Connecticut Spring Antiques Show: An Americana Treasure Trove

HARTFORD, CONN.

:When you see the likes of Jeffrey Arnstein pulling out the drawers of an early Nineteenth Century Hepplewhite chest at a dealer's booth to examine the joinery, you realize that you are not at a run-of-the-mill antiques show.

Arnstein, a nationally known restorer of early American furniture - in fact, he is the expert who miraculously reassembled the splintered carcass of an Empire couch at the Butler-McCook Homestead Museum after a sports utility vehicle crashed into the front of the historic house in August 2002 - was in Thomas Schwenke's booth at the Connecticut Spring Antiques Show, checking out the bona fides of a chest attributed to Hartford's own Aaron Chapin, circa 1800-05. Such encounters tend to reinforce the show's legendary gravitas among serious collectors and dealers of early American furniture.

The 33rd edition of the Hartford show, which was conducted on March 11 and 12, by most accounts retraced an upward trajectory, retaining its position as the premier show of pre-1840 American furniture and decorative arts. The arch term "brown," in fact, may have more correctly described the thawing ground outside than the merchandise inside the Expo Center, where the Haddam Historical Society mounted its show for the first time under management by Karen DiSaia, secretary and show chair of the Antiques Dealers Association. Not that there was any dearth of those serious brown case pieces, but the show successfully extended its trend of including a myriad of folk and fine art, painted furniture, brass and ironware, textiles, pottery and maps and prints.

Pewter dealer Ron Chambers, one of more than 60 dealers participating in the event, said it was "a gangbusters show," resulting in sales of 36 pieces of pewter - everything from flagons to beakers, plates and cups. "There wasn't much left," chuckled the Higganum, Conn., dealer. In addition to the pewter, Chambers sold a heart and crown armchair, a two-drawer blanket chest from Middletown, Conn., circa 1820, a solid 1680-90 drop leaf gate leg table, mirror and candlestand. "Both days were very busy," said Chambers, who also conducted a well-attended booth chat on early pewter.

"This show was the best we have ever had," exclaimed Wayne and Phyllis Hilt of Haddam Neck, Conn., who also deal in pewter, along with antique coverlets. "We had sales on Saturday as well as Sunday. The crowd was definitely interested in pewter, as well as the coverlets."

The Hilts noted the sale of a number of superb Eighteenth Century American mugs. One of those was an unmarked Robert Bonynge mug from Boston, as well as a very fine condition quart mug by Joseph Danforth of Middletown, Conn., circa 1780-1788. "We sold numbers of other pewter items. A fine overshot coverlet of Star and Diamond pattern in green and rust was also sold," the couple said, adding that they also bought a number of items on the floor.

Don and Gloria Buckley of Salisbury, Conn., have logged a quarter of a century with the Connecticut Spring Antiques Show as Buckley & Buckley. "We've never had a disappointing show at Hartford, and this one was no exception," said the Buckleys. "One of our best customers came with their top designer and bought the Eighteenth Century chandelier. We were encouraged by several new customers, one of who bought the dish-top Connecticut candlestand. The Connecticut Shows are a consistent haven for those who share the love of the best early work of New England turners, joiners and artisans."

Peter Eaton and Joan Brownstein of Newbury, Mass., were also very pleased with the show. "We thought the new layout was very attractive, and move-in and -out were a breeze," said Eaton. "During the course of the show, Joan sold her portrait of a young girl with coral jewelry and a basket of flowers, as well as several pieces from her showcase. I sold a small Sheraton secretary, a chest on frame, high chair, writing arm Windsor, Sheraton chest and mirror, two card tables, as well as andirons and candlesticks -a nice cross-section of what I had brought to sell. The lecture program seemed well-attended and we felt that the gate was larger and the crowd more interested than in the recent past."

Charles and Barbara Adams were also among those reporting a very positive experience at the show. They said they believed the fact that the show was very well advertised resulted in a large gate, especially at the opening and with many customers coming back on Sunday. "We felt the show was very well organized and the management and the volunteers from the Haddam Historical Society worked hand-in-hand to promote a very pleasant atmosphere," they said.

Sales encompassed a variety of merchandise for the South Yarmouth, Mass., dealers, whose specialty is Bennington pottery. "Our showcase was a very active area. Among our sales were paintings, a whale end shelf, Bennington pottery, a Nineteenth Century wooden butter mold of a full-bodied cow, a wrought iron dated trivet, two pieces of stoneware, a signed eel spear and yellowware. It was a very pleasant and profitable weekend. Barbara even celebrated a big birthday during the show," said Charles.

Bob Haneberg said, "The show was well managed and a good effort was made to keep the quality of the goods offered up to the high standards the Hartford shows have set in the past. I was really impressed with the super high quality of the goods offered." Haneberg and his wife, Claudia, who hail from East Lyme, Conn., were proudly showing a Hepplewhite four-drawer chest from Portsmouth, N.H., circa 1800, with original brasses and mahogany inlay on top, apron and drawer fronts.

The historical society's show co-chair, Rusty Clowes, said he was personally very pleased with the show and the dealer reactions. "The spirit was upbeat and positive," said Clowes. "I found it to be very rewarding, and our volunteers did an outstanding job."

The crowd awaiting the opening of the show on Saturday morning was reminiscent of earlier times. By 10:15 am, all the parking spots close to the entrance were full, and show attendees good-naturedly but determinedly jostled one another as they funneled past the entrance into the extra-wide aisles.

Still, for some dealers, opening day began slowly. "Overall, I was quite pleased with the show, although on Saturday I did not make a single sale until 2 pm," recalled Lewis W. Scranton. The Killingworth, Conn., dealer who specializes in early New England painted tin, made up for it with robust sales of the wares - eight pieces, five of them on Sunday - mostly boxes, from Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania. Scranton also sold a very stately Connecticut statehouse Windsor fanback chair, circa 1790.

A booth magnet for Stephen-Douglas, Rockingham, Vt., and Walpole, N.H., was a storied handmade American Civil War flag with 11 stripes and 13 stars that had been created in 1861 by a woman for her husband, who had carried it with him and was killed at Shiloh. It was returned to the woman and had remained in the family until recently. Curiosity about the flag, which had been mounted for display, ran high over the weekend, said co-owner Stephen Corrigan. Among the sales racked up by Corrigan and Douglas Jackman were a linen fold blanket chest in red paint, early picture frames, a wooden floor lighting fixture and a pair of Nantucket baskets. "It was a very good show with a lot of enthusiasm," said Corrigan, who noted that the historical society seems to have quite a few younger members.

Stoically minding the booth at Ben Karr Antiques, Iroquois, Ill., was a cigar store maiden from an Iowa collection that was carved around the 1870s. With an outstanding surface and evincing superior artistry, the polychromed maiden had probably been kept inside, protected from the elements, according to Karr. "The detail is characteristic of Samuel Robb," said the dealer, "especially the style of headdress and details like the drop lobe earrings." Also on display were a large family group portrait by Joseph Whitney Stock (1815-55) and a rare Rock Hill, Penn., artist song book for Abraham Meyer, 1835.

One of the most interesting items displayed by Mad River Antiques, North Granby, Conn., was diminutive - a dressed picture, probably German, of paper and cloth backed by linen depicting a man's silhouette holding a cluster of cherries. The man's jacket was made of fabric and his trousers were paper with painted white stripes, and the outline of his clothes was cut paper, including his collar. The legend "Gustav Rasch" was printed on the base of the circa 1840 novelty, which owner Steve German speculated may have been a wedding gift. "It's mounted on gray striped silk, which may have been fabric from his wedding trousers," said German, who added that depictions of cherries symbolized good luck.

Similarly, a small that was featured in the booth of Brian Cullity, Sagamore, Mass., belied by its diminutive size the amount of artisanship that went into producing it. A blown flint glass bank, probably Boston or Sandwich glass, circa 1840-60, had a setting hen perched atop it. "It took probably half a dozen men to apply the decorations on this one piece, as each would be involved with just one aspect," explained Cullity. And here is another thing - few of these banks have survived since there is no way to get the coins out once it is filled other than by breaking it.

Furniture items in Cullity's booth included a birch and bird's-eye maple card table from northern New England, circa 1790-1810, and a pine and maple candle stand attributed to the Symonds shop tradition in Salem, Mass, circa 1670-1700. The top was an early Nineteenth Century replacement.

A Queen Anne fall front desk with stepped interiors from Rhode Island, circa 1760-80, an extremely rare paneled oak chest of drawers from Essex County,. Mass., circa 1670-90, with replaced feet and top, and a New England paint decorated eight-day clock, probably 1820-25, were among the furniture highlights at Thomaston, Maine, dealer David C. Morey's booth.

Grace and Elliott Snyder of South Egremont, Mass., were showing an oversize steel and iron spitjack, a kind of colonial-era rotisserie, complete with matching spithook andirons and multiple spits. It was from England, circa 1760. They also displayed a charming and folky American appliqué and embroidered table cover that had been found in the Midwest, circa 1840, along with a rare set of six Nineteenth Century transitional Queen Anne Chippendale chairs with boldly pierced heart-motif splats and grained paint over original red paint. Everything about the chairs was original except the replaced rush seats.

By midday on Saturday, Pam and Martha Boynton of Groton and Townsend, Mass., had sold a chest on frame, a Sheraton chest and some portraits. Still gracing the booth was a button foot tea table from New England in original paint.

Sometimes wishes do come true, said Arthur Liverant of Colchester, Conn. The dealer had anchored some fine pieces of furniture in his booth around a large portrait by Connecticut artist Ralph Earl (1751-1801) of Mrs Jabez Huntington and a young son, Jedidiah, signed and dated 1796. A couple, longtime clients of Nathan Liverant and Son, happened by. "They were walking around the show and when they walked into the booth, his wife started to giggle," recalled Liverant. "She looked at him, he looked at her, and I said, 'What? Is there a joke?' And she said that on the way into the show he had said he would someday like to have a really fine example of Ralph Earl." Now the portrait is in their collection.

Under the stern gaze of Mrs Huntington, Liverant also displayed furniture gems like a cherry serpentine front chest of drawers made in Norwich, Conn., with double scrolled volutes on the feet and dramatic proportions, as well as a rare Norwich school tall clock branded by the maker of the case, Amos Dennison Allen, and with movement by Eleazer Cary of Windham, Conn. Both of these items also sold at the show. A pine and maple red paint decorated hutch table, New England, circa 1820-30; Rhode Island Chippendale maple tall chest with fan carved top drawer, tall bracket feet and grain painted surface, circa 1785-1795; and a Rhode Island William and Mary black painted tavern table with splayed legs and stretcher base, circa 1720-40, were also displayed. A striking tableau of child's chairs, some painted in old surface, hung on an outside wall.

A wonderful set of English strawberry pearlware dispelled winter's gloom at Dover House, Louisville, Ky. Made for export to the United States, particularly New England, according to Clarence Smith, the pieces are increasingly rare and condition is important. In addition to a complete tea set, Dover House had assembled various tea pots, creamers, dessert plates and other pieces. An American Queen Anne highboy, circa 1750-1780, emanated a golden glow, thanks to the applewood from which it was crafted. The top consisted of two smaller drawers over four graduated drawers and the base consisted of one drawer over three drawers - all raised on Queen Anne cabriole legs. Artwork included a pair of American oil on panel portraits by an unknown artist, circa 1820, of George and Mary Wright Howarth, believed to be from Marblehead, Mass.

"Great proportions," said Edwin C. Ahlberg of a Chippendale mahogany serpentine front slant lid desk on ogee bracket feet that commanded the Guilford, Conn., dealer's booth. From circa 1785, the desk measured 431/2 by 42 by 221/2 inches. Also on view was a Hepplewhite mahogany chest from the Delaware River Valley, circa 1790, with four drawers, each with ebony and satinwood crossbanding and string inlay. Ahlberg had artwork, too, including a large pastoral scene with cows at a millstream by Ferdinand Richart (1819-1895).

Harold Cole and Bettina Krainin, Woodbury, Conn., populated their eclectic booth with weathervanes, Indian baskets and delft, among other items. Weathervane examples included a horse and rider, a rare fish, a small rooster and a Boston Patchen horse, circa 1880. Krainin explained that the woodland Indian baskets, mostly from New England and New York between 1840 and 1860, were decorated with subtle tribal dyes and potato stamping. Most of the utilitarian baskets were used for storage, and one in particular featured an unbroken strawberry pattern, which symbolized tribal unity.

"We did very well," said Krainin, contacted after the show. "We were happy with the crowd, especially on a gorgeous Saturday, and we were pleased with Sunday was well." Sales included three paintings, a Lancaster, Penn., spice cabinet on ball feet, circa 1740, a mini-rooster weathervane and many smalls.

Derik Pulito Antiques, Kensington, Conn., showed a Massachusetts Queen Anne two-drawer blanket chest, circa 1720, featuring double arch molding, all of which was intact. From Eighteenth Century Milford, Conn., Pulito had what he called his "Great Red Chair," a John Durand banister back chair, 1770, with medial arm and original red varnish. Artwork included an oil on canvas by Nelson Douglas Moore (1824-1902), a study of rocks and woodlands by the well-listed Hudson Valley School artist who was active from the 1860s to 1901. There was also a Keene Valley, N.Y., pastoral landscape by Roswell Morse Shurtleff (1838-1915) from the 1860s. Shurtleff, who settled in Hartford but spent his summers painting in the Adirondacks at Keene Valley, encouraged other artists to come to the area.

A North American settle of carved oak, circa 1680-1700, with carved sunflowers and acorns, a Massachusetts Pilgrim linen fold chest from the 1680s and a very rare Eighteenth Century carved four-shell Philadelphia armchair with ball and claw fleet were among the highlights at Portland Antiques & Fine Art, Portland, Maine.

Collette Donovan is getting collaborative help these days from her Pratt-educated daughter, Bridget Belmont, a good sign in an industry that increasingly needs second-generation invigoration. For this show, the Merrimacport, Mass., dealers had created a warm tableau centered around a late Eighteenth/early Nineteenth Century press bed with "no apologies," according to Donovan, featuring great legs, height and Hepplewhite lines. Atop the bed was a turn-of-the-century velveteen teddy bear, completely hand wired in every joint, and nearby was displayed an assortment of homespun linens.

A painted corner cupboard with wonderful diamond raised panel bottom door and three coats of old paint was featured at the booth of Samuel Herrup, Sheffield, Mass. Probably from Connecticut, circa 1760-80, the piece had endured several old repairs and measured 86 by 40 by 15 inches. Sporting a sold tag early on Saturday was a ball foot chest over drawer, probably Massachusetts, circa 1720, with single arch molding, snipe hinges and original brass escutcheons in a great old surface. From New England, probably Massachusetts, was a Queen Anne drop leaf table of maple and pine, circa 1760. A pair of steeple top andirons from New York City, circa 1800, were priced at $3,200.

Oriental rugs this year were supplied by Ralph and Karen DiSaia, Old Lyme, Conn. Not only was the dealer new, but so was the presentation - what Ralph DiSaia jokingly described as an "edgy, angular" booth design that showcased several examples on outward facing panels, while luring the shopper into a souk-like space that dramatically displayed such gems as a Kurdish 4-by-8-foot rug with optically arresting designs of matte red, indigo blue, blue-green and midnight blue, a Karabaugh, circa 1900, 10-foot runner with figures and animals on an aubergine field and an incredible Farahan rug from the third quarter of the Nineteenth Century featuring silk inlay.

A stolidly standing Eighteenth Century shoefoot hutch table from New England garnered attention in the booth of David L. Good and Sam Forsythe, dealers from Greenfield, Ohio. The table exhibited original red paint and had a cherry top on a maple base. A 10-gallon stoneware sorghum jug loomed in one corner of the booth, dated 1865 and marked "Westhafer" from Tuscarawas County, and a blanket chest, also from that area, was made circa 1820 and featured nice grain painting

Tavern tables were in good supply at the show, and Newsom & Berdan, Thomasville, Penn., showed an early Maine example from the first half of the Eighteenth Century. Found in Union, Maine, the table exhibited excellent form and surface. Also on view was an Eighteenth Century Connecticut Valley maple and pine chest, a New England candlestand in old red surface from the Eighteenth Century and a large school girl theorem on linen from Williamsburg, Va.

John Keith Russell was at the show from South Salem, N.Y. He was showing a Delaware Valley Queen Anne chest on frame. It had two drawers over four and stood on four shaped cabriole legs terminating in trifid feet. The piece was made of walnut, pine and poplar and retained an original old varnish surface with later overvarnish. A Chippendale chest on chest from coastal Connecticut or Rhode Island was done in cherry with pine secondary wood in an old dry surface. A Shaker pantry cupboard in pine with old original painted surface hid inside it an inscription that read: "Barrel of flour got the 18th of June - my first week in the kitchen." Shipping labels on the base were from Prudence A. Stickney, Sabbathday Lake, Maine, to Miss Helen Frick, Mount Kisco, N.Y., circa 1850.

Jeffrey Tillou Antiques, Litchfield, Conn., showcased a baroque gate leg table from Pennsylvania, circa 1700-20, the table having an oval drop leaf top with rule joints supported by ring and baluster turned legs ending in ball feet. In cherry and white cedar, the table had white oak secondary and a refinished surface. Charming poses were struck in a pair of oil on canvas portraits of a husband, wife and child by an unidentified Vermont artist, circa 1830-40. The real charmer in the booth, however, was a Chippendale chest on chest on bandy legs. The New England (probably Connecticut or New Hampshire) piece was made circa 1765-80 in cherry with eastern pine as the secondary wood. With provenance to the Demming family, the piece's skirt featured an unusual pierced heart and carving.

Educational programs and booth chats, inaugurated in 2005, were again presented in Hartford and were well received. On Saturday afternoon, Connecticut Valley furniture scholars Thomas and Alice Kugelman presented a lecture, and well attended booth chats were given by Ron Chambers (Connecticut pewter), Donald Creswell from the Philadelphia Print Shop (colonial-era engraver Amos Doolittle) and Melinda and Laszlo Zongor (antique coverlets). Additionally, at a reception for the exhibitors on Saturday evening, the Zongors and Edward Maeder, director of exhibitions and curator of textiles at Historic Deerfield in Deerfield, Mass., announced the establishment of the National Museum of the American Coverlet, which is expected to open in Bedford, Penn., in the spring of 2007. "We were pleased that they chose to make their announcement at the Connecticut Spring Antiques Show," said the historical society's Clowes.

For information, www.haddamhistory.org or 860-345-2400.