong interest in a few valuable pieces on display had not yet materialized into sales, he was looking forward to participating in next year’s show.
Watercolors found favor with buyers at Melissa Bourque Antiques, Garrison, N.Y., which sold four watercolors including a pair of miniatures and a schoolgirl watercolor of a pear. Bourque reported interest in her tiger maple server and tiger maple four-drawer chest.
Yesterday’s Luxuries, Hamden, Conn., had a great show selling a late Eighteenth Century camel back Chippendale style sofa, a good deal of sterling silver, chandeliers and lighting. Smalls did very well, Bob Voss said.
“It was a good show, well rounded. There was literally something for everyone’s interest,” he said. “It was good to see many return customers and we made many new ones.”
Marilyn Saland Antiques, Scarsdale, N.Y., wrote down sales across the board including a fine oil painting, a Federal mirror, a Chinese bench, a child’s armchair, crystal and gilt candelabra, silver and smalls.
Willingham Antiques & Interiors, LLC, Cos Cob, Conn., did well with needleworks, selling an English silk on silk embroidery of a horse with wonderful movement dating to the mid1800s and a pair of early English needleworks depicting spring and autumn. New to the trade, dealer Suzanne Branch also wrote up sales of English Aesthetic Movement transfer ware platters, lusterware and brass. Living in a historic house near the landmark Bush-Holley House has been a source of inspiration and what originally set her down the antiques business path.
Among the most noteworthy sales by At Home en Provence, Montauk, N.Y., was a three-piece set of two chairs and table hand carved from tree trunks, circa 1940s from Argentina. Bruce and Deborah Phillips of Fair Trade, Inc, Shelburne Falls, Mass., showed several wonderful pieces in their booth including a Deco-style rosewood wardrobe, circa 1940s, with a beveled mirror and unusual ripple carving. The firm specializes in Nineteenth Century Anglo-Raj and Colonial British furniture, lighting and architectural elements.
S. Wyler Inc, Greenwich, Conn., scored with silver and decorative accessories, especially porcelain. Sales included a Victorian oak and silver plated salad bowl with a porcelain liner and decorated with a pair of lion’s heads to a buyer, who also took matching salad servers; an Eighteenth Century Georgian silver tankard and several pieces of Chinese Export porcelain.
Henry and Nancy Fender, Glen Cove, N.Y., specialize in giltwood mirrors and library furniture. At the show, they prominently featured several mirrors including a convex example with an eagle form typical for the Regency period, said “Hank” Fender.
Known for Art Nouveau and Art Deco, Antique Trails, Chappaqua, N.Y., featured a grouping of tiles and a clever collection of small frames.
Glenbrook Antiques, Hudson, N.Y., had in its booth a Pennsylvania blanket box, circa 1803, either of Lebanon or Oley Valley origin, a signed Matthew Boulton meat cover and a pair of period candelabra silver on copper.
While American items dominated, several dealers brought a touch of the Far East to the show. Dragon Culture, New York City, offered an important Tang dynasty guardian dog at $42,000 that was displayed in front of a section of a Nineteenth Century wooden screen panel, of the type that would have been found on walls throughout the typical home. Greenwich Oriental Antiques showed a beautiful Qing dynasty imperial lady’s dragon robe, Nineteenth Century, behind glass in a museum-style conservation frame. The robe was hand embroidered in satin stitch and couching stitch on red satin; the red color symbolizing happy occasions for which the robe would be donned.
More than pleased with the show was Donald Storrar Bethune, Macon, Ga., which specializes in Georgian pieces as well as period decorative accessories and sold an English mahogany George III chest of drawers, circa 1810, a Georgian style sideboard circa 1880 and a serving table with architectural interest. The dealer also wrote up several pieces of old Sheffield, including two pairs of candelabra; blue and white transfer ware and a Hunt engraving.
Woolen embroideries could be found in multiple examples at Perry-Joyce Fine Arts, Sawyer, Mich., which also had in its booth a variety of silhouettes of paintings including a well-executed “Terriers Rabbitting” by Robert Cleminson, known for sporting art.
Charles Breuel, Glenmont, N.Y., had clocks of every stature in its booth from a German tall clock of mahogany with eight-day brass movement to smaller clocks displayed on a table with the emphasis on European clocks. Vying for attention was a step down bureau from New England, possibly Gloucester. Made of figured mahogany, the bureau had an unusual scrolled backsplash with ending in an unusual carving of whale’s tails.
On display at Fardin’s Antique Rugs, Fairfield, Conn., was a Sultan Abad from northwest Persia, circa 1850, and a “Tree of Life” design Laver Kerman from Persia, circa 1870. The latter was unusually detailed with pairs of pigeons (a symbol of good luck), peacocks (loyalty) and falling petals in the flower pattern.
In All Your Yesterdays, Pound Ridge, N.Y., was a striking vignette featuring a nine-piece chamber set circa 1840s presented on an 1840 Hepplewhite drop leaf pegged table with griffin andirons below.
Paul’s Pots, Westminster, Mass., specializes in American and European pottery and had a diverse grouping on hand for buyers to choose from, representing Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, Deco and everything in between. “We intentionally mix it up,” said Paul Martinez. Not content to utilize just table space, Martinez made full use of wall space by hanging several interesting wall ceramics.
Adding some “human interest” to the show was a collection of antique chairs refurbished with handmade rush seating being offered by Joseph Frascino of Mount Kisco, N.Y., whose late brother, Mickey, had handmade the rush and woven it on tightly on baby Lincoln chairs and the like. Frascino, proudly wearing his veteran’s hat, told amusing anecdotes of helping gather the rush from the “swamps of Mount Kisco” as a boy and helping his father cure it and bleach it and store it in the attic.
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