DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. — When a person who is passionate about antiques amasses a fantastic collection while earning the respect of her peers, and that collection becomes available at auction; stand back. Ruth Bryson of Quarrysville, Pa., was just such a person, and when 300 lots of some of her finest finds were put up for bids at Pook & Pook Inc., the antique community who desires the best paint decorated, Lancaster County, Pa., Germanic influenced furniture and folk art turned out en masse.

Ruth said it best as quoted in the book, Lancaster County (Voyageur Press, 1998) by Ed Klimuska, “Antiques are the types of objects I’m comfortable with. I can’t relate to modern furniture. Antiques are a part of my heritage. I just love the sturdy Pennsylvania German furniture made by skilled craftsmen. I love going to auctions. If I like something at an auction, I’ll step up and buy it.”

Pook & Pook put together a lovely bio on Ruth (who died in July of 2017) detailing her passion for antiques, her desire to acquire the best, and how she succeeded.

Born in 1929 in Quarryville, Bryson was the daughter of the late Ira and Okie Shumate. She was a 1952 graduate of Lebanon Valley College, and two years later married Jack Bryson, a native of Ephrata, Pa.

The couple soon moved their growing family to New Jersey. Bryson began her career in antiques setting up at antique shows in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It was something she wanted to do, always having had a love of antiques. Her husband, whom she always described as a very supportive driver and porter, learned about the wide world of antiques alongside her and helped turn her passion into a business. Opening a shop of her own was always an aspired goal.

In 1982, as Jack approached retirement, the family purchased a property in Quarryville on Route 222. It was good living in New Jersey, Bryson once said, “but there’s something about Lancaster County that’s always a draw.” On weekends, the Brysons began restoring their farmhouse and the three-story 1840s barn to fulfill Ruth’s dream.

In 1986, Country Lane Antiques opened for business, and the lovingly restored property became a haven for Ruth’s top-shelf collection of early Pennsylvania German folk art. Covering two floors, the shop was stocked full of blanket chests, schranks, corner cupboards, chairs, high chests, paintings, coverlets, baskets, and much more. Ruth believed that quality counted when it came to antiques and tended to favor the sturdy, large and colorful furnishings of Pennsylvania German craft, especially those made locally in Lancaster County.

Ruth Bryson’s enthusiasm for what she loved was shared by many who attended her auction. Two tiny boxes brought very big bids. The pine dresser boxes by Jonas or Jacob Weber were stars of the auction. One of the boxes wore its original vibrantly painted decoration of flowers and a house in a landscape; (Weber’s signature decorative element) on a yellow ground and was inscribed on the underside, “Made in 1850.” It sold for $48,800. It only measured 4 7/8 inches high by 7 3/8 inches wide.

Another Weber painted pine dresser box with a rare orange ground and again decorated with flowers and house in a landscape brought $36,600. Even smaller, this little gem was 2 1/8 inches high by 4 ¼ inches wide.

“We had a lot of interest in the Weber boxes,” Ron Pook of Pook & Pook Inc. said. Pook also noted that items were mainly selling to collectors, less than 20 percent to phone bidders, and most of Ruth’s pieces stayed local. “It was a wonderful auction and our sales room was packed. I think people really wanted to see Ruth’s things in person. These 321 lots were from her personal collection, and there are no more pieces, so it was a pretty special event.”

Equally as special was the top lot of the day. Surprisingly not a paint-decorated piece, but still from Lancaster County, a Pennsylvania Chippendale walnut dressing table, circa 1770, made $53,680. Thumb molded top, a case with shell and spandrel carved drawer, cabriole legs ending in ball in claw feet, a nice size at 29 inches high – all these attributes contributed to its success; these and the fact that this had been owned by Ruth Bryson.

“I think the merits of each piece are what brought the strong final prices,” Pook said, “But collectors were also interested in owning something from Ruth’s collection. That played a part in it as well.”

Three Lancaster County, Pa., Compass Artist dome lid boxes sold strong with the top lot in this grouping bringing $39,040 . The 6 ½ inch high by 7 3/8 inch wide box retained its original pinwheel flower decoration on a blue/green ground.

A Conestoga wagon box dated 1808 and initialed CHMI did well at $23,180. The 22 ½ inch high by 15 inch wide box retained its original wrought-iron tulip form hasp and hinges and wore an old blue surface.

The first lot of the day, a Schtockschnitzler Simmon (Berks County, Pa., active 1885-1910) carved and painted Carolina parrot on a turned base still wearing its polychrome surface went to $15,860, while a John Drissel (Bucks County, Pa. 1762-1846) painted slide lid box made for Peter Nehs and wearing its original painted surface with tulips and pinwheel flowers on a red ground saw $18,300.

A Susan Waters oil on canvas landscape featuring sheep and a dog, signed and inscribed verso “Bordentown, N.J.” presented in a period gilt wood realized $36,600, while a watercolor folk portrait of John Martin Litzel in front of his family’s farm near Mechanicsburg, Pa., by American folk artist Jacob Maentel (1763-1863) was also well received when it sold for $34,160.

With a 99 percent sell through rate, and a final sale total being on the plus side of $1 million, Pook remarked, “The impressive results realized from Ruth’s auction indicates how strong the Pennsylvania folk art market is right now, and the great respect collectors, had and still have, for Ruth Bryson.”

Contact: 610-269-4040

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