The planes rolled out of the hanger at the Princeton Airport on Wednesday, September 27, and the next day the dealers rolled in for and started setting up for the Princeton Fall Antiques and Fine Arts Show, a benefit for the Historical Society of Princeton. The event opened with a preview on Friday, with more than 325 tickets sold in advance, and continued for the next two days.
This two-year-old show had professional management for the first time as Frank Gaglio of Barn Star Productions took over the reins. “It was really like the first year for the show since we did so many new things including bringing many new faces into the show, promoting a young collectors’ night that drew about 150 people and improving the floor plan,” Frank said.
Auctioneer and appraiser William Bunch of Chadds Ford, Penn., was kept more than busy at an appraisal clinic that ran over its two-hour scheduled time. Among the items brought in were an early dagger, a good number of paintings and an unused ticket for the Titanic.
Michael Mendelshon of Bridge Arts Strategies was on the lecture program and spoke to a full house on Saturday about “Maximizing the Financial Value of Your Collections from Saltshakers to Picassos.”
The new list of exhibitors sparked up the show and brought a wide variety to satisfy many interests. Ed Weissman Antiquarian, Portsmouth, N.H., offered a mahogany tea table with cabriole legs with carved shells, stocking feet, that measures 27 ¼ inches high, 28 ½ inches wide and 19 ½ inches deep. A coastal scene, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, ’47, 20 by 32 inches, was by Milton Howard Olivet. Ed’s prize piece was an English Japanned chest, 1696–1710, decorated in America, circa 1725. It came with a complete report from Jeffrey R. Hopper, conservator.
Irvin and Delores Boyd Antiques, Fort Washington, Penn., showed a mule blanket chest in oak, English, late Eighteenth Century, paneled construction and measuring 60 inches wide, 31 inches high and 19 inches deep. A still life, either Portuguese of Spanish, circa 1840, 37 ½ by 26 inches, showed several vessels, a copper bowl, grapes and dates.
Tall case clocks were lined up in the booth of Time & Strike, John and Patricia Snead, McLean, Va., including a circa 1710 English example by London maker James Speakman Jr, original lacquer work, and measuring 7 feet 11 inches to the top of the finial. A set of English George III style chairs, six sides and two arms, in mahogany, dated from the mid Nineteenth Century, and a mahogany and brass camera with the original wood tripod, circa 1885, fine condition, came from Lancaster.
A white marble mantel with brass fender, andirons and fireplace tools was at the back of the booth of Poverty Hollow Enterprises of Redding Ridge and Stamford, Conn. Bob Baker also showed a two-board kitchen table surrounded by a set of six ladder back side chairs, rush seats, and among the works of art for sale was an oil on board, “Rustic Bridge,” 6 by 9 inches, by Joseph Horlor, a British landscape painter.
Tristan’s Antiques, LLC, Manalapan, N.J., had a booth filled with Stickley pieces including an armchair, a rocker, library table and a slant front desk. The booth of J. Gallagher of North Norwich, N.Y., was shown with brass fireplace equipment including Philadelphia andirons with lemon tops, circa 1810, among many pairs and three rows of jam hooks dated from the early Nineteenth Century. Hat boxes were stacked three high, and an Edwardian bow front chest was of mahogany.
From Charleston, S.C., Chicora Antiques offered an American Federal side board, New York or New Jersey, circa 1800, in mahogany, mahogany veneer, white pine, poplar and cherrywood. It had extensive inlay. A triple pedestal dining table, mahogany, probably Philadelphia, circa 1800, was at the front of the booth, and against a back wall was a Federal card table in mahogany, middle Atlantic, probably Baltimore of Philadelphia, with concave front and measuring 34 inches wide, and a set of eight New York City side chairs with carved back splats, old surface, dated circa 1810.
Mr and Mrs Jerome Blum, Lisbon, Conn., had a cupboard filled with brass candlesticks, some pairs, with a total of about 75 pieces. A tea table was of Newport origin, circa 1750, with porringer ends and pad feet, and among the English Leeds was a punch kettle and stand, circa 1780.
A pair of leather covered Gainsborough desk chairs, circa 1890, was shown by The Country Squire, Milton, Mass., and a horseshoe motif shaving stand, circa 1920, was complete with a pair of candleholders. Three large pairs of tea canisters were stacked against the right wall of the booth, one with heraldry decoration, circa 1860–80, one with gilt mandarin decoration and the last, square in form, with polychrome and gilt mandarin decoration.
A Federal bow front chest of drawers with inlaid edge top, French feet, shaped skirt, in cherrywood, was from Massachusetts, circa 1790, and offered by James Wilhoit Antiques of Alexandria, Va. Another chest of drawers, Chippendale and in cherrywood, was of New England origin, circa 1780, and rested on bold ogee feet.
A pair of leather club chairs, circa 1910, was shown at the front of the booth of Wilson’s Main Line, Strafford, Penn., and an Edwardian serpentine chest in burl walnut was complete with a brush slide. Among the paintings was “Winter in the Country,” an oil on canvas by Henry A. Weldon, American, that measured 18 by 30 inches sight, 26 by 38 inches framed, and was signed lower right.
Portland Antiques & Fine Art, Portland, Maine, offered a Queen Anne flat-top highboy, Salem style with scrolled apron in maple and pine. It retained the original brasses and dated circa 1770. A barometer from Aberdeen, Scotland, circa 1830, was in mahogany with satinwood inlay, bull’s-eye mirror and thermometer.
Jim’s of Lambertville, Lambertville, N.J., had a large booth hung with many works of art including an important Edward Willis Redfield oil on canvas, “Peaceful Harbor,” circa 1928, signed lower right and measuring 26 by 32 inches. “Village Lane” by Robert Spencer (1879–1931), an oil on canvas signed lower right, measured 30 by 36 inches, and a work by William L. Lathrop (1859–1938), oil on canvas, signed lower right, 25 by 30 inches, was in the original frame.
“It was really great to hear many of the exhibitors report having good shows,” Frank Gaglio said, adding, “None of the dealers have said they would not like to come back.” Attendance was very good on Saturday and the flow of visitors on Sunday was large. “We were very pleased with the gate, and the people were there to buy,” Frank said. Among those who did some major buying at the show was Barbra Streisand, who was at the show Saturday and left with a good number of purchases. Frank also mentioned that the airport was a convenient spot for one collector who flew in, bought some paintings, and left the same way.
By 1:30 pm on Monday, all was back to normal at the Princeton Airport and once again planes filled the large hangar space.
