The Finnegan Gallery, Chicago, Ill.

Nineteenth Century British sailor’s woolwork picture at Diana Bittel, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

– The Nantucket August Antiques Show, sponsored by the Nantucket Historical Association opened with a benefit preview party on Thursday, August 7, and continued throughout the weekend, ending on Sunday, August 10. The show takes place at the Nantucket High School and is produced by the Antiques Council, this year headed up by exhibiting dealer Diana H. Bittel from Bryn Mawr, Penn. Christine Vining was the Antiques Council co-chair. Vining has her gallery in Marblehead, Mass. This very elegant show showcased approximately 33 antiques dealers from 12 states and England. In the middle of the blistering heat wave that was sweeping across the entire Northeast, this show was doing very well indeed.

According to antiques dealer Andrew Maynard, The Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, Conn., “Sales have been good.” Maynard was showing a painting entitled “Twilight” by Dwight William Tryon, circa 1872, which was priced at $85,000. Guy Bush, GKS Bush Inc, from New York City and Nantucket, was exhibiting formal furniture and appropriate accessories in his booth near the entrance to the show.

The Finnegan Gallery had come to Nantucket to exhibit at the show from Chicago and proprietors Marty Shapiro and Kaye Gregg had assembled a stylish and elegant grouping of English and French garden and architectural rdf_Descriptions, dating from the Nineteenth Century.

Veteran Antiques dealer Victor Weinblatt has been exhibiting in the show for 25 years. Weinblatt, who has his business located in South Hadley, Mass., said of the Nantucket Historical Society Show “It’s a very good show — with a real loyal coterie of customers who follow the show from year to year — wait for it, and support it.” Weinblatt continued, “Our very best customers from all our other shows are all here in August.”

Randall Decoteau, Warren Mass., said there had been a “good gate, and a good opening.” Oriental Rugs LTD from Old Lyme Conn., Karen Di Saia, and Ralph Di Saia. were showing at this antiques fair. The pair was exhibiting, among other things a 7- by 12-foot Sennebend Malayer, circa 1930, which was priced at $14,500. Hyland Granby, from Hyannis Port, Mass., who was exhibiting a collection of period American nautical antiques and accessories, said, “The show is going very well; a lot of people are doing well.”

The always stylish and innovative Forager House Collection, George Korn and Richard Kemble from Nantucket, Mass., was showing a very compelling collection of colorful American pottery — a 30-year collection made by Peters and Reed Pottery, Zanesville, Ohio, from the late Nineteenth to early Twentieth Century.

Also exhibiting at the show was Nina Hellman from Nantucket, who was showing American Nineteenth Century nautical antiques. Leatherwood Antiques, from Sandwich, Mass., Mo Wajselfish from Leatherwood, had a phenomenal painted folky kas from Bavaria, which he had priced at $28,500.

Bittel herself had a great show, selling a collection of valentines and woolies mostly to one customer who flew in from Newport. “It’s fun to do a nautical booth,” she said.

This event benefits the Nantucket Historical Association, which is, according to Bittel “strong and fabulous.” It has been at its current location for about ten years. It certainly was a very high quality, top of the line event, with the very best American and Continental furniture offered, as well as fine paintings, decoys, and great garden material, and definitely worth a trip.

For information call Diana H Bittel, at 610-525-1160.