Nan Gurley produced another meeting of her friends, about 40 exhibiting dealers and several hundred visiting customers at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center for one day, November 7. Many of her shows are organized in a similar manner †exhibitors show up early in the morning, move their collections into the show site and about the time the coffee is ready, so, too, is the show and the customers come for some inspecting and shopping.
This new event saw many dealers who exhibit at many of Gurley’s shows arrive with fresh merchandise. Martin Ferrick, a Lincolnville, Maine, dealer, came in with a collection of early New England hardwood furniture. Among his most interesting pieces was an early desk in cherry, fall front, with great inside detailing. The finish, while not appearing to be original, had excellent color, and there were no major faults. He also offered an early drop leaf tea table, Queen Anne style, and several more pieces.
Michelle Genereux, MG Art and Antiques, East Kingston, N.H. offered a good deal of furniture †a saw buck table in good condition and early paint went out the door early; a small cupboard found a new owner along with several other small pieces. Also in her assortment were several early paintings, all oils on canvas or board.
Filling several tables with small antiques was how McClellan Elms Antiques did the show. The dealer’s merchandise came to the show in several big boxes. There were knife honing boards, several mortar and pestle sets in early paint, more kitchen tools and a small apothecary cabinet in early blue-gray paint. A carved butter paddle was offered among the freshest pieces in the collection; it had been found only that morning.
Candlewick Antiques is John Anderson and his mother Jesse from Milford, N.H., offering their collection of early furniture and small antiques. There was a set of four comb back Windsor chairs in very good condition for being more than 200 years old with a price tag of only $1,250. A tall case clock with brass works was constructed by Cyrus Hoadley in Plymouth, Mass., according to Anderson’s tag, and offered for $1,450.
The collection from the Yarmouth, Maine, shop of Rachel Gurley included a tole ware fireback in good paint decoration, an early knife box, assorted firkins in original paint and more small antiques.
A well-executed and -maintained piece of textile art was offered by Jewett-Berdan of Newcastle, Maine. The picture was of a large farmhouse with a big addition to the rear and a barn with the surrounding landscape, in a large wall hanging, about 2 by 4 feet in size. Tom Jewett said it was a combination of hooking and shearing, probably 100 years old and from Maine with a price of $4,800.
A small tap table with pad feet in maple and pine was sold by Tom Joseph of Limington, Maine. He was also selling a pair of American Chippendale chairs with owl’s face back splats and rush seats. Jennie Rice, Higganum, Conn., and Lynne Nelson, Lancaster, Mass., were together offering a collection of early carved bowls in original paint and several other early pieces of woodenware.
Christine Tisdale and Rae Seifert, Essex, Conn., had their collection of quilts and coverlets for sale, and the Painted Bird, Warren Conn., had painted birds.
Gurley said she was pleased with the show, commenting, “For a first-time show, even though we have been there before, we never did it in November. I was pleased with how it turned out. We had a good group of dealers and great collections, and the sales, while not spectacular, were better than things have been this year.” Gurley has already made plans for presenting the show again next year at about the same time.
The next Nan Gurley show will be in Marlboro, Mass., on Sunday, November 28, at the end of Thanksgiving weekend. For information, 207-625-3577.
