Ramping things up a notch, the Princeton Fall Antiques and Fine Arts Show celebrated its fifth anniversary by tweaking the typical antiques show format with the addition of special touches above and beyond dealer displays. The show that ran September 26′7 at the Princeton Airport has been under the management of Frank Gaglio’s Barn Star Productions since 2006 and benefits the Historical Society of Princeton.
“With five successful years under its belt, ‘Princeton’ has found its rightful place among quality antiques shows and a most worthy beneficiary in the Historical Society of Princeton,” said Gaglio. “It is a pleasure to work with their talented and energetic show committee and I look forward to our future collaboration.”
More than 300 tickets were sold to the opening night preview, and two days of solid attendance followed. Attendance numbers were on par with the previous October’s show, but a talk by author Deborah Davis on John Singer Sargent, focusing on his at-the-time scandalous portrait of a strapless Madame X, and an appraisal clinic by Rago enticed many showgoers.
David Pollack Vintage Posters, Sherman, Conn., noticed a trend with buyers looking over offerings carefully throughout the weekend but not making purchases until the final day of the show. “It was an interesting weekend…there were buyers, they just needed to think long and hard before making a purchase,” he said, noting he had little in the way of sales until Sunday afternoon. “Within the last two hours [of the show], I had multiple sales to customers who had been at the show&nd came back to make a purchase. They were not the usual end-of-show ‘What can you do now with the price’ crowd.”
“A stellar ‘Bal de AAAA’ from 1925 illustrated by Maurice Utrillo went this way, as did several others,” Pollack said. Follow-up sales in the week after the show included a wonderful “KLM Flying Dutchman” poster, circa 1930s, to the parents of an attendee.
Nicely designed and attended, the Princeton show offered a great selection of high-end material and brought together the right audience and dealers.
Gary Bardsley Antiques, Sudbury, Mass., offered an eclectic collection of period Americana and decorative items that found favor with buyers. The dealers sold several gilded mirrors, an apothecary chest in original red paint surface, a Chinese Export bowl, a New York three-drawer stand and several smalls. “Overall, we found the crowd very pleasant and eager to engage in conversation about our product,” Bardsley said after the show.
Lorraine Wambold Estate Jewelry, Doylestown, Penn., had a strong showing, selling numerous items in the middle price range. Wambold enjoyed doing the show and is already looking forward to showing here next fall.
John Spencer Antiques, Salisbury, Conn., did the Princeton show for the first time and sold a painting by a Rockport artist named Charles Stepule, and wrote up tickets for a Victorian stuffed folk art parrot, a wonderful Arts and Crafts painting of a great horned owl and various smalls.
Another first-time exhibitor, at its first antiques show as an exhibitor, Stillwell House Antiques, Manalapan, N.J., appointed its booth with a careful selection of fine paintings, Meissen porcelain and several beautiful, highly carved furniture examples, including a rare mid-Eighteenth Century buffet in cherry from Brittany, France. Owners Ronald Knox and Paul Gallagher are known for their unpretentious, comfortable collections that are meant to be used and lived well with.
Knox said dealers seemed optimistic and there was a good energy on the floor. The dealers “did really well with Meissen porcelain and several noteworthy works of art.” Knox also noticed their website hits jumped during and immediately after the show, and follow-up contacts continue to pour in.
Nicoll Fine Art, Newcastle, Maine, praised Gaglio and the show committee for their efforts to transform an “ugly airplane hanger into a gorgeous space.” Noteworthy sales included a sideboard to a woman who was attending her first antiques show and had tagged along with a friend. The sideboard was a perfect fit for her kitchen. A woman nearing the end of a long renovation project spotted a charming painting by William Von Schlegell here Saturday, deliberated overnight, and returned Sunday to buy it.
Reporting “decent” results was Art & Antique Gallery Inc, Worcester, Mass., which specializes in Seventeenth⁔wentieth Century American and European art.
Roger D. Winter, Solebury, Penn., offered a set of eight George III Chippendale chairs, two armchairs and six side chairs, with pierced splats and serpentine seats, as well as a George III breakfast table with a single mahogany board top, circa 1790.
Ellen L. Ring Ltd, Great Barrington, Mass., specializes in antique and estate jewelry, and displayed a fun mix of offerings from a chunky gold bracelet from the 1940s to a diamond paste Riviere necklace, circa 1850.
Dixon Lane Antiques, Tarrytown, N.Y., who offered a diverse collection of furniture, paintings and decorative antiques in its booth, had glowing reviews for the show management and the historical society.
The show will return September 24′6, 2010. For more information, 845-876-0616 or www.barnstar.com .
