Getting ready for our first Fall Antiques Show in Hartford, CT @The Hartford Armory, Hartford, CT

We are getting ready for our first Fall Antiques Show and it takes a lot to get set up.  First we had to choose the ceramics we were going to take and that requires some thinking...its almost like sending out invitations to a party and then you wait for those rsvps.  Will they come?  Will they like what's on the menu?  Will they take home one of the wonderful pieces you've brought?  hmmm...

The show is the ADA Historic Deerfield Antiques Show and it is taking place at the Hartford, CT Armory, 360 Broad Street, Hartford, CT, this weekend, October 20 and 21.  On Saturday, the hours are from 10-5 and on Sunday, the hours are from 10-4.  A special preview party will be held Friday evening, October 19. If you want to go, just click here:  Purchase your preview party tickets online!  The show will be great for a couple of reasons; to begin with it benefits the CT Humane Society which we can all agree is a great organization; secondly, there will be eleven museums exhibiting at the show; what a great way to get a preview of what each of those museums has to offer.

Then, the packing begins and boy there is a great deal of it.  We will have two six foot cases in our booth and while we thought we'd pack fewer ceramics; darn if we didn't pack as much or more.   Here's a look at the end result; a total of 14 crates--oh boy the unpacking and then the packing all over again--what fun!!!

Here are some of the items we will be featuring in our booth.  This is a fabulous English Staffordshire full bodied Agate Teapot with three pask and paw feet, c1750. 

Can you imagine something surviving that long?  Now, for those of you who don't know what agate is, let me give you a few facts.  To begin with, those aren't glazes.  They are three colored clays that have been folded together and then cut and then folded again, so that they form those striations that are so very fabulous.  Agate really didn't last that long in its popularity; in fact, they stopped making it around 1770-80 which is why it is so difficult to find any pieces today.  They are scarce and as a result they are fairly expensive but boy, are they beautiful.  There just isn't anything quite like them in the world of pottery.

Then, you have to pick out the paintings and that decision is almost as difficult as picking out the ceramics.  You want to be sure the booth is going to look great but you have limited wall space so deciding what you bring is a lot like picking out your clothes before a party.  What's going to look good with what?  Here are a few of the paintings we've decided to bring.

The first is called, Mt. Tremper From the Beaver Kill.  The Beaver Kill is near Phoenicia, New York.  The painting is by Anton Otto Fischer (1892-1962) who was known as "America's finest illustrator" for the work he did for the Saturday Evening Post.  While at the "Post", Fischer did over four hundred story illustrations, hence his fame and title.  We picked this painting out because we are heading into winter...brrr...and this is a perfect and beautiful seasonal landscape.

 

We also wanted to take this painting, titled "Girl With A Dove", it was deaccessioned from the LeHigh University collection and it has an old New Haven, CT label on the back but the painter is unknown.   This painting

is American School, c1860 and was most likely done by an itinerant artist.  These artists usually went from estate to estate and offered their services to paint members of a family.  While their work was often sensational, they rarely if ever signed their works.  You've heard of ugly ancestor paintings, well she isn't one of them; not only does she have a serene and peaceful expression, she is also truly beautiful; we think she'll make a great hit at the show.

We'll also be taking this wonderful hand-colored engraving by Francois Nicholas Martinet of a Toucan, c1770-1786.   

It was taken from the publication, "Histoire Naturelle des Oiseux" by the Comte de Buffon.  This book contained 1008 engravings and was considered to be the most famous and comprehensive orinthological work of he 18th Century.  Martinet was considered to be the foremost bird artist of his day.

These are just three of the 8 paintings and engravings we'll be taking to the show. 

Furniture is also an important consideration because like everything else, what we choose, we hope provides our customers with terrific choices they would be happy to take home and live with.  Three of the items we'll be taking with us are:  this Chinese export papier mache lacquer tilt top table, c1830;

this marvelous corner chair, c1780-1800 which, by the way, couldn't be more comfortable;

and, this card table, c1880 which has all of the bells and whistles you'd want on a card table.  Just take a look at all that inlay.

 

Putting a booth together for a show takes a lot of thought and an equal amount of hard work.  The result, if you've done your homework and paid attention to the size of your booth, is a terrific exhibit and a good representation of who you are as a dealer.   And that is what we strive for.

If you are in the area this weekend, why not come to the show and see the museum exhibits and then walk through the show and see all of the booths.  You'll have a great time, there will be lots to see and it is all for a great cause--The CT Humane Society.

Wish us luck.  All the best.  AJ Warren