Bedford Spring Antiques Show Remains Treasures Showcase

BEDFORD, N.Y.

:In its 21st year, St Matthews Church's Spring Antiques Show was conducted at the Rippowam Cisqua School on April 1-2, featuring 34 top-drawer exhibitors offering vintage treasures in categories such as fine art, silver, American and Continental furniture, porcelain and decorative arts.

New to this year's show were six exhibitors - American flag specialist Jeff Bridgman from Pennsylvania, jewelry dealer Brad Reh from Southampton, N.Y., and Busch & Fielding from St Joseph, Mo., with Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century French and Continental furniture.

Other first-time exhibitors were Elemental Garden from Woodbury, Conn., with English and French garden antiques from the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, and J. Gallagher, North Norwich, N.Y., known for their collection of hearth accessories and tools. In addition, Rick Griffin from Miami, Fla., brought an eclectic collection of architectural items, furniture and smalls that spanned a wide range of price points.

A gala preview party drew a large, enthusiastic crowd on March 31, offering hors d'ouevres, champagne and wine. Show chair Missy Renwick and show manager Michael Jackson directed the energetic efforts of parish volunteers who put on an elegant affair that was very well attended.

Jackson and the show committee introduced a special event that would be in keeping with the theme for this year's show, "Bedford Decorates." In the downstairs gym area, a display was set up for two book signings that were conducted over the weekend. On Saturday, Albert Hadley signed copies of Albert Hadley: The Story of America's Preeminent Interior Designer by Adam Lewis. And on Sunday, Jay Johnson, brother and partner of the late designer Jed Johnson, signed his book, Jed Johnson: Opulent Restraint.

Although new to this show, Bridgman reported excellent results, selling six flags, including a very rare example that depicted Lady Columbia, made for the 1876 Centennial Celebration, the only exact flag of its kind currently known to exist. "The flag is going to a fine collection in one of the most beautiful offices in midtown Manhattan, so its new home could not be more fitting," said the Dillsburg, Penn., dealer. "There is one other that I sold last year from the same maker, in basically the same style, but both the size and the portrait were different. It was also the only known example. I have many more sales pending that could happen, and thus I look forward to returning next year."

Ironically, Bridgman added that he had actually forgotten to bring the Lady Columbia flag to the show. "It was supposed to be my centerpiece, as I knew that I had several clients coming that might have a strong interest in it. In desperation, I called Fred Louy at Mizzentop, Inc transportation services to see if he could go to my home and retrieve it before the show opened. They came through as always; it was a long drive on short notice, and I wholeheartedly thank them for it."

Another newcomer, Miami-based Griffin, characterized the show as "charming," and recounted that he had "hooked up with a lot of old friends and was working his way back into the Northeast market" after a decade or so of being away from it. Sales included a Seventeenth Century Spanish walnut cupboard to a collector/dealer in New York, Belle Epoque stemware, still life painting and a hand painted majolica jardiniere. The star of his booth, a rare Fiske garden statue of Hercules, was priced at $38,000.

James Gallagher and Ruth Zager, who specialize in antiques for the hearth and home, were also new to the show. Zager said the show turned out well, considering it was their first time. "It was a nice preview night and we had a nice sale that culminated on Sunday," said Zager, who added that sales included a couple of pieces of furniture and some fireplace equipment." The dealers were showing several signed American andirons, as well as the rarest of all hearth accessories - an American tool set signed "Whittingham, N.Y."

Frederick Di Maio of East Dennis Antiques said he and his partner Thomas Buto heeded the show committee's call for dealers to bring "more affordable" merchandise and as a result the pair from East Dennis, Mass., showcased a few more smaller furniture pieces along with their usual broad range of affordable smalls. They sold two small stands. "We rarely, if ever, have a bad show in Bedford," said Di Maio, "and because of the broad spectrum of merchandise we bring, it worked again."

There were, of course, larger items featured in their booth, like a teak English campaign chest in two parts from the second half of the Nineteenth Century, fitted with a bird's-eye maple desk interior and a fold-out writing surface. Among intriguing smalls, East Dennis had a sailor-made walking stick crafted from shark vertebrae with an ivory handle, circa 1840-60 and another cane made from whalebone, baleen and horn.

Bonsal-Douglas Antiques has been a show regular for 20 years. The Haddam, Conn., dealer brought a variety of special items to the show, ranging from an Inuit sculpture to an Eric Sloan painting displayed in a sand-blasted chestnut frame of the artist's own design to a Portuguese carved processional figure of the Virgin of the Coronation, an Eighteenth Century survivor.

On the booth's center wall "The Rabbit's Feast" an oil on canvas by Bernard de Gempt (Dutch, 1826-1879), a noted "anamaliste," measured 25 1/2 by 31 1/2 inches. Co-owner Isabelle Seggerman noted that in the past many of the dealers would begin selling during the preview and continue all weekend.

"In the past few years, there has been little buying - with a few exceptions - during the preview and sales generally began on Saturday and continued on Sunday. For the past two years I have noticed that the majority of sales now happen on Sunday, which was the case for us this year and last."

The dealers' sales were across the board - a bit of Chinese Export, watercolors, decorative objects. "My buyers were all repeat customers, and I only acquired one new customer at this show," said Seggerman.

"The dealers' booths were all extremely attractive and there were a lot of fine antiques, artwork and early porcelain."

Early during the preview evening, Biuk Fardin, owner of Fardin's Antique Rugs, Fairfield, Conn., could be seen writing up a sales slip for a purchase. The customer, a woman, said, "I do not need any rug, but I have to have this antique silk Khashan," according to Fardin. With wool florals on a silk field, the circa 1900 rug was a stunner, measuring 4 1/2 by 6 1/2 feet.

Another highlight on display was an antique American hooked rug from the 1930s proclaiming "Kite Time" and featuring colorful kites against a neutral background. "I got to see three of my old customers there, and I have to find rugs for them," said Fardin. "This show, for me, is more about exposure than sales right away. My work does not end until I follow up the request of customer."

As usual, Jill and Charles Probst of Charles Edwin, Ltd, Louisa, Va., lined their booth with antique long case clocks and barometers. A special feature, however, was a Continental European globe tellurian from the early Twentieth Century that the Probsts had bought at auction in Mississippi. Most likely an educational tool, the instrument comprised an 8 1/4-inch terrestrial globe that turned at the end of an arm with the sun represented by a candle in a holder. The instrument was made by Jan Felkl & Son in Prague in 1921.

A clock highlight was a walnut clock by William Lassell of Toxteth Park, Liverpool, dated 1760, that stood 7 feet 5 1/2 inches. "We love the crowd that comes and the people who run [the show]," said the Probsts, who have participated in the show for more than ten years.

For information, visit www.stmatthewsbedford.org or call 914-234-9636.