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News Article
Art, antiques, design give new feel to Virginia venue
By Ginger Levit

RICHMOND, Va. — It was a dilemma for antique show promoter Jay Melrose. Only 16 out of the original 25 dealers who had signed up for Art, Antiques & Design in Richmond kept their commitment. They were brave, enduring the icy, freezing cold wind, tall drifts of snow and congested interstate tie ups as they made their way to Richmond. But their loyalty to Melrose and “the show must go on” paid off.

Every dealer said he was happy, having made a few sales by the end of the show on Sunday, Feb. 16, when traffic was excellent. Only open for a few hours on Valentine’s Day and then bad weather on Feb. 15 had Melrose feeling a bit dejected. But by Sunday, all the dealers said they would be back next year and even more dealers would participate.

It was quite a finesse, taking over the venerable Science Museum of Virginia after it had been the major location for the Richmond Academy of Medicine antique show for decades. Out with the old, in with the new, they say, so Melrose stepped right in, presenting his Art, Antiques and Design show on the same weekend as it had been over the years.

“But it’s not the same show, I started a new show with a new name,” Melrose said.

Several dealers had been exhibiting in previous shows, and others were brought in by Melrose. The booths were arranged cleverly so as to not feel swallowed up by the museum’s cavernous marble hall.

Two excellent booths greeted the antique lover upon entering the elegant Science Museum. On the left was Michael Malley, who enjoyed chatting about his 18th century Surry, Va., ancestors. His pride and joy was a framed painted silk boat.

“The silk boat was made by Thomas Willis in the 1800s. Although it belonged to an Italian, it was made in England,” Malley said. Peter Nee of Millwood, Va., who had the booth on the right, said he exhibits exclusively at antique shows. His 18th century walnut French commode was gorgeous; small in stature with two drawers, it was embellished with inlay and bronze doré mounts and stocking feet.

But the emphasis this year was on American and English antiques and porcelain and on art. Roger Winter travelled from Bucks County, Pa., to display an impressive sideboard with a painting hanging over it. Three galleries were devoted entirely to art. It was interesting to chat with dealer Davis Cooke of Old Sarum Gallery, from Salisbury, N.C., and his mentor, art conservator John Short. Many of their Barbizon style landscape paintings on view had been cleaned and restored to their original tonalism and luminosity. A few well-known names of the 19th century pantheon of American artists were hanging.

Quilter Gallery of Baltimore, Md., was featuring American Regional and English paintings, also focusing on the late 19th and early 20th century. One could not help but notice the 1840s copy of a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington greeting the spectator just one day before Presidents Day. It was priced at $4,800. Ironically, in the next booth was another copy of our first president, this one a refined 18th century effort. The McDonough Fine Art gallery focused exclusively on works on paper by such greats as Catesby and Audubon, who created prints of animals and plants – icons of natural history.

Creating a bit of contrast to this exhibition of mostly American antiques was the stand of Jim Linz, who obviously loves Art Deco steel objects. Cars, boats, trains and other toys were in abundance as well as chrome bar ware and an outstanding cocktail set, martini shaker and all. Seekers of Columbus, Ohio, had a collection of Wedgewood porcelain, a highlight being examples of commemorative Japanese porcelain. Shaffers Antiques ran the gamut from Staffordshire figures to incense burners to dull the fireplace odors.

The doctors’ wives never allowed locals to exhibit at the Academy show, so Jay Gates’ two booths were a treat. The Midlothian dealer who specializes in 18th and 19th century American and English furniture was displaying a striking Welsh cupboard of English oak with open shelves and an unusual open shelf at the bottom. He dated it circa 1750 and priced it at $9,450. He then pointed out a signed Scottish clock by William Dobbie of Falkirk.

“He was a clockmaker to the Queen, receiving the court designation in 1835. The hand-painted faces made with metallic paint honor the British victory of the Battle of Waterloo,” Gates said.

The consensus among dealers was that the art and antique world is dramatically changing, largely due to the internet with its instant availability. Nonetheless, there will always be a market for collectors of fine antiques when close enough to see and touch them.

Ginger Levit is a private art dealer specializing in American regional and French paintings of the past 250 years. She writes about art, antiques and travel for several publications. Contact her at gingerlevit@comcast.net

4/5/2014
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