Maine Antique Digest, March 2017

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36-E Maine Antique Digest, March 2017
- SHOW -
Wallace Hall Art, Design & Antiques Show, New York City
Three-Day Show in Third Year at Wallace Hall
by Julie Schlenger Adell
In its third year, the three-day Art, Design
& Antiques Show at Wallace Hall, held
January 20-22, continues to evolve as
a destination not only for those from the
Upper East Side of New York City but also
for visitors who come to the Big Apple each
January for Americana Week.
This weekend, however, was overshadowed by the presidential inauguration and the
ensuing women’s marches in the city and around the country. The gate was acceptable,
but sales were scattered throughout the booths of the 33 dealers.
The weather was balmy and rainy, unlike last year when a snowstorm pummeled the
city and vehicles were banned from the streets. A shuttle, arranged by show managers
Vandy and Brad Reh, drove back and forth to the Winter Antiques Show 20 blocks
south on Park Avenue,which made it seamless for folks to attend both shows.
Held in the below-ground space of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola at 84th Street and
Park Avenue, this year’s show appeared brighter and was well edited in terms of types
of dealers. The Rehs, who are also jewelry dealers from New Canaan, Connecticut,
decided not to have their own booth this year. Instead they focused their efforts on
managing the event. It showed.
As has been the case for the last several years, some dealers had a good show,
covering their costs and then some, while others did poorly. Commenting on the state
of the antiques show market, Wiscasset, Maine, dealer Matthew Robinson surmised,
“Doing the same thing over and over for forty years in the same way is hurting many
dealers. The younger dealers get ‘the mix,’” he said, noting that “antiques show” is
viewed in a negative way by many people, denoting old and stuffy and, for some, too
precious. Robinson and his wife, Helen, own two antiques shops in Wiscasset and have
been in business for 35 years.
So who was there? Glen Leroux of Westport, Connecticut, brought mid-century
furniture and sold a pair of Milo Baughman chairs and a pair of Baughman burled
olivewood night tables. J. Gallagher of North Norwich, New York, had “a good show,”
selling a full range, including furniture and fireplace accessories. Barbara Rew of
Lewes, Delaware, was a newcomer to the show and sold two pieces of furniture and
two hooked rugs. The Bassins of A Bird in Hand Antiques, Florham Park, New Jersey,
sold over 20 items, including a Crowell bufflehead miniature, a tiger maple table, a
preening black duck decoy, a chimney topper, and more. AndAndrew Spindler of Essex,
Massachusetts, sold consistently throughout the weekend, selling all the silhouettes in
his booth, as well as a silver gilt folding screen by painter Max Kuehne from the 1930s,
a carved wood dog sculpture, a console table, and smalls.
“This show is riding on the momentum of Americana Week. It has the right people,
there’s balance and quality, and it was well promoted. The layout is easy on the eye, and
there’s a group of dealers who play really well together. And the Rehs are hospitable
hosts,” Spindler commented on the last day of the event.
Late Sunday afternoon saw returning customers looking to snag final show hour
“bargains,” and dealers could be seen wrapping purchases at the same time they were
packing up their booths. A crew of porters was standing outside waiting to load the vans
lined up in front of the church as a fine mist sprinkled the sidewalks of Park Avenue.
Brad Reh thanked all for coming and said he was already working on ideas for next
year.
The pictures and captions illustrate the show. Further information can be found at
).
“This show is riding
on the momentum of
Americana Week.”
Showgoers lined up before the 10 a.m. opening of the show on Friday.
Painting en Plein Air by Robert Hogg Nisbet (1879-1961), oil on board, 12" x 16", was
priced at $7900 by Carole Pinto Fine Arts, New York City. Pinto is an art advisor and
teaches a class at Hunter College on art appreciation.
Barbara Rew of Lewes, Delaware, exhibited
at the show for the first time. She learned the
business from her mother, Gladys Spare. Rew
sold the Federal mid-Atlantic cherry chest,
circa 1820, seen here, as well as a George III
chest in quartersawn oak, 1780, to the same
buyer from Long Island. The chests were
tagged $1200 and $1400, respectively. The
southern Federal miniature chest, mahogany
with yellow pine secondary wood, was priced
at $750. The penny rug, felt with a geometric
design, approximately 48" x 30", from the
1930s or ’40s, was priced at $375. Rew also
sold some Baltimore silver, a watercolor, and
smalls on Sunday afternoon.
A Bird in Hand Antiques, Florham Park, New Jersey, sold
this eagle chimney cap, first quarter of the 20th century, to
a collector from Baltimore. It had an asking price of $2100.