At 8:50 am on opening day, the sounds of hammering echoed through one of the exhibition rooms at the Pound Ridge Historical Society Antiques Show, which set up at Fox Lane High School November 29″0, and dealers were in full swing, pulling in handcarts laden with last-minute stock for their booths and hanging artwork.
By 9:30 am, dealers were wiping down glass tables, unpacking the last box or two and grabbing a quick cup of coffee before the doors opened at 10. Show manager Martin Greenstein looked relaxed as he toured the show and chatted up dealers.
This show is a popular one on the antiques show circuit. With right around 60 dealers and little turnover, the show is a comfortable size and the mood here is relaxed, making shopping a pleasant experience. Offerings range from traditional to Modern, and there is a diverse variety to be found.
Charles Breuel, Glenmont, N.Y., offered a watercolor on paper, “Stone Bridge” by Charles Basing (1865‱933), a solid cherry Paul McCobb drop leaf dining table and a New York or Vermont Chippendale chest attributed to Calvin Willey, 1890‱810, with the characteristics of the Colchester, Conn., school of cabinetmakers. Another standout in the booth was an Atkins & Downs transition clock, Bristol, Conn., 1831″2, with its original 30-hour wooden works movement, a carved eagle splat and pineapple finials.
Perry-Joyce Fine Arts, Sawyer, Mich., filled its booth walls with a pleasing assortment of fine art and needlework. The dealer offered up a tribute to our canine friends with one wall of the booth showcasing several fine oil portraits of dogs, a stunning painting of two hunting dogs at work and a fetching illustration of a dog with a bow around his neck.
Jaffe & Thurston, Wawarsing, N.Y., offered up a boothful of fine antiques, including a six-leg, swing leg mahogany dining table, New York, circa 1850, that was topped with elegant cut glass, including a Tuthill rose pattern intaglio on geometric ovoid bowl out of Middletown, N.Y., circa 1900‱923.
William Nickerson Antiques, Orleans, Mass., framed two nautical paintings on its back wall above a wonderful set of six paint decorated chairs and a pair of bed frames and chests.
Kairos Gallery, New York City, which specializes in Eighteenth⁔wentieth Century paintings and decorative arts, offered a select sampling of paintings ranging from traditional still lifes and landscapes to a Cubist-inspired work.
Grace Packer, Bridgeport, Conn., was in her usual booth in the small gym, as most of the dealers were. Known for her choice silver examples, she did not disappoint this year, bringing with her a sublime Gorham silver tea service. It was, however, an English tantalus presented in October 1899 as a wedding gift from a cycling club to the groom that drew visitors’ attention.
Yesterday’s Luxuries, Hamden, Conn., offered a pair of sold mahogany beds topped with carved pineapple finials, probably New York, circa 1900s′0s.
Nancy Wells, South Portland, Maine, offered a pair of balloon-style topiary frames, but it was a pair of sculptural wall hangings in the form of elephant heads with the trunks turned up for good luck that caught the eye. They were from Cameroon and were probably made circa 1940, as the heads had coins embedded into them with the most recent coin dated 1938.
Greenstein’s next show will be the White Plains Antiques Show January 10‱1. For more information, www.TheLastDetailAntiquesShows.com or 914-572-4132.
