A Way of Life
Adventures in Collecting
- The eagle on ball weathervane at the far end of the room is attributed to A. L. Jewel & Co., Waltham, Mass., and is from Olde Hope Antiques. The cheese strainer hangs above a Dentzel outside-row prancing carousel horse. Along the wall are two early nineteenth-century banner weathervanes. The smaller vane was from the Allen Daniels collection and the larger vane came from Bill Cyr. The nineteenth-century “Captain Jinx” cigar store figure is from the Robb Factory in New York City. Next to Captain Jinx is a goat carousel figure from the Charles Looff factory, New York.
Long before this quiet New Jersey couple met, little did they know that together they were destined to form one of the greatest collections of folk art in America. As a teenager, the wife saved her babysitting money to purchase her first piece—a small side table, at which her mother just shook her head. The husband grew up on a ranch in Nevada where he learned the skills to become a superb woodworker, gaining an understanding for the craftsmanship involved in antiques.
Their prairie-style home is set on a secluded hilltop and houses just a portion of their sizable collection. The collectors, who met at college, raised their children and pets in this home while accumulating the pieces displayed in vignettes that transition from room to room and throughout the gardens like acts in a play; sometimes whimsical, sometimes comical, and always dramatic. The contemporary furnishings and color selections are in neutral or earth tones so as not to compete with the decorative and important pieces. A long, high-ceilinged foyer lends a museum feel upon entering the home, enabling, the visitor, to be awestruck but never overwhelmed by the sight that greets them. This unassuming family lives and entertains with their priceless pieces and truly enjoys their guests’ responses to their works of art. Every piece has a story, which is told tenderly and individually with the passion and fondness that serious collectors share.
- An early lion’s head fire-back hangs below a J. Howard banner weathervane, Bridgewater, Mass. The circa 1790 dome-top boxes and dower chest are painted and decorated by the Compass Point Artist of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The larger of the boxes is unusual in that it features a drawer, and, according to Winterthur Museum curator Wendy Cooper, is one of only three known. All three were purchased from Olde Hope Antiques. Hanging on the wall are two etchings, one of General Washington and the other of Napoleon Bonaparte, circa 1840, purchased from D. Copperfield Fine Antiques, New Haven, Vermont. An oversized, important American barber pole was purchased from Fred Giampietro The plough weathervane is by J. Howard. The couple purchased the circa-1935 penguins from Russ and Karen Goldberger of RJG Antiques. “We had just returned from an Antarctic excursion and we had to have them,” states the wife. The penguins are by Charles Hart (1862–1960) of Gloucester, Massachusetts, a stone mason who also made duck decoys and folk art carvings. He became enamored with penguins seemingly after Admiral Byrd’s first expedition to Antarctica in 1928 to 1930. The pair’s current placement is fitting since they were found in a home in Essex, Massachusetts, flanking the front door. The J. Howard horse and rider weathervane in the dressage position is one of few known.
- This exceptional American nineteenth-century Dentzel carousel goat was purchased from Tim Hill and Allan and Penny Katz at the 2007 American Antiques Show in New York City. The figure has superb form and retains its original paint. Hanging on the wall are Marzipan boards by Jonathan Conger of New York: two citing Lafayette’s return to America in 1824. They were purchased variously from Arthur Liverant of Colchester, Connecticut, Axtel Antiques, and John Zan. The mermaid weathervane was an early purchase.
- The kitchen wall is the perfect backdrop for the collection of cabbage cutters and other household items. A gourmet cook and frequent entertainer, the wife explains, “I spend a lot of time in my kitchen and love it. I particularly like being surrounded by these objects which were enhanced by a husband for his wife as a token of love.” The circa 1860 rooster weathervane on the counter is by J. Howard & Co., Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The table, in the Nakashima style, was made by the husband. Horse, buck, and banner weathervanes are displayed along the upper window. Hanging from the ceiling is an American trade sign in the form of a skinning knife, which was purchased from a dealer in Pennsylvania.
The couple began collecting when the husband was getting his doctorate at Cornell. They had purchased a farmhouse and in their spare time combed the countryside for old furniture, which the husband, would refinish. “We realize we shouldn’t have done that now,” admits the wife, “but we still have these pieces for they retain much sentimental value.” Reminiscing, she looks back, “We would buy a piece and not eat meat for a week. We would instead eat green beans, sit back, and admire our recent acquisition.” Over time the couple’s focus shifted and led to the purchase of their first piece of folk art, a running horse weathervane. That purchase ignited their passion for folk art.
“When we were just beginning we couldn’t afford ‘important’ pieces,” says the husband. But the pieces they bought all had a special significance for them. Pointing to a rocking horse, the wife remembers, “I noticed the painted horse rocker in a window of an antique shop one Christmas Eve. It was ten minutes to five. I inquired about the horse and was told by the shop owner the price was $400. I thought about it because at that time it was a tremendous amount, but I had to have it. I told the elderly woman I would take it and she wept.”
Apparently the woman and her husband had been in business for thirty years and were closing their shop for good that night. The rocking horse had been their logo and they had decided that if it didn’t sell that day, they would keep it. After hearing the story, the wife was reluctant to purchase the piece, but the owner insisted. Placing the horse in her car on that cold wintery evening, the wife assured the shop owner that her rocking horse would have a wonderful home and would never be sold. “It is a bittersweet story,” recalls the wife, “and that piece will always hold a place in my heart.”
- An important, large cow weathervane separates the kitchen and family room. Made by J. Howard & Co., signed and dated 1865, this is a favorite piece of the couple and was purchased from Olde Hope Antiques. To the right of the cow, displayed on a plinth, is a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, maple-handled dough scraper with cutout heart, also from Olde Hope. The Indian pipe was a gift from dealer Frank Maresca. The candleholders are scrimshaw, seen here along with other utilitarian scrimshaw and ivory pieces. “The cribbage box is an early one,” says the couple. The whimsy is slate and was purchased at Skinner Auctions.
- The inlaid American tool box dating to the late 1800s was one of the couple’s first purchases. As elaborate inside as out, its maker would have brought it to a worksites to show off his skill and perhaps gain more employment. Resting atop the chest are two flying horse weathervanes both attributed to A. L. Jewell, Waltham, Massachusetts. The smaller dates to 1852 and the larger 1867. Hanging on the wall is a work by Bill Traylor titled A Black Shroud and featuring his signature blue poster paint for the purse and shoes. According to Lee Kogan of the Museum of American Folk Art, this is thought to be an image of Traylor’s deceased mother.
As their interest grew the couple began visiting shows and museums. Along the way they encountered dealers who understood their tastes and had exceptional eyes for quality material. One in particular, John Zan, who had an eye for masterpieces, the couple credits with upgrading their collection. “He knew exactly what we liked and would bring us piece after piece and we couldn’t refuse them.” The wife continues, “We were young and hungry for information so we also formed valuable relationships with other top dealers such as Patrick Bell and Edwin Hild of Olde Hope, David Wheatcroft, Tim Hill, Allan and Penny Katz, Steve Miller, Martin and Kitty Jacobs, Frank Maresca and Roger Ricco of Ricco/Maresca, and Russ and Karen Goldberger. “These dealers have played an important role in our collection,” she says, “and they have all become dear friends.”
In describing the folk art collecting community, the wife notes, “Every serious folk art collector owns something which was owned by someone else in that group. We own it and then pass it on for someone else to enjoy.” She points out that the supply of masterpiece folk art is quite limited. “Now we are considered a crossover collection,” she says, “meaning we now include newer works as well.” They both continue, “We have been branching out to include contemporary folk art such as Bill Traylor and Martine Ramirez.” They purchased their first two Traylors in 1997 from Hirschl & Adler Modern. Several days later, they acquired Woman in Black Dress with Blue Purse and Shoes at a Sotheby’s auction—the first auction at which they ever made a purchase. “There were twenty-six Traylors offered in the sale,” says the wife. “When I bought the Traylor, we held the world record for about ten minutes until another prominent folk art collector purchased several of the others for prices much higher than mine.” She adds, “At the time the prices were high, but in retrospect those pieces were well priced.” In addition to the initial three Traylors, the couple has two self-portraits: one painted when he first started painting and the other completed at the end of his career. Of the latter, the wife says, “They are interesting in that the first is in pencil and drawn early in his three-year career. The last he quoted himself, saying, ‘I am like an old horse put out to die’ and the subject of the painting is an old horse. Traylor died soon after and I am moved every time I look at the piece.”
On a tour of their home the couple point out their love of utilitarian household objects embellished to make them special for a loved one or sweetheart. They focus on carved and initialed laundry, or washing, sticks and to the cabbage cutters mounted on the kitchen wall. “The fact that someone took the time to make a hard life a little bit nicer,” says the wife, “is what makes these objects exceptional.”
The husband’s office is home to more than fifty of the barber poles the couple owns. They also love grain-painted pieces, which include their many chests displayed throughout the house. Asked the criteria for adding to their collection and they both agree that they select pieces that “speak to us.” “We have things that are sort of his or mine but our collecting is simpatico and we have never disagreed on any piece,” says the wife. “My husband is a former cowboy and a superb horsemen. He and his horse are one, but the horses in our collection are more my passion.” This collection reflects not only the passion these collectors have for fine folk art but their home and style reflect their expertise as well. The sum of which has been a wonderful adventure.
This article was originally published in the 10th Anniversary issue of Antiques & Fine Art magazine, a fully digitized version of which is on afamag.com. AFA is affiliated with Incollect.com