Stella's Antiques At The Armory

NEW YORK CITY

: Last year Antiques at the Armory was billed as a three-day show, but was cut short by one day when the snows fell on the Big Apple. This year the weather cooperated beyond measure, the show enjoyed three great days, and the coat check people had an easy time. Many people arrived in shirt sleeves to take in the great variety of antiques and decorative objects offered by the 90 exhibitors set up at the Armory on Lexington Avenue. "It was exciting to see the show go so well, a real shot in the arm to start the new year," Leanne Stella said as the show closed Sunday, January 22. "Our gate was fine, just over 5,000 visitors, and there was a real rush at Friday's opening," Leanne said.

For the majority of visitors on opening day, the line was presold. The tail end, however, had to go to the ticket counter and it was actually about 20 minutes into the show before everyone was on the floor. Joan Bogart, set up at the front of the show, commented, "It looks like we had more people waiting to get in today than for the run of the show last year."

By midweek following the close of the show, Leanne mentioned, "I have not heard from a single dealer saying they did not have a good show. From reports, just about everyone was happy, which is what we like to see."

"They would make a great room divider," one show visitor said while looking over the four joined together cast iron and decorative old elevator doors just outside the booth of Tobin Townsend of Callicoon Corner, N.Y.

The doors had been hinged together and were an open weave of iron, heavier on the bottom than the top. Also of interest in this booth was an English leather pummel horse, and time marched on with a collection of 13 old alarm clocks priced at $100 per pick.

A pair of Eighteenth Century carved and polychromed Spanish putti looked out over the booth of Praiseworthy Antiques, Guilford, N.Y., from a high shelf on the left wall.

Beneath them hung an Adirondack-style convex mirror of hop hornbeam burl, rhododendron root and spike deer antlers. A small black and white dog, recently mounted by a taxidermist, sat on a sofa looking life-like, happy and alert.

A country sofa, Sheraton, in blue muslin, looked like a great place to rest in the booth of A Bird In Hand, Florham Park, N.J., which also featured a Louis XV French farm table in cherrywood, with cabriole legs and scalloped apron, dated circa 1790-1810 and a rack of stoneware with blue decoration that included a pecking chicken and crossed birds designs.

A red sold tag hung from one of the decoys on the wall, a great blue heron constructed of three pieces of wood and retaining the original paint, circa 1890-1910. It was from the Delaware River/Susquehanna River area.

Shortly into the show George and Debbie Spiecker of North Hampton, N.H., had sold, among other things, a one-drawer stand with tapering legs, tiger maple; a horse weathervane, good surface, and a Vermont card table. Still to be snapped up were a Queen Anne maple tea table with oval top and pad feet, old finish, circa 1780; an American carved and painted ship diorama, circa 1880, depicting a fully rigged three-masted vessel with a tree-lined shore in the background; and a circa 1840 set of six Sheraton tiger maple side chairs with cane seats, all original condition.

Cast stone figures, mostly cats and rabbits, gathered in one corner of the booth of Joan Bogart of Rockville Centre, N.Y., separated from a selection of bulldogs and pugs. An early sale included a large wrought iron patio table in two parts and a set of matching chairs, perfect for the summer ahead.

"Please Not Camp On This Lot," "Rooms," "Teamwork Done," "10 cent Department," "Pass Quietly Please" and "Enquire Here," complete with a painted stylized pointing hand, were among the early signs that decorated the walls in the booth of Chris Jessel of Bedford, N.Y.

A classical lady with a clock in her right hand was in the spotlight at the front of the booth of Gordon S. Converse & Co., Malvern, Penn. This delicate example of a swinger clock was by Jughans. Five works by Agapito Labios, from the estate of Katharine Hepburn, were sold at Sotheby's and two of the portraits were offered by Gordon at this show.

A number of hooked rugs decorated the walls in the booth of Ballyhack Antiques, Cornwall, Conn., including a village scene and a farm scene with buildings, figures, animals and chickens. Within the first hour Mary Sam said, "Business has been great, it had been a grand start," mentioning the sale of two Windsor chairs, a Chinese carved figure, a pointed finger sign and a set of eight clarinets painted either red, blue, green or yellow.

There was no missing the tackle shop sign hanging in the booth of Sidney Gecker American Folk Art of New York City. This sign, with a large carved fish, circa 1850-70, measures 84 inches long and 24 inches high. By comparison, the large horse weathervane, cast and sheet iron by the Gilmanton Iron Works, Rochester, N.H., 36 inches long, looked small. One of the other weathervanes in the booth was a small J. Howard rooster, zinc and copper, circa 1860-70, made in Bridgewater, Mass.

Norma Chick of Autumn Pond, Woodbury and Bolton, Conn., was heavy into weathervanes again at this show, offering a collection of 11 that included six horses, two roosters, an eagle and several banners.

Delft tiles, a staple of this booth, were stacked against the walls and also displayed as a fireplace surround, and a pair of Chippendale side chairs, circa 1780, was of New England origin.

"There is no disappointment here," Tim Brennan said as he sat in his booth surrounded by red-tagged items. As part of the team of Brennan and Mouilleseaux of Northford, Conn., he had delighted in the first hour rush of buyers and listed among his sold tickets were a card table with the original needlepoint top, a 1940s one-drawer small table with a silver gilt finish, a period Hepplewhite chest in tiger maple, a pair of candle sconces and a pair of tin lamps with decoupage decoration. "It was a strong first hour and people were interested in all periods of antiques," Tim added.

Bruce Emond of the Village Braider, Plymouth, Mass., was also experiencing a busy show with an equal display of red sold tags. "It was like the old days; people rushed in and started buying," he said. Sporting sold tags were a pair of early carved and gilt columns, two chests of drawers, three large wooden balls in red, white and blue paint from a Masonic lodge, a pair of wall sconces, and a wire dress form that was going to be sent to California.

Cara Antiques of Langhorne, Penn., showed a large display of Majolica, including a rare revolving oyster dish and a large tea caddy in the form of a beehive, while Michele Fox, Upper Grandview, N.Y., had a colorful array of Bakelite jewelry and stacks of bright quilts and homespun.

Susan Alexander of Powderhouse Antiques, New York City, said, "The show is going very well," and proof lay in the bare hooks on the walls of her booth. A large tramp art frame still hung there, as did a French decorated wall box dated 1927. A pair of French chromolithographs, Nineteenth Century, traced "The Ages of Man.

A man went into the booth of Eleanor and David Billet, New York City, and took one of the eight metal French bistro side chairs from the display and tried it out in the aisle. He return it to the stack, and a red tag appeared. Two French metal Baggett trolleys also sold, as did a pair of French leather armchairs and a still life with oranges.

Ronnie and Guy Weil of New Hope, Penn., offered a set of four steel cabinets across the back of their booth, a pair of French leather club chairs, four interesting porcelain clock faces and a number of tramp art frames. James and Judith Milne of New York City took advantage of the crowds that visit New York for Americana Week and set up in three of the events. Wednesday they filled a booth at The American Antiques Show with all kinds of folk art, Saturday they moved onto the pier for the other Stella show, and Friday they were at Antiques at the Armory with a small booth but a very impressive display of Czechoslovakian glass.

Pictures of fully rigged schooners hung on all three of the walls in the booth of Port 'N Starboard, Falmouth, Maine, including the Frank T. Stinson, a signed oil on canvas, 26 by 42 inches by W.P. Stubbs. The Stinson was built in Bath, Maine, in 1877. Of later vintage, 1945, was a 291/2-inch-long carved and painted eagle holding a shield, signed by the maker, Lloyd H. Thomas of Camden, Maine.

It takes a lot of heaving and hauling to get R.T. Facts of Kent, Conn., set up with its collection of cast iron objects and large pieces for either the patio or the garden. But when all in place, it looks fine and this time featured objects such as a cast iron industrial console table, a millwheel of about 24 inches in diameter, and a neoclassical zinc sculpture of an Amazon being attacked by a panther, mid Nineteenth Century, by A. Kiss Berlia. A large French frame in walnut was marked sold early in the show.

A large Nineteenth Century hall stand, rustic with marble top, Mitchell & Ranmelsberg, was shown against the right wall in the booth of Stevens Antiques, Frazer, Penn., and a vintage foot bath, or sample, porcelain on feet, was shown with a more modern use, that of a wine bucket capable of holding several bottles. A pair of tea canisters in tin, English, was painted bright red with gold decoration.

York County dealer Jeff Bridgman's booth offered a selection of painted furniture, as well as many flags, his trademark. Of special interest were two parade flags from the Grant days, one urging votes for Grant and Wilson, 1872, the other Grant and Colfax, 1868. Hanging next to them were two other parade flags for Lincoln, Lincoln and Andrew Johnson and Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin. "This is the first time I have ever owned two sets of flags for the same candidates, a rare happening," Jeff said.

Several booths of brown furniture broke up the many decorative objects offered at the show, with Judd Gregory of Dorset, Vt., offering a Queen Anne secretary, Rhode Island or Eastern Connecticut, circa 1750 in maple. This piece, 86 inches tall, was of the Newport School with a bonnet top, ogee feet and waterfall interior.. A demilune card table, possibly from Virginia, dated circa 1790 and was in mahogany with generous amounts of inlay.

Contrasting with the American furniture, Running Battle Antiques of Millbrook, N.Y., came with a load of pieces from across the pond. In the front of the booth was a Charles II gate leg table in oak, three-plank top, barley twist legs, circa 1670. Taking up most of the left wall was a Welch dresser in chestnut, the base having three drawers over two cupboards, North Wales, circa 1740, and measuring 781/2 inches high, 54 inches wide and 21 inches deep.

Howard and Linda Stein of Solebury, Penn., sold a large round metal table, capable of seating eight to ten people, as the show opened, and a corner of their booth was piled high with a set of ten white-painted side chairs with backs that gave an impression of a stylized air balloon.

Nancy Steinbock Posters, Chestnut Hill, Mass., had stacks of vintage posters covering any number of subjects, from vacation spots and amusement parks, to rare wines and beverages. Of special interest was a set of posters celebrating the Texas Centennial, a "very hard to find subject, especially a complete set," Nancy said.

One of the nicest pieces of folk art on the floor was a cane with a carved horse head handle, shown in the booth of Marna Anderson, New Paltz, N.Y. This cane was the work of Eastern Woodlands Indians, Great Lakes region, 39 inches long and dating from the mid Nineteenth Century. It retained the original glass eyes. From the Brams Collection was a carved and polychromed wood standing deer, early Twentieth Century, measuring 161/2 inches high, 191/2 inches long.

A Charles Looff goat jumper from Midland Park, Staten Island, 1884, stood at the front of the booth of Otto and Susan Hart, Arlington, Vt., and most of the back wall was taken up by a pair of architectural fan lights by John Griffin, circa 1900 and each measuring 4 feet high, 7 feet long. "It took him four years to finish these," Susan Hart said, and added, "This show has been great for us, like the old days." Among their sold items were a sheet metal horse weathervane, a carved and painted bird tree, a mechanical bank, three wood carvings and a marble statue. "Folk art has been especially strong," she added.

Prince and Sommer, Portland, Maine, sold to people with varied interests. "We have had a great show," Phyllis Sommer said, listing among the early sales an Eighteenth Century oil on canvas landscape, several pieces of Indian jewelry, an iron French screen with floral decoration, a codfish weathervane, some Historical Staffordshire and a large painting of a hunting scene. Among the pieces of furniture left was a birch and maple card table, Sheraton, circa 1820.

"The buying power we have seen here this weekend is certain to stir up more business for the coming season and it is a great way to start the new year," Leanne Stella said. A long list of antiques shows by Stella Show Mgmt includes The Modern Show on February 24-26, The Gramercy Garden & Antiques Show, March 3-5, and another Triple Pier Show with more than 600 exhibits, March 18-19. For a complete calendar of upcoming Stella shows, view www.stellashows.com.

In the review of Stella’s January show, Antiques at the Armory, it was noted that two portraits by Agapito Labios, offered from the booth of Gordon S. Converse & Co., had been sold at Sotheby’s from the estate of Katharine Hepburn. The two works were not part of the five paintings by Labios sold by the auction house.