New York New Year's Show Is Three Times As Good

NEW YORK CITY

: "You don't need a lot of customers here," stated dealer Ed Koren as he glanced around the floor of the Seventh Regiment Armory, "and you never know what they are going to be looking for, so we bring a little of everything." A look at his booth confirmed the approach as traditional country items were interspersed with a selection of Deco and even a smattering of Modern.

"Everyone that walks through the door is qualified," said Koren, who trades under the name of Bridges Over Time Antiques, Walden, N.Y., speaking of the clientele from the surrounding posh Park Avenue neighborhood.

The show, now in its third year, looked better than ever with not only a diversified mixture of merchandise seen across the floor, but also a quality-minded assortment of dealers presenting it. Select items were available for purchase that would appeal to seasoned collectors, fledgling buyers and even those from the swanky neighborhood that happen by for a look-see. Not only was the selection of merchandise varied, so was the price range with items available for under $100 to well over $100,000.

While many exhibiting in the show are familiar faces on the Manhattan show scene, few are provided the opportunity to exhibit in this venue, others rarely set up in New York City and for yet others, it is their only Big Apple date. All, however, take advantage of the forum and the show accurately reflects the high energy levels of the dealers.

Managed by California promoter Marty Ellis of OSAT, who promotes three events in Manhattan, the show's reputation has grown in stature. Billed as offering "ancient through Twentieth Century," merchandise seen around the floor ranged from a stellar selection of Americana and Orientalia to a broad assortment of jewelry that included not only precious stones but costume pieces as well, to Continental, Deco, Nouveau and Moderne.

The booths that flanked the entrance were among the most impressive with Roberto Freitas offering a stellar selection of early American items including a nice portrait of Cicero Hinds executed in 1825 by itinerant painter Ammi Phillips.

Furniture in the booth included a good looking Queen Anne maple flat-top highboy of costal Massachusetts origin, and an attractive Queen Anne walnut side chair that had been illustrated in Sack's Fine Points of Furniture book and declared as a "best" form.

A more formal look was seen in the booth of Essex Antiquarians where a Nineteenth Century Georgian style bookcase cabinet with inlaid exotic woods was offered. Also highlighting the booth was a rare Edwardian mahogany Carlton desk with intricately painted motifs.

Accessories in the booth included a stylish pair of English satinwood urn-form knife boxes and a large hand painted tole tray with a scene depicting the Eighteenth Century port at Constantinople.

True to his word, Koren of Bridges Over Time offered a diverse selection of furniture highlighted by an Art Deco sideboard with bronze mounts by French designer Jules Leleu, a Modernist chair by Vladimir Kagan and a pair of stylish mohair-covered Deco armchairs.

New York City dealer Leah YM had divided her booth into two parts with her normal fare of antiques on one side, while the other portion resembled a boudoir with two flashy female manikins decked out in Dior couture. One stunning example was a burnt orange, floor-length crushed velvet skirt with a matching silk top and a shawl trimmed with sable.

Fine art was offered in many of the booths, both early and contemporary. A striking display was presented by Washington, D.C., dealer Stephen Foster Fine Art featuring several paintings by contemporary photorealist artist Greg English. The paintings vibrantly depicted Native American pottery of the Southwest in works titled "Acoma" and "Mata Oritz."

Orientalia was seen in several booths and highlights included a selection of rare standing netsukes from the booth of Pompton Lakes, N.J., dealer Takara Asian Art.

"These standing figures are very rare and very much sought after," stated dealer Jeffery Klotz, who further explained that all of the standing examples were made of wood including boxwood, cypress and ebony. Antique ivory pieces were also on hand as was a large selection of contemporary netsukes.

Highlighting the booth of New York City dealer Michael Ayervais was large cloisonné charger that had been exhibited at the Paris World's Fair in 1896. The dealer was quick to point out the star attraction of the booth, however, a "national treasure" ningyo made by Okamoto Shotaro. "This is the only one known in the West," stated the dealer, "and there would be quite a few people in Japan that would be surprised to know it was out of country."