Old & New Worlds To Discover At Rhinebeck’s Antiques Fair

Rhinebeck, N.Y.

:The fall edition of the popular Rhinebeck Antiques Fair is always eagerly anticipated by many who motor up the Taconic Parkway or along other scenic routes leading to this picturesque town, which was ablaze over Columbus Day weekend in autumnal hues of gold, russet and pale green. In a festive seasonal marker, show promoter Bruce Garrett and his capable staff cranked up the antiques carnival once again on October 10 and 11, filling the four buildings at Dutchess County Fairgrounds with a familiar lineup of 180 exhibitors to successfully cap the show's 33rd year.

"The show went well," said manager Brett Brandes, contacted after the event. "The gate was up over last year, and both days were strong, with a really good crowd on Saturday that came early and stayed, plus a good showing on Sunday."

Of the dealers who responded to a postshow survey that management conducts after each event, between 65 and 75 percent replied that they had a good to excellent show, according to Brandes, "slightly lower than normal, but a sign of the times."

The emphasis at Rhinebeck is country and folk art — in keeping with the area's rustic charm — and that note was immediately and aptly struck by folk art specialist Victor Weinblatt's booth at the entrance to Building A, where for this show the South Hadley, Mass., dealer, playfully juxtaposed vintage folky advertising with dueling sensibilities. Under a circa 1940s sign proclaiming "Home Made Cakes & Pies," Weinblatt hung an original folk art painting, both naïve and zany, advertising "Think Thin" and showing the benefits of entering the "House of Tops Calorie Control," circa 1950s.

For some local dealers, the Rhinebeck show can serve both as a selling opportunity and visual business card. That is the case with Jenkinstown Antiques, from nearby New Paltz, N.Y., which filled its booth with some great furniture pieces, such as a New York City Hepplewhite inlaid Pembroke table, circa 1790, in mahogany, chestnut, cherry and poplar , as well as a cherry linen press, circa 1790, from Orange County, N.Y., with Bull family provenance. While co-owner Sanford Levy reported some sales, including a painting, lots of smalls and a mantel, he primarily leverages the show's exposure and customer interest to get people into his shop. "I am always happy to see so many familiar faces and meet new clients at Rhinebeck," he said.

The show worked out well for Thomasville, Penn., dealers Michael Newsom and Betty Berdan. Their good and varied sales included a paint decorated drop leaf table, a Mennonite quilt, a Maine sampler, a trade sign and a scarce Southern redware pitcher. "We had a lot of interest in the Frank Finney carvings, selling some of the small birds and a life-size owl," reported Berdan. "Rhinebeck is an interesting show as it appeals to a cross section of collectors and the gate there is strong through the entire show."

The varied collecting appetites that Berdan referred to are behind the show's inclusion of exhibitors who expand the offerings beyond country and traditional antiques. Some of these one might expect to find at the show's "Summer Magic" edition in July, where whimsy and eclecticism reign, but here was Don Zanone, a New York City dealer who specializes in off-beat art and objects ranging from Outsider art to wristwatches.

In his booth were a couple of drawings by Lee Godie (1908–1994), Chicago's infamous "bag lady" and Outsider artist. One was a pen and ink portrait measuring 16 by 16 inches, and another depicted "Mushrooms & the Handcock Building" in her own unique spelling. A David Gil (1922–2002) Bennington Pottery head, left and right profile, in ceramic, wood and Lucite, circa 1960s, was available, as were prints by Leonard Baskin (1922–2000) and Paul Cadmus (1904–1999). A bold geometric hooked rug, circa 1940s, was an additional standout in the booth.

"I was pleased with the sale results," stated Zanone, "selling 26 items to a crowd that seemed not deterred by the economy. I was especially glad to sell four wristwatches from the 1940s, as well as a great 1930 English teapot shaped like the 'Humpty Dumpty' character. Also, one collector bought a group of 20 enamel plates from the 1950s depicting cowboy scenes. These plates were given away in the mid-1950s at drive-in movie theaters across the United States and have become a sought-after collectible."

In ads leading up to the show, Avon, Conn., dealers Stephen Gero and Dan Hackbarth, who offer traditional antique furniture and decorative accessories as Old Village Antiques, showed a few choice pieces arrayed in a spacious outdoor setting with the promise "This and more coming to Rhinebeck." The "more" was stacked Lincoln-log-style into the 10-by-10-foot booth in Building B, an ample showcase of furniture gems like the Aesthetic Movement desk with English tile inserts on each corner stretcher, a set of four Georgian chairs and an English Georgian two-part desk with unusual compartment and its original leather writing surface, circa 1840.

Gero, who said he tries to get as much bang for his show buck by using vertical as well as horizontal space, said, "The show went very well for us and we sold pretty steadily. Most of our sales were to repeat customers, with lots of last-minute buying this year. We sold a beautiful Empire chest of drawers on original ball feet and a pair of French wing chairs. Overall, we were very pleased with the outcome and looking forward to doing the show in the spring."

Also satisfied with the show's results was Douglas Ramsay, Hadley, Mass., specifically citing attendance and the overall quality of exhibitors' displays. "Our 'hot spot' seemed to be front-and-center, from which we sold both the colorful pair of bamboo turned folding camp chairs, and the bold, crusty white painted side table displayed between them," said Ramsay. "Additionally, we were happy to place the coach decorated, double-sided checkerboard with new clients from Manhattan."

A relative newcomer to the show, Hotel Silver, Darien, Conn., found a great draw in its inventory that mixes and matches vintage flatware from European hotels, cafes and steamship lines, according to owner Ginger Kilbane. Stacks of vintage English hotel soup bowls, pedestal cake stands and sauceboats gleamed and beckoned shoppers to cosset themselves in what Kilbane described as "everyday luxury."

"We really had a good show," she reported afterward. "There was pretty steady traffic with a few lulls. We had a range of prices from sweet sugar tongs for $5 to large table/serving spoons. Sold many larger pieces — great for entertaining. Also can be enjoyed every day. We say, never put away. How do you care for? Use and enjoy! Anyone could dip into vintage hotel silver and go away happy. Looking forward to many return customers next year."

Fitting to the weekend, there were countless discoveries to be made by shoppers wending through the halls' displays. At Pioneer Folk Antiques, Ellsworth, Maine, for example, Ed Miller showed a very unusual hooked rug from the 1920s–30s featuring applied embroidery and wonderful colors. A real captain's fall-front desk from a schooner in Thomaston, Maine, circa 1830–40, could be seen at Captain's Quarters, Amherst, Mass., along with ships paintings by Tomaso de Simone of yachts owned by some of America's elite and captains of industry.

Dordick & Husted Antiques, Woodstock, N.Y., showcased a pair of Victorian portraits depicting members of the Kane family of New York City, accompanied by provenance and genealogy.

J. Gallagher, North Norwich, N.Y., had all its usual shiny brass accoutrements relating to hearth and home, but Jim Gallagher and Ruth Zager also brought an unusual — and monumental — pair of Art Deco-style andirons with bronze flowers, circa 1920. The 4-by-6-foot pair had come out of a large house on the Brandywine River, according to Gallagher.

Other undiscovered treasures abounded on the show floor — a Nineteenth Century plant stand in original green paint at William Lohrman Antiques, New Paltz, N.Y.; a set of four fox hunting prints by A.C. Havell, London, 1902, at Maile Allen, Colonia, N.J.; a colorful striped barber's pole with patriotic colors from Alstead, N.H., at Richard C. Kyllo Antiques, Saddle River, N.J.; and an early wooden painted cello case, looking all the world like a piece of Modern sculpture, at the booth of Marc Witus, Gladstone, N.J.

For jewel bugs, there were several dealers set up with sparkling cases, including Ellen Raisleis from Nutmeg Treasures, Glastonbury, Conn., who offered platinum and diamond examples from the Edwardian period, circa 1910.

Local Rhinebeck dealers Dennis & Valerie Bakoledis assembled a warm tableau that was anchored by a Nineteenth Century New England birch harvest table. A set of six paint decorated plank seat chairs from Bucks County, Penn., and a circa 1800–20 Pennsylvania corner cupboard with panel doors in yellow over original red were other standouts in the booth, along with an Eighteenth Century one-drawer blanket chest in original red paint.

Proximity does have its benefits. Just ask June Bertini of Ackerson Home Antiques, who battled traffic from New Jersey and arrived during the Friday pack-in after most of the other dealers had set up their booths and gone home for the day. Assisted by Marc Witus and others, Bertini was eventually able to assemble a winning selection of Christmas-themed antiques.

Contacted after the show, she said. "Business was brisk for Ackerson Homestead Antiques at Rhinebeck. My associate, Nancy Perkins, and I brought affordable, fresh-to-market Christmas ornaments and decorations. We combined them with several antiques of childhood, including miniature furniture, toys and children's portraits. Some of the items were so popular, our area seemed more like a kindergarten than an antiques booth. And not all the 'children' were under 21! We just thought this was a year to have fun, and we did!"

The fun returns in 2010 with a familiar lineup of shows — Memorial Day weekend (May 29–30), "Summer Magic" (July 24) and Columbus Day weekend (October 9–10) — as the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair celebrates its 34th year. For information, 845-876-1989 or www.rhinebeckantiquesfair.com .