Spring Show in New York City Offers Diverse Array of Treasures

Written by Stanley Feingold Tuesday, 24 April 2012 22:41

NEW YORK, NY.- Decisions, decisions. When the Spring Show NYC, opens its doors on April 28 to May 2 at the Park Avenue Armory, a diverse array of fine and decorative arts from 65 members of the Art and Antique Dealers League of America will greet collectors and art aficionados of all tastes. From ancient artifacts to fine furniture to modern masterworks on canvas and mid-century decorative arts, fairgoers can count on finding a stellar piece to suit their style. Budding enthusiasts are also welcomed with a selection of exceptional and accessibly-priced items. Most importantly, all works on display have been carefully vetted for authenticity in accordance with the strict standards of the AADLA. Here we present a brief survey of some of the show's most extraordinary pieces, spanning more than 2500 years in age.

ANTIQUITIES - 17th CENTURY
Dating from the 6th century BCE, an important large Egyptian bronze statue of a kneeling Pharaoh ($950,000) from Royal-Athena Galleries is the oldest work on offer by far. This extremely rare figure has been modeled in the henu pose, a traditional gesture expressing jubilation. Only four other kings in this pose are known. Douglas Dawson exhibits an ancient wooden ossuary in the shape of a water buffalo ($110,000) was carved by the Toradja people of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This huge example is covered in bas-relief geometric carvings in a Neolithic style.

18th CENTURY
Fine examples of furniture from this period can be found at the booths of several dealers. At Hyde Park Antiques, a Queen Anne, Japanned secretaire cabinet dates from 1710, while Clinton Howell Antiques offers an exceptional English rococo carved and gilded mirror frame in the style of Thomas Johnson ($275,000), circa 1755, which stands eight feet tall. Also from England is a pair of George III green-painted open armchairs ($55,000), circa 1790, with pierced backs adorned with an unusual motif of a quiver and arrows, available at Kentshire Galleries.

Fine art aficionados will find a Jean Baptiste Camilles Corot oil on canvas, Souvenir de Coubron; Soleil Couchant, at Rehs Gallery. And from Schiller & Bodo, an oil on panel from 1882, Il m'aime un peu, beaucoup ($95,000), by Belgian painter Jan Van Beers, thought to be one of Europe's first photo-realists. Avery Galleries exhibits a work by American painter Philip Leslie Hale, The Top of the Morning (1898), of quality and provenance rarely found in works by Hale on the market today. Finally, fellow American artist William Lamb Picknell's Paysage, A Winter Day in Brittany from 1881 can be seen at Thomas Colville Fine Art. The painting was Picknell's entry to the Salon of 1881, following his most famous picture, The Road to Concarneau, now at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.




20th CENTURY
The show's roster of 20th-century pieces highlights the remarkable aesthetic shift that took place over the last hundred years in Europe and America. From the turn-of-the-century you'll discover exquisitely ornamented furniture, like Charles Cheriff's Le Grand Bureau -- a magnificent, Belle Époque sculptural writing desk and accompanying chair by Francois Linke, which netted the Gold Medal at Paris' Exposition Universalle in 1900. And from the same year, a walnut table with bone, copper and ebony inlay ($96,000) by Carlo Bugatti from Alexander Cohane. At Pierre/Famille, a precious 30.26 carat cushion-cut Cape diamond, dating from 1900 and set in a modern 18K yellow gold mount. It's a wonderful example of early 20th-century stonecutting skill. No less eye-catching is Questroyal Fine Art's charming Impressionist pastel by Child Hassam, Hollyhocks, Isles of Shoals (1902), which beautifully showcases one of Hassam's beloved subjects: the garden of friend and mentor Celia Laighton Thaxter.

The show's roster of 20th-century pieces highlights the remarkable aesthetic shift that took place over the last hundred years in Europe and America. From the turn-of-the-century you'll discover exquisitely ornamented furniture, like Charles Cheriff's Le Grand Bureau -- a magnificent, Belle Époque sculptural writing desk and accompanying chair by Francois Linke, which netted the Gold Medal at Paris' Exposition Universalle in 1900. And from the same year, a walnut table with bone, copper and ebony inlay ($96,000) by Carlo Bugatti from Alexander Cohane. At Pierre/Famille, a precious 30.26 carat cushion-cut Cape diamond, dating from 1900 and set in a modern 18K yellow gold mount. It's a wonderful example of early 20th-century stonecutting skill. No less eye-catching is Questroyal Fine Art's charming Impressionist pastel by Child Hassam, Hollyhocks, Isles of Shoals (1902), which beautifully showcases one of Hassam's beloved subjects: the garden of friend and mentor Celia Laighton Thaxter.

UNDER $5,000
The Spring Show NYC welcomes the next generation of collectors with a selection of pieces priced to suit the budding enthusiast's budget. At Royal-Athena Galleries, a 5th-century BCE Greek polychrome terracotta figure of a standing female ($4,500) bears purple edging along her chiton. Robert Simon Fine Art, offers a Madonna and Child oil on canvas ($5,000) attributed to Pietro Faccini dates from the 16th century. L'Antiquaire & The Connoisseur adds to the under $5,000 selections with A Design for a Stage Set Depicting an Architectural Fantasy with Castle, Bridge and Encampment, a pen and brown ink, gray and black wash on cream laid paper ($3,500).

19th and 20th century works include a beautifully detailed, Parian porcelain figural group from Charles and Rebekah Clark Antiques, illustrating Charles Bell Birch's Wood Nymph, and a rare pair of British Regency pearlware obelisks in a sky blue hue ($3900) from Clinton Howell Antiques. Perfect for gift-giving is a pair of antique English gold acorn earrings ($4,500), circa 1870, at Kentshire Galleries. From George Subkoff, a pair of American cast-iron sunburst andirons ($2,500) is stamped with the seal of Bradley & Hubbard of Meriden, Connecticut, circa 1880. San Francisco's Rick Scott brings a rare late 19th-century Italian tiger's eye and onyx veneered box, set in a harlequin pattern and mounted in a gold-plated copper frame ($3,995). A second flag from Jeff Bridgman American Antiques, bears 13 stars in the "Betsy Ross" pattern ($2,850) sewn around the turn of the last century. Flower lovers will admire Hayley Lever's Lily ($4,000), an oil on board from Questroyal Fine Art. And from Ghana, a 17-inch-tall, 20th-century flywhisk handle in gold foil over wood ($2,800) is at Doug Dawson. Finally, a panel sculpture by Harry Bertoia at Lost City Arts measures nine feet square and exemplifies Bertoia's use of meltcoat bronze during the early 1950s.

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