Not only will you be able to view the crème de la crème of antiques and decorative arts from 75 exhibitors (six of whom are new to the show), but there is a special loan exhibition, “Celebrating Historic Hudson Valley at 60: Rockefeller Patronage in Sleepy Hollow Country,” which brings together more than 25 objects from historic landmarks celebrating the 60th anniversary of John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s Sleepy Hollow Restorations. For those seeking a literary connection—antiques mixed together with Washington Irving—this exhibition is not to be missed.
The show features the very best in American, European, English and Asian antiques and fine decorative arts. One of the more outstanding pieces in the show comes from Associated Artists, a gallery owned by Connecticut-based architect David Scott Parker. The Pabst Breakfront (circa 1880) is outstanding. Butternut walnut and walnut veneers, beveled and silvered glass, Siena marble, brass astragals, crisp cameo carvings and nickel-silver decorative brass hardware … how much more could David Pabst pack into this hand-carved masterpiece? Not to be missed in the same booth is the rosewood cabinet with ivory intarsia inlay, made by Collison & Lock (circa 1885) in London, and which had been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Other standouts in the show include the exquisite miniature embroideries on view at Huber, located in Old Saybrook. For anyone reading this article who may have tried embroidery as a teenager, there is no comparison between the intricately illustrated “paintings” and the tedious samplers we tried so hard to finish. In fact, you will delight in the magnificent silk embroidered picture, “Mt. Vernon Residence of Washington” crafted by Charlotte Angusta Bruce while attending high school; she was an ancestor of Robert Moffat Bruce who founded the Bruce Museum in Greenwich.
Elle Shushan in Philadelphia is another dealer specializing in miniature portraits from the 1880s. Small works of art like these are so endearing, but think of the steady hand that painted such lifelike renderings smaller than a postcard. The most precious is one done by Jean-Baptiste-Jaques Augustin (1815) in the original ormolu frame.
Kentshire, the antiques and estate jeweler, presents awe-inspiring collections of baubles with pedigree, along with a solid display of antique furniture and objects.
Lovers of old prints depicting American scenes and maps will always gravitate to the Old Print Shop in Manhattan. Their collection of truly historic prints from 1700-1950 is like a textbook history lesson in visual format.
Other outstanding booths to visit at the show are Taylor B. Williams Antiques, which specializes in English enamels from the 18th and 19th centuries. Nothing can delight more than these teeny tiny works of art! Tillou Gallery, from Litchfield, has one of the most interesting secretaries on view: a rare and important Southern vernacular desk (circa 1870) decorated with tools and cutlery carved out of southern pine wood. Moderne Gallery from Philadelphia, a first-timer at the show, has a splendid exhibit of Nakashima, Wharton Esherick and American Studio Craft furniture. It’s a stunning finale to the show.