Jane and Richard Nylander, shown with Historic New England's collection of Staffordshire children's mugs.
:The board of directors of the Antiques Dealers' Association of America this week announced that the recipients of the Award of Merit for 2010 are noted preservationists, scholars and collectors Richard and Jane Nylander. The Nylanders, who have been called the "Bacall and Bogart of the preservation field," (see
Antiques and The Arts Weekly, June 17, 2005) are the president emerita and retired senior curator of Historic New England, the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional preservation organization in the country.
The Nylanders, who married in 1972, have devoted a combined lifetime to the study of New England architecture, decorative arts and social history. Their accomplishments include dozens of articles and exhibitions, several books in multiple editions and scores of professional affiliations. In addition to the upcoming award, their major joint awards include a lifetime achievement award from the New England chapter of the Victorian Society of America in 2005 and the 1996 Roger and Anne Webb Award from Historic Massachusetts, Inc, both for work in the preservation field.
"We are delighted to be honored by antiques dealers from whom we have learned so much, and we feel honored to join the illustrious group of individuals who have already received this award," said the Nylanders from their home in Portsmouth, N.H. Past winners include Joe Kindig III, Wendell Garrett, Albert Sack, Elinor Gordon, Betty Ring, Dean Failey, Scudder Smith and Philip Zea.
The award will officially be presented at a dinner in the Nylanders' honor on Saturday, April 17, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Antiques Show. For information about tickets, contact ADA's executive director Lincoln Sander at 203-364-9913.
