Fall Rhinebeck Antiques Fair Delivers Pleasant Surprise For Some Dealers

Rhinebeck, N.Y.

:A funny thing happened to Bob Baker at this season's finale of the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair — he sold some major pieces of furniture.

Baker, principal of Poverty Hollow Enterprises of Stamford Conn., is well-known in the trade for his beautiful and meticulously assembled displays of primarily English and Continental antiques, decorative accessories and garden ornaments. Mostly, he uses English and French country furniture as his canvas, against which he creates a welcoming tableau with compelling smalls — glass pedestals, Wedgwood plates, small animal sculptures, silver place settings and the like.

"It was a strange show for me, not at all what I expected," said Baker after the two-day show concluded on October 12. "Considering the financial week off of which we had just come, I fully expected to do some smalls wrapping — if anything."

Although Baker said he did sell some silver, glass, pewter and brass, he was surprised when his very large pine dresser went, as did a number of heavy stone items. And after he returned home, he got a call from a couple who had admired a mid-Nineteenth Century French farm table he had at the show. "They decided to purchase it — an unexpected delivery to New Jersey for me, but in these times, I simply said, 'Yes sir, I'll be there.'"

Also prepared to wind up with a goose egg rather than the golden variety was Victor Weinblatt, the South Hadley, Mass., American folk art specialist. "People can survive without antiques. They need food, shelter and medical attention, but no one has ever died for lack of a highboy — at least that I know of," he said. When the doors opened to the public, however, "there was a brief lull, and then crowds started to appear. It was like the weeks after 9/11. People were eager to be out and about, most everyone was almost unnaturally kind and friendly and sought reassurance in the company of others, and, amazingly enough, people bought things, and when others saw them buying, they decided it was okay to buy as well."

Weinblatt said he sold across the board — "from our best red, white and blue pinstriped New England checkerboard to a sculptural papier mache scare-owl, from a folk art polychrome clock with the best surface and form to a 6-foot, four-drawer, two-tier buffet in a superb red stain constructed with massive dovetails."

Everything, it seems, conspired to make the show successful. "We had beautiful, brisk fall weather," said show manager Brett Brandes, who added that the gate was down only about ten percent from the previous fall show, with a good mix of attendees from both near and far. "Sixty percent of our dealers said they had a good to excellent show, and many said it was their best in years," said Brandes. The gamut of items was seen leaving the show, everything from furniture to smalls and ephemera.

The show had a few surprises for June Bertini of Ackerson Homestead Antiques, as well. "After the horrible week on Wall Street, I had not expected to sell anything. Instead, I did have five nice sales, including a charming Sheffield Farms toy milk wagon and an early Rockingham shaving mug," she said. "Also unexpected was the enthusiasm of the customers for the show in general. It was nice to see so many upbeat faces." A highlight in the Park Ridge, N.J., dealer's booth was a diminutive grain painted and stenciled dressing table with a splashboard that terminated in "ears." From Maine, circa 1830, the table featured two short drawers over one long drawer and was supported on ring-turned legs terminating in ball feet. Bertini also brought an early Nineteenth Century double caddy English burl veneer tea box with magnificent inlay.

Were Bennington pottery specialists Barbara and Charles Adams among the lucky dealers hitting pay dirt? It seemed that way, according to Charles, who said, "The show was one of our best ever Rhinebecks. We sold from a variety of categories." The South Yarmouth, Mass., dealers said their biggest sale was a Bennington standing poodle that went to a New York City customer. "Also, we sold four other pieces of Bennington to a couple from England, who also bought a piece of lighting," said Charles.

Other sales included paintings, redware, eagle bookends, an 1893 large sign, several pairs of early ice skates, wooden gold letters, a brass stencil and an early framed fire photo from Oil City, Penn. "We had good sales on Sunday, selling to Midwest customers who had been at the ADA [Antiques Dealers Association] show [in Deerfield, Mass.] on Saturday. We try to bring some new fresh pieces to each show, have fair prices and a variety of merchandise. That seems to work for us."

Jenkinstown Antiques, New Paltz, N.Y., showed an Eighteenth Century Chippendale daybed of New England origin, a punched tin paneled pie safe with perfect patina from the early Nineteenth Century and a New York City Sheraton mahogany server with reeded turret top and posts and brass ball feet, circa 1810. Artwork included a mid-Nineteenth Century oil on canvas landscape view of Dover Plains inspired by Asher Durand's and a Bayard Tyler oil on canvas view of Bevier House, Hugenot Street, New Paltz, in a gold Newcomb Macklin frame. Sanford Levy said he sold a Hudson Valley painting and lots of smalls. "Several people went to the shop from the show, so I was happy," he said.

A rare schooner/yacht weathervane, circa 1920s, was on view at the booth of Thomas and Beverly Longacre. With sails and copper rigging over a painted wooden hull, the weathervane was priced at $2,950. Also adding to the aura of Americana was a carved wooden trout mounted on a plaque from the 1920s or 1930s and, from the same period, a folky hooked rug with two roosters and a colorful diamond border. As always, taking up a corner of the booth was Beverly Longacre's glittering display of Christmas decorations, all hand painted and each different, thus crossing over into the realm of folk art. Longacre's personal collection of such ornaments numbers more than 2,000, and each year at Christmas she puts up and decorates 11 trees within the couple's Marlborough, N.H., home.

A veritable antique and vintage prints bazaar is set up for each show by Lea Wait, owner of MAH Antiques in Edgecomb, Maine. Categories range from children, animals, birds, botanicals and flowers to the United States at war, especially the Civil War, Native Americans and artist self portraits. The latter was highlighted at this show by a Thomas Nast (1840–1902) self portrait showing the frustrated Nast on a hot July day surrounded by bills and headlines of disasters. Next to him is a telegram ordering him to draw something funny!

"We decided not to bring our usual high-end prints this fall," said Wait. "Instead, we brought less expensive prints, and put up a sign offering them at 30 percent off 'to help us celebrate 30 years in the business.'"

The strategy worked, said the dealer. "We were able to clear out a lot of partial portfolios and older inventory items, and customers happily browsed through bins of lower priced items. We sold more individual prints than we had in years. Because the prints were priced low, our gross for the show wasn't high — but we did clear expenses, and went home with money to put in the bank and some postshow customer requests to fill."

Gloria Lonergan of Mendham, N.J., decided to bring a 6-foot-long piece of country furniture — original use long forgotten — that she repurposed into a hall console or server. Its original blue color would brighten any space and a clear glass top completed the conversion. Also on display were a circa mid-1880s pie safe from Pennsylvania or Ohio, with original decoration of stars with circles in the center and three shelves, and a two-sided sign from upper New York State advertising "H.E. Sheridan Groceries & Meats." Resting on a New England sawbuck table was a very early bee skep on a remarkably preserved wooden base.

"It's in two pieces, so it's easy to move," said Ruth Zager of J. Gallagher, North Norwich, N.Y. She was referring to a British bookcase, circa 1850, in beautiful flame mahogany and with a carved "god of good luck" in the center arch. The hearth specialist dealers also showed a serpentine fireplace fender with matching tools and andirons from Philadelphia, circa 1800. A nice small British coal grate that was dated 1697 and a small scale, probably for a kitchen and dated 1877, were additional highlights in the booth.

There was also a nice piece of furniture that had been "rescued" by Clinton Corners, N.Y., dealer Dolores Murphy. She spotted what she recognized as a Nineteenth Century Duncan Phyfe mahogany pier table in an auction ad, even though the picture was miniscule. With continual rather than bookmatched sides and rounded corners, the circa 1815–20 gem only needed a new marble top. Murphy had one made, and the table came to the show.

Joan Bogart filled a booth with an exuberant Hollywood regency tole grape tree from the mid-Twentieth Century, a three-piece Italian wrought iron bistro set, circa 1920s–30s, fitted with a new beveled glass top, an Aesthetic jeweled mirror, a white wrought iron two-tier plant stand and three woolwork shadowboxes in glass covered frames. "I had serious interest in my Victorian lighting, which I had advertised prior to the show," said the Rockville Centre, N.Y. dealer.

At Raccoon Creek Antiques, Oley, Penn., highlights included a Pennsylvania dry sink, circa 1860, with a second painted surface, backed by a rare commemorative quilt honoring Texas joining the Union with 28 stars for the 28th state. An old maid's crib puzzle quilt from 1927 was offered; the 48-by-59-inch cotton quilt from Kalona, Iowa, featured blue triangles that seemed to float on salmon-colored blocks

Worden Select Objects, as its name implies, scours the Midwest farming, urban and industrial landscape for items that are not only striking in their form, but that also show the care that went into creating utilitarian objects in times past. The Burr Oak, Mich., exhibitor had a monumental cast iron tree surround — these were made to provide protection for the tree's roots — and its form, size and intricate casting combined to make a formidable statement. Even a handmade car mechanic's creeper for scooting under a car's chassis took on sculptural qualities when mounted on a wall; ditto for a large electrical insulator with a colorful spine crafted of Corning glass rounds.

The Village Braider always entertains show patrons with the eclectic things dealer Bruce Emond is able to ferret from different centuries. For this show, he stacked large zinc crates, installed a monumental prep table with butcher block top and zinc bins underneath, a sheet metal weathervane of a locomotive and coal car, a horse vane shot full of holes and an Abercrombie & Fitch leather giraffe, among other things.

Some lucky fellow was awarded a plaque congratulating him on the "Salmon Prize Catch in Canada" on April 30, 1941. The prize salmon's length was noted as 40 inches and its weight was 22 pounds, according to the plaque hanging in the booth of Cheryl and Paul Scott Antiques, Hillsborough, N.H. Other Americana showcased by the Scotts included a carved and painted swan panel from a carousel ride, an American eagle weathervane, circa 1900, with directionals, and furniture items to include a Chippendale four-drawer bureau, circa 1780, of tupelo wood and a birch Sheraton drop leaf table from New Hampshire, circa 1825.

Jan and John Maggs's collection of early furniture and fine art included an English Georgian slant front desk that was unusually diminutive of oak and pine as secondary, circa 1750, an English Eighteenth Century oak gate leg table in old dry surface and a signed oil on canvas by listed New Hampshire painter Dennis Sheehan (b 1950) titled "The Clearing Sky."

The Rhinebeck Antiques Fair will return with its usual three shows in 2009 — Memorial Day weekend, May 23–24; Summer Magic on July 25; and Columbus Day weekend, October 10–11. For information, www.rhinebeckantiquesfair.com or 845-876-1989.