After a year off, the Philadelphia Antiques Show, now called the Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show, returned in an energized and revived fashion on April 15 to 17 at the Marine Parade Grounds at the Navy Yard. The 54th show, a benefit for Penn Medicine, is a grand Americana Show and showcased an array of early decorative and fine art.
Penn Medicine is known as HUP (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania).
New show managers, Diana Bittel and Karen DiSaia found a worthy new location at the Navy Yard, where it had once been held. The show was most recently held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The committee placed a structured tent on the Navy Yard at South Broad Street and Intrepid Avenue, and plenty of free parking was available directly across the street.
The Navy Yard has been built up over the last decade. It has a developed mix of industrial, manufacturing, and office uses. There are hotels and restaurants. Over 100 companies encompass the area - different from when the show was held at the complex’s passenger pier terminal nearby. By car, it is easily accessible just off of I-95. There was also a special shuttle bus to the show from the 30th Street Train Station.
The roster of exhibiting dealers numbered 58, up from 50 at the last show in 2014. The preview opening was held Thursday evening April 14. “Preview was packed. It was tremendous,” said co-manager Diana Bittel. Over 1,100 tickets were sold prior to the opening.
Jamie Price’s Philadelphia Chippendale highboy was among the first things sold on opening night. The carving was done by Martin Jugiez, according to Price. Jugiez was a master of the rococo style in the second half of the 18th century and for a time was in partnership with Nicholas Bernard, working in Philadelphia. Philip Bradley sold an ornately carved Philadelphia tall case clock. It was a show stopper.
Friday evening at 8 p.m., the Antiques Dealers’ Association of America, Inc. (ADA) presented the 2016 ADA Award of Merit to collectors Joan and Victor Johnson of Philadelphia. The annual award recognizes contributions made to the field of American decorative arts. Joan has a background in interior design and served as the chair of the loan show commitee of the Philadelphia Antiques Show for many years. The Johnsons recently promised a gift of over 230 fraktur to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“The ADA dinner really worked out nicely. It was wonderful,” said Bittel. The event was sold out. Actually over sold.
A popular and well-done loan exhibition titled “Secret Treasures: The Passion of Collecting as Seen Through Dealers and Their Collections” was installed by Ed Hild of Olde Hope Antiques. Every exhibiting dealer was asked to submit an object (not for sale) along with a short explanation on its meaning to them and why they would not part with it.
A center piece item in the exhibit from dealer James Kochan was a very rare enlisted uniform from the Mexican Army (1846-48). The stories and photos of the items were also included in the show catalog.
The Philadelphia Show is a high end show with elegance. It is THE most elegant show in terms of top tier early American antiques and fine art. Where Americana dealers at the Winter Antiques Show - the grande dame of antique shows in this country - held every January in New York City showcase alongside international works, contemporary and modern art, antiquities, Asian, and English antiques - the Philadelphia show is more focused on Americana. Sure, the spectrum is broad, but the Philadelphia show ranks among the best places to see a very vast array of the finest American antiques and art presented by established dealers in their fields.
Lectures took place throughout the run of the show, among them, was one by Alexandra Kirtley of the Philadelphia Museum of Art titled “The Museum Curator as Collector, Value vs. Aesthetics.” Another was by Nancy Moses, author of the book “Stolen, Smuggled, Sold.”
The cafe was catered by 12th Street Catering and sponsored by Pook & Pook Inc. It was called the Bulldog Cafe. Ron and Debra Pook have two English Bulldogs.
Among the sales for American antiques dealers David Schorsch and Eileen Smiles was a Pennsylvania grain paint decorated tall case clock, an early watercolor by Eunice Pinney of Conn., and an unusual mid 19th-century watercolor found in the Meridan-Wallingford area of Conn., ex. Garbisch collection, depicting two woman in profile view with songbirds perched on their heads. It was called “Bird Brains.”
Along with the elaborately carved early Philadelphia tall case clock, Philip Bradley sold several fine fraktur.
The Herrs also sold well. “We sold three major quilts, including the one in our ad, a Heyne chalice, a Boyd creamer, and other textiles,” said Don Herr. “This was our last show. It was good for us and we are very pleased.”
The Herrs offered an unusual Pennsylvania figural redware bank in the form of a woman and dated 1831. It was priced at $6400. “We bought it from (J. Garrison) Gary Stradling years ago at the Philadelphia Show,” said Herr. The rare bank had sold for $600 in 1976 at the last of the famous Walter Himmelreich auctions held at Pennypackers.
Barbara Israel specializes in antique garden ornament and furniture and is a leader in the field. “Opening day was very, very good. We ended up doing well, and I loved the loan exhibit,” said Israel.
“We had a very good show,” said Ed Hild of Olde Hope Antiques. “We saw people come back two and three times. All of the events were well received and sales happened for us throughout the course of the show.” Among just a few of their sales were a large Jewell eagle weathervane, a large compass artist box and a very fine large pictorial hooked rug, ex. Fendelman collection. The rug, reading “Let Love Be Your Guide” was designed by James and Mercedes Hutchinson during the period of 1925-45. The well-known rug has an extensive publication history and was exhibited in the Museum of American Folk Art’s “Hooked Rugs in the Folk Art Tradition” show in 1974.
Another star of the show was the Seymour work table offered by C. L. Prickett.
The photos show but a small range of the vast types of offerings from the diverse show.
To learn more, visit www.philadelphiaantiquesandartshow.com.