“We knew from the start that it would not be like it has been in the past, but in the end it was better than anyone expected,” Catherine Sweeney Singer, show director, said of the Antiques Garden Furniture Show and Sale at the New York Botanical Garden. Close to 700 guests turned out on Thursday evening, April 30, for the preview opening and 2,700 people visited the show during the three following days.
The two-level preview started at 5:30 pm, giving buyers a first-hand crack at 35 booths filled with garden antiques and a chance to buy from a large selection of plants grown and offered by the garden. “People really like their plants and many stop to have a look in that tent before they come to see what we have brought,” one exhibitor said. Those who rushed past the plants found themselves in a world of wonderfully shaped things in cast iron, bronze, carved stone, marble and all those other materials and surfaces that have survived the elements of nature for many years.
This year, several new plans were put into operation, including a two-day move-in versus one day in the past. “We expected about half the dealers on Tuesday, especially since it was so hot, and the remainder on Wednesday,” Catherine said. As it turned out, 26 braved the heat and got off to an early start. “It was very smooth, worked well, and gave those who traveled a distance to do the show more time to set up and relax before our Thursday opening,” she added.
Traveling from Wadsworth, Ohio, Mark Morris brought a large pair of sand cast quartz stone urns that took up a major portion of the front of his booth. Square in form and mounted on low pedestals, these circa 1920 urns were from an estate in Milwaukee, Wis., and were designed by Russell Bair Williamson. Against the back wall of the booth was a 6-foot-diameter American architectural vent in pine with old painted surface, circa 1870‱895.
“Like my bugs?” Paulette Peden of Dawn Hill Antiques, New Preston, Conn., queried, pointing out nine large drawings hung against the back wall. Done in Indian ink and watercolor, they were biological teaching aids drawn in 1888 by “H. Sachs, Artist.”
A very substantial carved sandstone sundial pedestal, 57 inches tall and mounted on a large circular base, supporting a 16-inch-square bronze sundial of English origin, circa 1860, was at the front of the booth of Marty Shapiro, Finnegan Gallery, Chicago. Among the marble pieces offered was a Nineteenth Century French planter of tazza form, 36 inches in diameter, with raised acanthus design under the bowl.
A circa 1880 cast and wrought iron gate and post set from Louisville, Ky., was shown across the front of the booth of Kimball & Bean, Woodstock, Ill., and an oval horse trough, 46 inches long, had been reworked into a small working fountain. It dated circa 1880 and was by J.L. Mott. Across the way, Joan Bogart Antiques of Rockville Centre, N.Y., had filled one section of her booth with colorful painted Italian tole dating from the mid-Nineteenth Century. There were many examples of floral design, table and chairs, planters and several rose and lemon trees.
“It’s all very heavy and not easy to move,” a tired Greg Randall said of the inventory he had trucked down to the show from R.T. Facts in Kent, Conn. Among the “heavies” were a large cast iron industrial table base with zinc top, circa 1880, and the largest cast iron animal in the show, a deer on platform by Robert Wood of Philadelphia. “That same deer is pictured in the firm’s 1858 catalog,” Glen said. Adding its weight was a large zinc fountain, possibly by Goiss, depicting a boy and swan and dating from the Nineteenth Century.
A path of about six flagstones took visitors across a patch of real grass and into a small cottage designed by Barbara Israel Garden Antiques of Katonah, N.Y. The inside served as a display area for a small mantel, a couple of nautical paintings and a sizable collection of staddle stones on a garden table. Outside the cottage was a backdrop for a selection of garden antiques, including several urns, a circa 1900 Italian wellhead, and a hand carved wooden doe, 43½ inches high, Burmese/Indonesian, and dating from the early Twentieth Century.
A tall cast iron figure of Lady Liberty, dating circa 1880 and by Fiske & Co., stood in the booth of Judith and James Milne of New York City. “There is an identical figure in a Woodbury, Conn., cemetery,” Jim Milne said, producing a color photograph of the lady he had taken a few weeks earlier. Of special interest was a faux bois “Frog” bridge, French origin, of cast stone and used over a small stream. “It is so named because frogs would jump across it,” Judy said. Within minutes of the show opening, a lady stood in the Milne booth, phone in hand, relating, in convincing tone and words, the merits of a garden bench. “It has a wooden seat, cast iron ends, is painted green and attractive,” she said. Later she was overheard telling a friend, “I have to go write a check for my bench.”
Joseph Stannard Antiques of Norfolk, Conn., offered an American faux bois round table that was signed “Stonewood” and dated 1927, along with a French carved stone basin dating from the Eighteenth Century. Kate Alex from Warner, N.H., displayed a large swan fountain in the center of her booth, a cast iron piece with white weathered paint surface, and attributed to Fiske. Due to its weight, it was in three pieces. A good portion of the back wall was consumed by a large clock face of Belgian origin.
Always one to attract attention, Michael Trapp of West Cornwall, Conn., was in his element with a large skeleton of a whale that he had acquired from a natural history museum in Silawsi, Indonesia. “I had a frame made for it and each piece of bone came numbered so it was easy to assemble,” Michael said of his close to 20-foot-long whale that was displayed on top of an Italian scrubbed top table, circa 1800. Against the back wall a set of three blue-painted door panels was shown, circa 1880, and from Madura Island, Indonesia.
At one time during the mid-Twentieth Century about ten people could have rested comfortably in front of a Pennsylvania general store on the two benches offered by Joan Evans of Lambertville, N.J. Measuring 8 feet long, the benches were of wood with old green painted surface and splint seats.
The Village Braider of Plymouth, Mass., had a booth filled to capacity with a pair of wrought iron armchairs, circa 1940, with owls designed by Morgan Colt, a cast iron recumbent Newfoundland dating from the Nineteenth Century and by Fiske, and a pair of carved limestone figures, Italian, circa 1950, measuring 4 feet tall and holding flowers and grapes. “We had a busy preview,” Bruce Emond said, parting with a table and set of four chairs, two large cement benches that were growing moss, a large baggage cart with cast iron wheels and several cast stone urns.
Eleanor and David Billet Antiques, LLC, New York City, showed a large cast stone figure of a swan, circa 1950, old white paint and filled for the occasion with white flowering plants, and a large pair of stone urns, Belgian origin, circa 1930, with three handles. A very large and ornate pair of stone urns sported a red sold tag shortly after the preview opening.
A green patina had taken over the surface of a large carved limestone roof ornament, circa 1880, in the booth of Brennan & Mouilleseaux of Northfield, Conn. In addition to several pairs of urns and garden benches, the dealers showed an American basket of flowers garden seat of carved marble, circa 1860.
“I have people coming to look at several things they saw in my ad,” Aileen Minor of Centreville, Md., said, and before the preview ended, red tags appeared. One of the pieces that received much attention was a cast iron sign dating from the Nineteenth Century, English origin, asking people to “Please Keep Off The Grass.” It measured 28½ inches wide and 30 inches high. A Nineteenth Century cast iron bird bath in three parts, 32 inches high, 22¼-inch-diameter bowl and 14-inch base, retained traces of the old silver paint.
Diana The Huntress, a zinc figure attributed to Fiske, came from an estate in East Greenwich, R.I., to take center stage in the booth of Bob and Debbie Withington of York, Maine. She stood 7 feet tall, dated circa 1880, and, according to Bob, “Carried a great deal of weight.” Against the back wall of the booth was a wonderful wrought iron plant tree, capable of holding 27 pots, and measuring 9 feet tall and 9 feet wide. It was in two sections for easy handling and sold during the preview. “We got this plant tree in Cornish, Maine, where it had been in the same family for a couple of generations,” Bob said.
A nice selection of cast iron urns was crowded into the booth of Francis J. Purcell of Philadelphia for the preview, as he lost a portion of his booth on that evening to one of the refreshment bars. “Tomorrow we will be able to expand across the aisle,” Francis said, and by the end of the show he had recorded several nice sales. Two eight-sided fish bowls were shown, similar to the 36 that once were positioned on Fountain Avenue in Philadelphia, 1876, and a large working terracotta fountain with cherubs was at the center of the booth. It was of Italian origin, circa 1940, and came from a Chestnut Hill estate where it had been displayed indoors.
Jef and Terri Steingrebe of Springfield, N.H., offered a late Nineteenth Century marble top lithographer’s table in old white paint †”It would make a great center island in a kitchen,” Jef said †and an attractive pair of garden benches with trellis backs, old white painted surface, dated circa 1929. Before the preview was half over, he had sold a pair of cast stone planters and a very large cast iron urn.
In addition to the show and all the extra trimmings of the New York Botanical Garden, included in the ticket price to the show, a full listing of talks and tours was scheduled, presented by many of the exhibitors. Topics included “Eclecticism in the Garden,” “From the Wrecking Ball to the Garden Party,” “Cast in Stone,” “Living with Ancient Stone,” “American Wicker” and “Interior Design with Garden Antiques.”
“Each year an effort is made to raise the bar for this show, and before 2010 we are going to make some more changes,” Catherine Sweeney Singer said. She indicated that they would take a close look at the floor plan and make some adjustments, and more importance would be put on the vetting and definition of what constitutes a garden antique. At present, vetting is in the hands of eight people in the show and two from outside. “We want all tags to be accurate according to age and origin,” Catherine said.
One new feature was added to the show this year, the presentation of the “Best Booth Design” award. “This is my tenth year with the show and the chair, Susan Coleman Burke, and I decided we would recognize one of the booths for its overall presentation,” Catherine said. The first annual award went to Michael Donovan and James Buttersworth of Antique American Wicker.
And we have all heard the expression, “It’s not over until it’s over.” Well, that applied very well to the end of the show on Sunday when a young couple came in and went home weighted down with many garden antiques. According to reports, they bought, and bought well, from seven exhibitors. A great note to end on, and an equally good one to look forward to the next show at the Botanical Garden.
