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| The antique world's answer to Hollywood glam couples, Tim & Pam Hill, Hill Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan, welcomed a fellow (former) Midwesterner to their outstanding gallery. Among the rare and intriguing pieces featured are a delightful painted carved folk art figure standing near an amazing pair of carved limestone lions, circa 1870, from Southern Indiana. |
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Items that are guaranteed to make one smile are always a treasure
to discover at antiques shows. Also in the booth of Hill Gallery, Bill Rauhauser's 1960's photograph
entitled "Stone Burlesque, Woodward Ave, Detroit" is one of the funniest
yet endearing images we have seen in along time.
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| Stephen Score, sporting his all-checked ensemble, announced he had
just returned from the Czech Republic. We quickly recovered our
composure and admired the exciting late 19th-Century one-of-a-kind
"Circles" quilt, a universe of appliqued and embroidered round motifs. |
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Jurassic Park was not nearly as intriguing as the enchanting booth of Il Segno Del Tempo of Milan, Italy
whose mind boggling exhibit was both amusing and
amazing. When a dealer with imagination and a quirky eye puts together a
collection of such unusual items, one is transformed way beyond the
ordinary - exciting, oddball objects like a giant vintage black
telephone, industrial lighting fixtures artfully hung from the ceiling
to form a diagonal line, large metal letters which once lit up (and
could again) to advertise "Service", an enormous carousel figure looking
somewhat prehistoric - a wonderland of surprises. Each item, some of
rather humble origins, reflects the care with which it was chosen, and
somehow conveys a positive message of simple, unadulterated cheer.
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| Amy Finkel, the eponymous proprietor of M. Finkel & Daughter, Philadelphia, PA, seems to have discovered the fountain of youth. It seems like we have known Amy for many years, but looking at her today, that's impossible. Maybe being around all that school girl needlework keeps her looking like a vivacious recent graduate. One of her numerous sold pieces was an outstanding New Jersey Sampler by Kiziah Sharp, 1825, Burlington County, complete with family history. |
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Jeff Bridgman of Jeff Bridgman American Antiques American Flags, has raised the bar of
historic, patriotic textile collections to extraordinary heights. His
lavish exhibit was museum-like, except better because the items were all
for sale. Detailed research information accompanies each piece, such
as the elaborate silk banner with George Washington's famous "Prayer at
Valley Forge" with gilded text and spectacular bullion trim in mint
condition.
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