Edward and Sheila Hylan, Southbury, Conn.
Dragon Culture, New York City.
The 34th annual Bedford Hills Antiques Show took place February 21 and 22 at Fox Lane High School. It is sponsored by the Bedford Hills Lions Club and produced by Martin Greenstein’s The Last Detail Antiques Shows, Ltd.
As an antiques dealer and Lions Club member, Marty was approached by the club five years ago to find new show management. When he could not find another they said “How about you?” and The Last Detail Antiques Shows, Ltd was born.
Marty had been making a living at least part of the time dealing at shows and markets in Arts and Crafts décor including Stickley and Mission oak furniture and art pottery, especially Roseville, McCoy and Weller. He had an appreciation for antiques, knew how to market them and a wealth of experience in doing shows. He is also a very conscientious and detail oriented (as in the name of his business) with a very big list of dealer friends. These qualities allowed him to take over and reinvigorate this show.
This year there were more than 70 dealers in room settings; areas of different sizes, set as a living room, study or even a store or gallery. Each dealer space has its own atmosphere or personality.
Fine Art dealer Peter Winsom, Fairfield, Conn., closed part of the front opening to his booth so show guests would enter his space and be secluded with his collection. It seems to give the visitor an atmosphere or quiet place to ponder and consider the artwork. At this show he had paintings by listed artists, African and Asian primitives, sculptures and early American folk art.
Bob Baker trades as Poverty Hollow Antiques in Redding Ridge, Conn. His exhibit was a mix of American country style, some European pine furniture and a wide variety of art. He had one of the larger booths and it was very full. Reports were that he was also pleased with the results of the weekend’s activities.
Jesslyn James formerly lived in the Fairfield County, Westchester County area but has moved to Paris, France where she shops for art, mostly paintings. Trading as the Gallery of European Art she offered a collection of more than 100 pieces and sold well at the show.
Albert Joseph & Co, Naugatuck, Conn., had an interesting collection for this show. The furniture was mostly mid-Nineteenth Century with very affordable prices. A Victorian low dresser with large framed oval mirror priced at $895 found a new home along with a pine commode and a Nineteenth Century drop leaf tea table, meant to be a Jacobean reproduction. The dealer, Albie Yuravich also offered a large collection of baseball memorabilia, pennants, autographed photos and the like, which also sold well.
Hancock, N.H., dealer David Beauchamp brought a large collection of hardwood and hardwood veneer furniture of Sheraton through early Victorian styles. He also had an oil on canvas that was tagged at $6,000 and sold to a well-known art collector and expert.
From their shop in Sheffield, Mass., Good and Hutchinson brought a very large collection of furniture, art and accessories. Theirs was one of the largest booths in the show and it included a complete dining room and living room. David Good customarily fills a very large bowl filled with spice drops; bet you couldn’t pass them up.
Pierce Archer, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., offered English porcelain, brass and furniture in sparkling bright condition. Antique Folly, New Market, Md., does dishes, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century transfer ware and Staffordshire from England and porcelain from France. Victorian era furniture was the principle offering from Wappingers Falls, N.Y. dealers Steve and Lisa Fisch.
Clocks were the main focus from Charles Brevel of Glenmont, N.Y. He had a variety of small clocks and two tall-case, grandfather clocks. One was from Pennsylvania made late in the Eighteenth Century with American works in an intricately detailed case and hood (the top), priced at $8,500. The other, also over seven feet tall, was made in Winchester, Conn., by Riley Whitting, circa 1810-1825, featuring clock works made of wood in a grain painted case.
Amy Parsons is a collector who has become a dealer; her collection became so big, she had to! Her centerpiece at this show was a silk and wool crazy quilt, so named for the erratic nature of the shapes of the pieces. In this quilt, hung on the full back wall of her booth, there was some continuity to the craziness with several fans radiating from the center and a broken circle to the pattern. It was not apparent in the first look but when studied, there was a visible plan to the pattern. Its price is $2,500.
Brothers Brent and Derick Johnson, B&D Johnson Antiques LLC, were at the front of the gymnasium for this event. Their offerings were mostly Georgian period furniture from England with accessories from later periods.
Penny Pincher, Bedford Hills, N.Y., had furniture and accessories of mixed periods stylishly collected together in her room setting. Lily Choi, Dragon Culture of New York City offered Asian furniture. And from North Hatfield, Mass., Brown-Boyle Antiques had an early primitive keeping room or kitchen in their space.
In a post show interview Marty said that while the Lions Club members did not keep accurate count there were at least 2,000 visitors to the show, many who came both days.
His next show will be the Armonk Antique Show for North Castle Historical Society, April 17-18 and he expects to do Bedford Hills again next year. For information, www.mgkisco@aol.com or 914-572-4132.
