Ironstone Reproductions,
Littlestown, Pa.
By Liza Montgomery
WILTON, CONN.
No one is better suited to address the enduring issue of
competition between craftsmen and the trade than antiques show
producer Marilyn Gould. In the November 15 issue of Antiques
and The Arts Weekly, (page 70) she writes, "[Contemporary
artisans] do not take business away from antiques dealers. Smart
buyers...can buy both for different reasons and different uses.
"Those with the bent of a curator...may choose some contemporary
work that blends with antiques, but can take the stress of active
households," she continues.
How right she is. Anyone who lives with both antiques and young
children knows that beautiful reproductions act as a bridge
between what can stand up to stress and what absolutely,
positively has to be kept away from "washable" markers, for
example, or those frighteningly realistic tool sets made for
toddlers.
Early American Floorcloths, Claremont, N.H.
Not convinced? Gould's Wilton Historical Society Celebration of
American Craftsmanship certainly brings the point home. The
150-exhibitor event made another successful return to the high
school Field House November 16-17, and while a cold rain may have
kept attendance down on the show's last day, Saturday's opening
was as busy as ever.
"People are crazy about the show," Gould commented. "[Saturday]
was jammed." Some exhibitors had sold out completely by Sunday
morning.
The craftsmen represented by Wilton's Celebration keep many of
the traditional ways to make furniture, pottery, folk art,
textiles and folk art alive. Among the highlights were Richard
Grell's Windsor chairs, and particularly his Windsor triple bow
back settee with worn black paint, an outstanding piece of
workmanship for this Hudson, Ohio, maker priced at $8,500.
Missed out on the Joseph and Bathsheba Pope valuables chest sold
at Christie's on January 21, 2000, for $2.4 million? Richard
Nucci, of Hebron, Conn., offered his accurate copy of the famous
cabinet for only $4,200.
Joe Deluca Restorations, of Conestoga, Penn., was quite happy
with his sales on Saturday. His booth was dominated by an
impressive cherry corner cupboard standing more than seven feet
tall, which featured an arched door and wonderful moldings priced
at $5,995.
Richard Grell, Hudson, Ohio.
Early American Floorcloths of Claremont, N.H., which offered
fabulous alternatives to traditional rugs, was crammed with
patrons on Sunday afternoon. Dennis and Sheila Belanger -- taking
their designs from primitive portraits -- stretch, prime and
paint sailcloth, finally finishing their "painted carpets" with
eight coats of polyurethane, creating a kind of geometric shell.
"The colonials originally used the sails from ships to cover
their floors," Sheila told us. "Most didn't have Oriental rugs."
The Belangers can customize any of their floorcloths, which start
at $16 per square foot.
Meticulously painted clocks, cupboards and chests were star
attractions at Ironstone Reproductions of Littlestown, Penn.,
where Emie Murray and Mike Conklin apply the same methods used by
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century craftsmen to their pieces. A
beautiful eight-day single chime flame-top, vinegar-grained
tall-case clock, a copy of an 1830 Maine creation, represented a
long, 14-step process for its creators and was priced at a mere
$7,400.
The American Craftsmanship show also featured two special
presentations: Folk artist Warren Kimble personally signed his
prints for his patrons, and Chris Ohrstrom of Adelphi Paper
Hangings demonstrated the process of hand replicating historical
wallpapers.
