By Tom O’Hara
TIVERTON, R.I. – Ferguson and D’Arruda gathered more than 40 exhibitors for the latest installment of the Tiverton Four Corners July 4th Antiques Show and Sale on the grounds of the historic Meeting House. “This year was great – with cooperating weather, more than 700 attending, a good looking show, great variety in the antiques offered and a very pleasant experience for all,” said show manager Brian Ferguson. Regular shoppers may recall last year’s show saw an early season hurricane; ending sales by the middle of the day. By contrast, the show was full this time and many shoppers returned after lunch to complete considerations and purchases.
Michelle Fox, Weston, Conn.
Edythe Davinis, trading from her Osterville, Mass., shop as Edythe & Co. has a good eye for what the customers are buying. Here, she was able to sell a variety of small pieces, including several sets of candlesticks; a number of marine paintings; a paint-decorated screen and a set of decorative finials. While none of her sales were greater than $500 apiece, she said her total for the one-day affair was very satisfactory.
Fellow Cape dealer Nauset Antiques was also pleased with its sales. Specializing in Americana and kitchenalia, sales included several transactions from miniature yellowware pieces and trunks, to primitives and period items, according to co-owner Patricia Goveia.
Karina Bay recently moved to West Kingston, R.I., from Maryland. She mostly featured smalls, including Staffordshire figurines, glass and earthenware.
Tradewinds Fine Art, Narragansett, R.I., sold the painting “Widgeons at Dawn” by Walter Andrews at the show.
Tradewinds Fine Art, Narragansett, R.I., did well, selling five paintings and two sculptures. One of the more valuable sales was a painting by Philadelphia artist Walter Andrews, circa 1930, titled “Widgeons at Dawn,” that was hung in front of the booth.
Offering early textiles, Michelle Fox, Weston, Conn., displayed colorful quilts, coverlets and table linens, while Fair Trade Antiques, Shelburne Falls, Mass., featured lighting from Europe and Asia that has been electrified. Dealer Bruce Phillips has been trading in this specialty with good results, especially early Nineteenth Century globe lights.
R.A. DiFillipo Antiques, Peabody, Mass.
Selling from his Peabody, Mass., home and doing shows, R.A. DiFillipo offers items likely found in a coastal American home, circa 1750, with furniture and the appropriate accessories. Booth highlights included a Chippendale chest with a set of Chinese Export tea service, circa 1700-50, in white with the gold edge nearly perfect. Nineteenth Century American art and more furniture were also available.
Still shopping in England and Europe, Conway, Mass., dealers Jan and John Maggs exhibited mostly early pieces. Their taste goes back to the Jacobean and William and Mary styles in England and similar time periods in Continental antiques. Their tastes apparently resonated with buyers. “We also enjoyed near-record-breaking sales at the show: furniture, paintings, several smalls and jewelry found new homes, and we returned to Conway spiritually and financially fulfilled,” John Maggs said after the show. Sales for their day included a sunrise painting by Dennis Sheehan, a contemporary New Hampshire artist; a gate leg table; and many smalls.
Variety is the tradition here at Tiverton, with great selections from many different collections. Penny Ross, A Classic Touch, Melbourne, Fla., featured quilts and Limoges patch boxes. Victorian Rose Antiques, Wenham, Mass., specializes in tea and coffee cups, along with more fine china. Whaling Days Antiques, New Bedford, Mass., stocks really cool little things from New England, the kind of items that make a shopper tarry long enough to buy something.
Sheila Gediman, Tiverton, R.I.
Reflecting a patriotic theme for the holiday weekend, Sheila Gediman, a Tiverton resident and dealer, displayed things in red, white and blue.
There is only one building on the grounds, The Meeting House, and a handful of dealers filled it with antiques. Denise Scott, East Greenwich, R.I., with help from her husband Sam, offered Americana, while Donna Kmetz, Douglas, Mass., showcased fine art, and When Pigs Fly Antiques, Rehoboth, Mass., brought early primitives.
Brian Ferguson and Tom D’Arruda’s next show is in Little Compton, R.I., July 31-August 1. For information, ferguson.darruda@comcast.net or 508-674-9186.
