The Philadelphia Show Offers 400 Years Of Antiques, Art And Design

The 62nd edition of the Philadelphia Show is set to begin Thursday with a special preview party before opening to the public Friday through Sunday.

A diverse group of more than 40 regional and national exhibitors will offer antiques, art and design objects in several disciplines with a focus on American creations as well as important European and Asian works. Some of these galleries show their collections at much larger shows around the world. This four-day fair allows collectors a chance to view items and have frank discussions with dealers in a more intimate environment. Items spanning approximately 400 years are available in fine art, Americana, period furniture, folk art, ceramics, porcelain, silver, jewelry, textiles, decorative arts and antiques.

For the third consecutive year, the fair is being held inside a spacious tent on the East Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, overlooking the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The fair will include personalized show tours, and the opportunity to take part in a self-guided treasure hunt.

Throughout the fair, there will be a series of dealer talks on a variety of topics that include gilded age art of decorating the table in France, the paintings of Jamie Wyeth Vickie Manning, the Golden Age of Illustration in advertising, Palmer Hayden and the Harlem Renaissance, profiles in American folk art and the women behind Tiffany studios.

There will also be two lectures of note during the fair. The first will be a presentation from members of the PBS Antiques Roadshow, including Sam Farrell senior producer, and exhibitors, Eric Hanks, Betty Krulik, Arlie Sulka, David Walker who have appeared on the popular television show as specialists in their fields, as well as Alasdair Nichol, deputy chairman of Freeman’s I Hindman. They will discuss with their favorite finds on the show.

The second is an important collection of contemporary African American art from former professional football player Malcolm Jenkins. He along with Eleanor Nairne, a curator and head of Modern and Contemporary Art at Philadelphia Museum of Art, will discuss the collection.

Among the dealers and galleries exhibiting is the New York firm of James Robinson, founded in 1912, which specializes in jewelry of the 19th century and art deco pieces of the 20th century, antique silver of the 16th through 18th centuries, antique porcelain from England and Europe, and antique table glass.

S.J. Shrubsole, New York, specializes in English and American silver and antique jewelry from Europe and America.

Ralph M. Chait Galleries, the New York-based gallery specializes in Chinese works of art, including porcelain, jade, pottery, sculpture, ceramics, export silver and Indian colonial silver. Founded in 1910 by an 18-year-old Ralph M. Chait, the firm says it is the oldest specialist gallery in the United States in the field of fine antique Chinese porcelain and works of art. It remains a family-owned firm now being run by third generation of the Chait family.

The European Decorative Arts Company, based in Long Island, carries objects made in rock crystals and other hardstones. It also has a collection of European ivory objects from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its list of important makers include Hermann Ratzersdorfer, Hermann Bohm, Charles Duron, Jean Valentin Morel.

Established by Lillian Nassau in 1945, the New York gallery is a specialist in the field of Tiffany Studio lamps, Tiffany favrile glass, Tiffany favrile pottery, Tiffany windows, American sculpture, and 20th century design.

Silver Art by D & R, based in Baltimore and Marseille, France, the firm specializes in antique French silver holloware, flatware and decorative pieces. It also showcases antique French fine arts, including drawings and decorative marble and bronzes.