Outdoor Antiques Show May 28, 2011, in Madison, CT

It looks like I will be showing on the first outdoor Antiques Show of the 2011 season on the Town Green in Madison, CT, next Saturday, May 28, 2011. I'll be bringing a half dozen pieces of "stick wicker", Art Deco wicker from the 1920-30s. You won't often find a whole sun porch full of stick wicker for sale in one place at one time...

A chaise, two lounge chairs each with a magazine rack arm, an ottoman that can double as a low table,

and a pair of end tables!

The weather forecast is good, a little humid maybe, but a high in the 70s and any showers holding off until late in the day. Still, it's a good idea to get out early. Early Buying admission is between 8-9 AM. Regular admission is from 9-4, and unless stormy weather chases us out earlier, all 70+ antique dealers will be there right up until the end.

Want to save a dollar? Click here to get the discount coupon from the Madison Chamber of Commerce web site, good for a dollar off one or two regular admissions. Just print it and come on down.

What else might you see in my stand? A few recent finds shown in earlier blog posts, the prancing horse weather vane will be out for its maiden showing, the anatomy charts, the skirted trefoil top table, and some other pieces that haven't been seen here, bamboo and faux bamboo, maybe a piece or two of fancy Victorian wicker, and an assortment of interesting yet affordable smalls from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries.

 

See you in Madison!

Still Raining After All These Days

We get the feeling that we've missed all of Spring, except April, and that when this rain finally stops and the overcast lifts we will find ourselves in mid-Summer. It will be better than this, but I really wouldn't mind enjoying some Spring.

Of course, three inches of rain last week isn't enough to stop the hunting expedition, and I managed to turn up a few neat things...

A set of six hand-painted, frosted juice glasses that I thought would make a nice addition in an upcoming Garden Show, but my wife seems to think they'll make a nice addition right here at home... So it goes.



An appliqued linen pouch, from the 1940s I think, about seven inches square. I've seen small mats of this nature from time to time, but this is the first pouch that I've come across.

And how about a sheet iron weathervane in the form of a horse. I don't think this has a whole lot of age, maybe 40 to 60 years, but probably not more. It was made to either be supported on a rod like any proper weathervane or mounted flat on a wall... it actually has the mounts built on the back side, which is what leads me to believe that it's not as old as we wish it were. But it has a great look, and the surface is right, not the result of artificial aging. It's been around for a while, but will not cost an arm and a leg like the antique vanes of this ilk.

That's it for now. I really have to get some tomatoes transplanted while I can-- before Summer goes the way of Spring.

A Rainy Day

A rainy day, but things are looking up. My shoulder may not require a surgical repair after all. I've been directed to physical therapy instead, started last week, and we'll see what things look like in another month or so. No surgery and a quicker return to the show circuit would be good. Missed all of Brimfield, and I was told it was a good one, but there will be more.

So here's the other medical chart. This one is American, c. 1918...

And a 6 foot tall step ladder, c. 1900, labeled Paris Manufacturing Co., S. Paris, Maine. Still sturdy enough to be used as a ladder, it much more likely will end up being used in a store display. It's past owner (or owners) were painters-- that much is quite obvious, but who would want to erase such a provenance.

It will be a while before I'm back on the show trail, but when I am, you'll see these and other new finds there on the ground instead of on the screen. Nothing big and heavy for a while, but that's okay, too.

Is Spring Finally Here?

Well, it seemed like it a couple of days ago.

Although it's been some time since I posted here, it's not like nothing has been happening. I started off the new year by slipping on an icy Boston sidewalk and tearing my rotator cuff. Then, of course, I spent the next ten weeks shoveling snow, which probably didn't help it any. Bottom line is that I now am facing a surgical repair which will keep me off the show circuit probably all summer, perhaps into the fall.

Of course, that's not quite the same as saying I don't get out any more, only that the things I'm apt to bring home are smaller, or at least lighter...

For example:

A ca. 1905 Wicker Tea Cart

A ca. 1900 or earlier English Anatomy Chart

A ca. 1885 Trefoil Top Table with ebonized legs and a crocheted, ribboned, and fringed skirt

That's hardly all there is... there's another Anatomy Chart, American, ca. 1930, of the Skeleton, at least a half dozen pieces of ca. 1930s Art Deco style Stick wicker, pencil drawings and drypoint etchings, and lots more.

For all practical purposes I'll be forced to simply sell most things from my web site or other online venues, although I certainly hope to be back out on the field as quickly as possible. Might even have some things out on the porch of the Vermont house again...

CharlesGardinerAntiques.com

...on Dig Antiques

...on eBay