Shoppers peruse the dealer booths lining the halls of the 40th Baltimore Art, Antiques & Jewelry Show.

Review & Onsite Photos by Tania Kirkman

BALTIMORE, MD. – With a facelift in design and layout, The Baltimore Art, Antiques and Jewelry Show saw an exciting return for its landmark 40th anniversary, solidifying it as the area’s leading show for quality dealers and high-end merchandise.

Receiving 130 exhibitors and 20,000 attendees after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Palm Beach Show Group filled the halls of its newly designed space at the Baltimore Convention Center October 20-23. After being closed to public functions since 2020 for its use as a community air station during the pandemic, the Baltimore Convention Center has now reopened and welcomed visitors to the show.

“It’s phenomenal to be back!” said Kelsi Monteith, executive director of communications with Palm Beach Show Group. “Thursday’s opening saw active buying on the showroom floor with good sales and positive feedback.” Speaking to the nature of the new design of this year’s show, Montieth explained “the new layout has a curative floor plan with hardwall displays, pipe and drape booths, as well as the market dealer spaces and book fair.” The spacious lobby entrance to the show gave dual access for buyers and a relaxed gathering space.

“We are all happy to be back,” said Scott Diament, president and chief executive officer of the Palm Beach Show Group. “The show has been well attended, and the new layout has been well received.” Based out of Florida, the Palm Beach Show Group has been able to continue events throughout the pandemic. Diament further commented on an uptick in sales of merchandise and other opportunities he has seen through his business partnerships, including the acquisition of an exceptional 100-carat diamond ring in 2020 through Provident Jewelry, Lake Worth, Fla., and his work with Market Auctions Inc., also of Lake Worth, which landed a “Best of 2022” award while Diament was in attendance at the show.

Antique Cane World & Jewelry, Okemos, Mich.

Returning this year was the favorite Booth Talk Series, in which select dealers host presentations from their booths, giving attendees a glimpse into a variety of specialized topics. Interested groups gathered in attendance for each lecture, covering subjects such as art valuation, modern silver and the innovation of table cutlery, kimono traditions, antique buttons, Art Nouveau pottery, figural antiques, legacy stories and the value of signed books.

Carole Pinto Fine Arts, New York City, exhibited an attractive selection of Impressionist, fauvist, cubist and contemporary paintings. Sharing her passion for fine art with visitors at the show, she was a presenter for the booth talk series, discussing “The mysterious art of valuation: How pricing is determined in the art market.” Art highlights included Raymond Thibesart’s “Rowboats on the Seine” ($28,000) and “Santa Margherita Rafallo, Italy” ($27,500), “Still Life” by Pierre Dumont ($52,500), “Regatta on the Seine” by Paul Vogler ($26,800), and “Fantastic Venice” by Sigismond J. Ernest Jeanes ($14,200).

Another presenter of the booth talk series was Joshua Mann, B&B Rare Books, New York City, who discussed the value that author signatures, inscriptions and personalized dedications add to the value of books. Mann explained the importance of such valuations, expressing that “a dedication copy is a one of a kind, there is no ‘other’ one” when considering condition while conducting an appraisal. He further explained that certain signatures and associations of authors and book owners can also influence the valuation greatly. Involving their attentive audience, his colleague Sunday Steinkirchner showed examples of signed books in their inventory to be examined up close.

Ophir Gallery Inc., Englewood, N.J., brought an impressive display of Twentieth Century decorative arts and lighting. Edo Ophir was glad to be back at the show after not doing many shows since the onset of the pandemic. “After the initial shutdowns and uncertainty of covid, when things started again, we had our ‘best six months’ in 2020.” Regarding quality objects and desirability, he went on to explain that “really great stuff is always great, no matter what is going on with the economy.” Headlining their space were Tiffany Studios table lamps, including a trellised Poinsettia lamp, circa 1910, a dispersed Tulip lamp, circa 1910, a Daffodil table lamp, circa 1900, and a Nasturtium lamp. Art glass spotlighted a monumental Art Deco “Fawn” vase in blue by Daum Nancy, an “Aqua Flora” sculpture by John Littleton and Kate Vogel, a “Tapestry” bowl by Carole Perry, and “Lilac Descending Forms” by Harvey K. Littleton.

Arise Bazaar, Clinton, Md.

Rehs Galleries and Rehs Contemporary Galleries, New York City offered a strong presence at the show, with a dramatic display combining both traditional and contemporary works of art.

Fine art highlights include Julien Dupre’s “Harvester’s Rest” ($180,000); “Le Jardin Neguge” by Daniel Ridgway Knight ($150,000); “Arc de Triomphe, Hiver” by Edouard Leon Cortes ($58,000); and Charles Theodore Frere’s “Beni-Souef, Egypte” ($55,000). Contemporary works included an abstract “Still Life” by Ugo Omlette Gianinni ($12,000); Kari Tirrell’s mixed media “Tin Minagerie” ($15,000); “Radio City Lights” and “42nd Street Winter Storm” by Marc Daly ($7,500 each); and Stuart Dunkel’s “Obsessive Thoughts” ($3,800).

Lawrence Steigrad Fine Arts, New York City, was a returning exhibitor to the show, offering a fine selection of Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Dutch oil paintings and Old Masters. “A Village Fair” by Pieter Schoubroeck, circa 1570 ($145,000); “Farmstead with a Fire” by Abraham Bloemaert ($195,000); and a “Still Life with Flowers, Shells, Bird, and Insects” by Jacob Marrel ($195,000) were just a few of the highlights.

A pleasing and decorative display by Silver Art by D&R – Antique French Fine Arts, Marseille, France and New York City was a hot spot of activity on the showroom floor. Oil paintings saw Impressionist and landscape views, including “Barges in Front of Port Neuf, Paris” by Albert Lebourg Rouen ($68,000), “The Poplars in Autumn” by Emmanuel de la Villeon ($18,000) and “Sailboats on the Nile in Egypt” by Charles Malfroy ($18,000). Complimenting the space were gilt, ormolu and vermeil metalwares, including an Empire-style vermeil figural bouquet holder by Boin-Taburet, Paris, circa 1870, a pair of exquisitely decorated ormolu covered vases with cherub decoration by Emile Francois Carlier, Paris (1827-1879), and a pair of Louis XV-style candelabra by Eugene Lelievre, Paris, circa 1896.

From left, Oakridge Auction Gallery, Ashburn, Va., Tessa Laney, head of business development with X. Lin Wogaman, Asian arts specialist.

The Illustrated Gallery, Fort Washington, Penn., had a wonderfully visual and nostalgic group of original magazine cover art. Standing out in the crowd were original magazine cover illustrations that included Norman Rockwell’s “The Jester” from a Saturday Evening Post cover in 1938; Robert Kauffmann’s “Tennis Player” for Liberty Magazine in 1939; Albert Hampson’s “Tan Lines” from The Saturday Evening Post, 1941; and Eugene Iverd’s “Playing the Harmonica” The Saturday Evening Post cover, 1934.

Sandra J. Whitson, Lititz, Penn., had a whimsical selection of Victorian figural silverplate napkin rings and related tableware. Reaching the height of fashion in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century, designs ranged from animals, birds, plants and natural elements to mythological forms, literary characters and realistic figures in a variety of pursuits. Dogs, cats and animals seemed to be the favorites among the show crowd, but specialty items such as military soldiers, sporting figures and objects such as furniture remain desirable among collectors. Whitson is co-author of the reference book on the subject, Figural Napkin Rings: Collector’s Identification and Value Guide (1995).

Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge, Inc., Downingtown, Penn., had a remarkable wall display of framed British sailors’ woolwork pictures, also known as woolies. Many images in Vandekar’s fleet provide a glimpse at a historical ship or depict a notable moment in time on the high seas of the Nineteenth Century. Several examples included a British woolwork with four ships sailing beneath a starry sky, circa 1875 ($12,500); a woolie depicting two fleets with eight ships, circa 1875 ($14,000); a port side view of the HMS Challenger (1872-1876) on a checkerboard sea, the namesake of the NASA space shuttle ($8,500); and a woolwork representation of a rescue by sea titled “The Boat Crew of HMS Arethusa Rescuing the Crew From the Brig. George Duncan, 17th Dec. 1865,” circa 1865-75 ($10,000).

Flower Field Farm, Bucks County, Penn., offered an eclectic combination of traditional antiques and art with midcentury furniture and design. Owner Joseph Raynock said that he was pleased with the beginning of the show and reported early sales, including a buffalo bronze by American wildlife sculpture Tim Shinaberger. The booth featured framed prints by John James Audubon of the American robin, white headed eagle and wild turkey, as well as an oil painting of a “Ute Warrior” by contemporary artist Ramon Rice, a Milo Baughman-style bronze frame lounge chair in black and white abstract print, a midcentury lounge chair upholstered in bright green fabric, and a Rya shag area rug with blue and white circles.

The Victorian Rose, Indialantic, Fla.

David Brooker Fine Art, Woodbury, Conn., and Surrey, U.K., displayed an engaging group of Nineteenth Century animal paintings depicting dogs, horses, bunnies and cats. Some examples included “Pepper (Rev Edward Pearce Serocold) 1836” by John Frederick Herring Sr ($12,500); a large-scale painting of two scruffy gray dogs by Sam Spode, circa 1820-30 ($11,500); two paintings of “Terriers in the Grass” by William Albert Clark ($3,950 each); and a pair of kitten portraits by Wilson Hepple, circa 1910 ($5,000). This pair by Hepple, who was purportedly known as the “cat man” because of his great number of paintings of cats and kittens, was noted as an exceptional find because of the quality, subject matter and condition of the paintings.

Galerie Fledermaus, Chicago, displayed a tasteful assemblage of Art Nouveau works on paper and complimentary decorative arts. Highlighted works included a set of satirical animal illustrations by Jean Jacques Grandville, lithographs and prints by Gustav Klimt, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Egon Schiele, Joan Miro and a group of monumental advertising posters by Alphonse Mucha.

Arise Bazaar, Clinton, Md., was in attendance with Asian arts, antique textiles, ceramics, furniture and collectibles. “I am happy to be here, this is a nice show for us. It’s been a good, eclectic crowd,” said Paul MacLardy, owner of Arise Bazaar and author of Kimono-Vanishing Tradition (2000). As one of the weekend’s booth-talk series presenters, MacLardy said that there had been a lot of interest in the subject pieces for his presentation, specifically an 1860s Edo period kimono, originally owned by the grandmother of the former president of Mitsubishi, circa 1945, during the reconstruction period in Japan. He reported that Song dynasty porcelains, Japanese sword pieces and artwork had sold well.

Silla Ltd. Antiques & Art, Shippensburg, Penn., were first time exhibitors at the show, specializing in paintings and bronzes from 1860 to 1930. With a primarily global online audience and the introduction of a brick-and-mortar warehouse location, the husband-and-wife team of Andrew and Grace Silla enjoy meeting clients face to face and appreciate learning about what people collect and why. They enthusiastically discussed qualities and characteristics of their art throughout the entirety of the show. Highlights included bronzes by Alfredo Pina, Pierre Jules Mene, Frederick William Macmonnies, Andre Vincent Becquerel and Antoine-Louis Barye as well as paintings by John Fabian Carlson, Pieter Gerardus van Os, Ferdinand Piloty II, Arnold Marc Gorter and others.

Arise Bazaar, Clinton, Md.

Spencer Marks, Ltd., Southampton, Mass., was back at the show with a fine selection of sterling tableware and decorations. Specialties by Gorham of Providence, R.I., included a figural ice bucket and spoon, circa 1872, in the form of a realistic strapped wooden bucket encased in icicles ($44,000); a massive floral and scroll decorated repousse punch bowl, circa 1886, a model originally exhibited at the Paris Exposition in 1889 ($9,800); and a figural water pitcher with tree trunk and whimsical face decoration, circa 1885 ($35,000). Other items on display were a monumental figural centerpiece bowl, attributed to John Wendt of New York, circa 1870 ($36,000); a pair of Whiting three-arm candelabra, circa 1890s ($42,000); and a Tiffany & Co. “singing mice” case, circa 1882 ($6,500).

There is no question that the crowds in attendance for this year’s show were thrilled to be back in Baltimore. Many dealers who faced a limited show schedule with the shutdowns of the pandemic made the best of the opportunity, taking the down time to acquire special merchandise in anticipation of their return to the Baltimore show.

Looking ahead, the Palm Beach Show Group has several shows planned for the winter months and is looking forward to the return of the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show in the fall of 2023, with date announcements forthcoming. For additional information, www.baltimorefallshow.com.

Joshua Mann and Sunday Steinkirchner of B&B Rare Books, New York City, during the Booth Talk Series of “Presentations and provenance: How signatures add value to books.”