Dealers Put Best Foot - And Antiques - Forward At Gramercy Park

NEW YORK CITY

:Dealers put together their best for the Gramercy Park Antiques Show that took place at the 69th Regiment Armory, October 21-23. There was plenty to buy - and many browsers did just that, after surveying the offerings of modern silver, Victorian papier mache, Jacobean oak, and English majolica.

Few dealers reported big sales, but many were positive about the level of serious interest in collecting. According to promoter Leanne Stella, the show is the perfect venue for beginning collectors. "It's important to help young customers feel comfortable mixing antiques with contemporary items, and enticing them to invest in these objects."

The event coincided with the International Fine Art and Antiques Dealers Show, the lavish, big-money fair at the Seventh Regiment Armory. Although uptown events might have gotten more press, there was plenty to report on 40 blocks south.

Steven's Antiques was one of the first dealers to greet visitors as they entered. The Frazer, Penn., dealer had brought a selection of many styles, with the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Century styles predominating. The Louis XVI porter's chair and a large bronze amphora with animal paw supports were some of the most striking pieces. Others worth noting were the framed panel of Eighteenth Century wallpaper depicting exotic temples in a tropical setting, a sgraffito charger, 1724 and a pair of Nineteenth Century Savonarola chairs.

One of the most dramatic pieces, the overmantel mirror from Rockwood Hall, William Rockefeller's country estate, was also near the entrance. The piece, which was designed by the Herter Brothers, was being offered by B&D Johnson Antiques of Greenwich, Conn. It was made of solid rosewood and exquisitely carved.

A chest of drawers, circa 1940s, by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller, was one of the highlights at Praiseworthy Antiques of New York. The piece, made of mahogany and leatherette, was an early form of imitation leather. A peach-painted vanity table with a peach-tinted mirror that was originally made for the Dupont family was also for sale.

"We felt the traffic was off, but it definitely got better on Sunday afternoon. This is when we did our best business," says Constance Aranosian of Cara Antiques of Langhorne, Penn. She adds, "We have been at the Gramercy Antiques Fair since the beginning. We will certainly be back again."

She was selling a vast selection of Clarice Cliff pottery and English majolica. There were majolica game tureens, oyster dishes, honey hives and Egyptian Revival jardinieres. There was also an important selection of Nineteenth Century French and Portuguese Palissy ware. A Portuguese cabbage teapot with snake spout was one of the most elegant pieces.

Not to be outdone, Philippe Meunier of Paris brought several cases of French barbotine, a type of pottery similar to majolica. His most striking work was a barbotine sculpture of a wave carrying away small crabs and fish. There were also two roosters, both designed by the sculptor Paul Comoléra. But the conversation-stopper was the copulating toads, an unexpected memento from the late Nineteenth Century, a comparatively moral period in French history.

Another dealer, Paul Vandekar of New York, was selling many fine specimens of porcelain from the Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries. Especially notable was the hot water plate, circa 1765, that was made in China for the Danish market.

Early timekeeping was on display at Sundial Farm Antique Clocks of Greenlawn, N.Y. An English gilt wood cartel clock, circa 1765, by John Taylor of London was one of the earliest that was brought to the show. Among the French clocks was one made of porcelain with an ormolu laurel wreath, circa 1800. Another was made during the Restauration to commemorate the birth of the Duke of Bordeaux, the great-nephew of King Louis XVIII.

An Italian game table with a tooled leather top, circa 1940, was one of the modern pieces to be sold by Bob Withington of York, Maine. Other sales included a Louis XVI chaise lounge, circa 1930, and a pair of tole lamps, circa 1920s. Withington was also selling a Swedish cabinet with painted decoration of village scenes and pretty flowers.

Lavender Oriental Carpets of N.Y., had the usual quality selection of Oriental carpets. The most intriguing piece was a pictorial rug depicting a decollete woman with a dog, 1930s, that was woven for the Western market. There was also a late Nineteenth Century runner from Aubusson with a bright floral pattern.

"This was the second time we have done the show and we really love the look and feel. It is a size where you cannot get lost and are seen by all who attend," says Paul Lavender. "We came away with some good enquiries and we made some very useful contacts."

The tribal arts were well represented at the fair by Kip McKesson. The East Lansing, Mich., dealer was showing a Tanzanian medicine gourd, a Congolese drum and headrests from Somalia and Ethiopia. He also had a Tanzanian club decorated with a giraffe head.

A mahogany pedestal sideboard with a pediment back was the grandest piece brought to the fair by Wilcox & Wells of Pound Ridge, N.Y. "I want to do business," said owner Richard Heanue. "I did very well last year at the Gramercy Park Show, and I hope to repeat that experience." To this end he was also selling an elegant Nineteenth Century etagere with bobbin turn supports. Also prominently displayed was an early flush toilet, circa 1800. It was made of rosewood and on casters for the convenience of the servants.

There was a lot to see at the booth of Georg Jensen specialists Janet and William Drucker. One of the highlights was a candlestick, 1919, with the traditional grape motif. This piece is in many public collections, including the Newark Museum, according to William Drucker. Slightly later was the pair of candlesticks decorated with blossoms, circa 1920s that was designed by Johan Rohde. There were also showcases filled with jewelry by Henning Kopel and Astrid Fog. "It's good to be in a beautiful show," says Janet Drucker.

Ruth and Steve Dube, of Monterey, Mass., were also positive about the weekend. "The show was well attended and, of course, very well organized." Their sales were especially strong in porcelain, and they also sold some silver and fine art. Their inventory counted some fine pieces of Nineteenth Century Sevres-style, some early Victorian Staffordshire compotes and a Lenox peacock, 1920s.

Silver specialist Lauren Stanley of New York was displaying a pair of Tiffany bowls, circa 1885, embossed with mermaids, seahorses and dolphins. The bowls were commissioned by the president of a sugar refinery, and they were engraved with the patron's coat of arms.

A set of postwar Italian faience plates was one of the small treasures being sold by Chris Jussel of Bedford, N.Y. For the Arts and Crafts connoisseur, there was a Morris chair upholstered with a modern Morris print and a late Nineteenth Century Jacobean Revival chair upholstered with a flame-stitch textile.

Kenny Ball Antiques of Charlottesville, Va., had a selection of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century English furniture. A Regency chaise lounge and a Coromandel Export screen were two highlights. There were also smaller attractions, like the set of French plates with scenes of Paris and another set with mythological scenes.

Many dealers praised the quality of the show's organization. "Stella Shows are always run with organization and style and we were very pleased to be part of it," said dealers Ruth and Steve Dube.