I thought this year’s show at the Merchandise Mart was more visually interesting, and even an even higher level of quality then in any of the previous years I’ve been to the show.   Setting up at the show is an amazing experience on many levels.  Set up allows me the luxury of seeing  rare and sometimes startling objects being moved past my booth before the show opens up as everyone is trying to work their booths into beautiful room-like settings.  The enormous Mart building, two football fields long, fills up in just a few short days with antiques from all over the world as well as dealers from several different countries exhibiting their very best for this fair.  Click on images to enlarge.

My booth at the mart show had my usual mix of periods and styles that for some reason seem to work together.  I like to think of the pieces as all settling in together in the booth whether they like it or not.  Each piece seems to find to place to show off without competing with the others…or so I tell myself.

The 19th century framed botanical flowers formed a backdrop for the dark oak 18th century gate-leg table with a small grouping of santos figures on top.  Click on images to enlarge.

The santos shown in the previous photo replaced this grouping of 19th century candlesticks that sold one by one at the show.

I love this mix of art work on the back wall of the booth.  The top painting is by Guillermo Silva Santamaria, an artist from Bogota, Colombia below it is a painting by a St. Louis artist, Margery Dodson Imster.  To the left of the lamp are three 1920s stained glass window watercolor studies from the Emil Frei Art Glass Studios in St. Louis.  Click on images to enlarge.

Greta Von Nessen “Anywhere Lamp”, circa 1951 in original mint condition.  The lamp and the painting in the background found really good new homes.

The Italian gilt mirror on the back wall was a recent lucky find just a few days before the show.  The modernist painting on the right is by St. Louis artist Virginia Davis, it stayed behind in Chicago, now showing off on a new wall.

The 19th century European skull and crossbones pediment was lucky enough to find a new residence in the Windy City.

The soft whites of the walrus tusk and the shells play so well against the warm browns and grey color tones on the 18th century Russian table.  Click on image to enlarge.

The brass swan sculpture on the wall is by Curtis Jere.  To the left of the Jere are two French manikin forms, both the manikins and the Jere represent the variety of objects I bring to show and fortunately seem to be what I sell at the Mart as both stayed behind in Chicago.

The rare advertising poster behind the manikins announces Herman Miller’s opening of a store in New York City that would sell their furniture as well as fabrics by Alexander Girard and “sympathetic” decorative objects (those objects I would be curious to see.)  The poster must date from the late 1960s to early 1970s and is in mint condition.

My booth is on a corner so I have an outside wall to decorate.  At the beginning of the show the wall looked like this, and then after several things sold it evolved to the wall pictured below.  Click on images to enlarge.

The wallpaper stamps shown in the previous photo got replaced with a collection of vintage dog photos. Part of the fun of being at the show for so many days is seeing the other booths at the show change as items are sold and moved out and new things are brought in from storage and the booth redesigned.

I brought one of the showcases from the shop for displaying collections of objects.  The shelf has a collection of 19th century plaster heads and hands.

“Just say ah.”  Which is appropriate for this sculpture and is also a cool website showcasing the work of Adam Hughes.  You can check it out here.  The object in the image above was made as a European medical teaching aid in the 1930s.

One of my favorite pieces that I brought to the show was this balustrade from the Chicago Stock Exchange building designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler and completed was in 1894. Click on images to enlarge.

Staying in downtown Chicago is an experience, however staying on the 33rd floor of a downtown hotel is a better experience.  This was our view from the Hotel 71.  Wacker drive is on the left and the Merchandise Mart is on the right past the wonderfully ’60s Marina Cities twin towers.  Every morning  starts off with a nice brisk walk to the mart with a quick stop for a morning shot of caffeine and then to the 8th floor for a visual feast for the eyes as the elevator doors open and the day of selling begins.  There is something about the energy of downtown Chicago and the Mart that makes going to the show a time to remember and something I very much enjoy.   Photos from other booths at the show as well as images from Art Chicago will follow in this blog soon.  Click on images to enlarge.

I had to trim the pussy willow tree at my house this week, it was invading the neighbor’s eaves and gutters, never a good thing.   This was a great opportunity to fill the shop with one of the first signs of spring. Click on images to enlarge.

We had a pussy willow tree behind the house when I was growing up and I can remember my Mother forcing those tender bare branches into beautiful fuzzy bouquets of the softest grays and browns.  Antique Battery Jars make the perfect container for forcing branches as well as for forcing spring bulbs in.

Pussy willow branches dry very easily for arrangements, they are also very easy to root for planting a new willow tree.  I have given several cuttings  from my tree as my Mother did from hers years ago.  Spring is the time to think of  bringing flowers from the outside in and maybe giving a few away to friends and neighbors to brighten their day.  Click on images to enlarge.

Santa Claus’s face is one of the most recognizable faces in the world – a  face known the world over and also a face that none of us have actually seen in person in order to verify his accepted appearance.  We all have a concept of what Santa looks like.  Some of those concepts have been influenced by the best advertising minds of our time to sell the latest and greatest widget.  Some of us have been influenced by Santa Clauses that were made over one hundred years ago and look very different from the Santa we see portrayed today.  I thought it might be interesting to see how Santa Claus’s face has changed over the years.  The Santa face pictured above belongs to a German roly-poly dating to the 1930s.  Click on images to enlarge.

The Santa Clauses in these images all belong to a couple who have been collecting holiday antiques for a number of years.  I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph a small part of their collection.  This German paper-mache Santa dates to the late 19th century.

These early German Santa Clauses almost always have blue eyes.   This one has a hand-painted paper-mache face with a rabbit fur beard and dates to the latter part of the 19th century.

When I started collecting early Santa Clauses one of the things I noticed was that some of them had teeth.  The smiling faces of Santa that I grew up with seemed not to be showing their teeth.   Santa Clauses with teeth seemed somewhat disturbing to me.  This is the face of a Shoenhut roly-poly Santa made in the US of paper-mache in the last quarter of the 19th century.

This late 19th century German Santa has a very rare beard made of glass icicles.  He has a serious, concerned expression on his face.

Most German Santa candy containers had paper-mache faces.   This rare 19th century Santa has a bisque porcelain face with glass eyes.  He also seems to have very bright white bisque teeth.

German Santa candy container with a red mohair suit and a lambs wool beard dating to the early 20th century.

This paper-mache Santa dates from the late 19th century and seems to have the face of a tired old gentleman.  He looks rather wizard-like with his long white beard.

Belsnickle Santa with a yellow-green coat.  Belsnickles were made in Germany from the late 19th century into the early 20th.  They were made in a large variety of sizes and colors.  All Belsnickles have hand-painted faces done by a number of different crafts-persons so the facial expressions vary quite a bit.  I have seem Santa Clauses that look totally inebriated as well as those with a stern authoritarian countenance.

This German candy container Santa looks like he is up to no good with a whimsical expression.  He dates to the late 19th century.

Toy Santa Clauses from the 19th century are unusual.  This one has a wooden body that “dances” when you pull on a string.  His head is made of composition and shows great brushwork in the painted details.

This German Santa has bushy white painted eyebrows and a fur beard.  He dates from the last quarter of the 19th century.

Another bisque face Santa Claus with glass eyes and a long fur beard.  His facial details are very different from the other bisque face Santa.  This face seems more joyful, even with his teeth showing.

Chromolitho Santa face on an advertising tin dating to the early 20th century.  This wonderful warm Santa face shows the influence of 20th century illustrators such as Reginald Birch and E. Boyd Smith, who drew from the late 19th century work of  Thomas Nast.

This is one of the largest German Santa lanterns that I have ever seen.  The face and beard have been modeled beautifully in paper-mache and the eyes and teeth are painted on paper so they would glow when the candle was lit.

Chromolitho on paper Santa face applied to the top of a wooden box containing picture blocks.  These boxes usually date from the late 19th to early 20th century.

This Santa has a very nice face but it seems to be overshadowed by the beautiful head on the reindeer.   The paper-mache German reindeer has gilt Dresden decoration on his bridle and glass eyes.   The reindeer is also a nodder so his head gently moves up and down.  Click on images to enlarge.

Santa Belsnickle holding a baby.  This Belsnickle is rare, rare, rare, and I’ll type it again, rare.  Not only is the Santa holding a baby but the baby has red polka-dots all over it, including his face.  Even Santa seems surprised by this one.

This is a cloth faced Santa dating to the 1920s.  He has a sweet gentle face and a long fur beard.

German paper-mache lantern from the late 19th century.  This is an unusual form for a Santa head lantern and has an expressive face showing us his very large teeth outlined in red.

As I noted earlier Belsnickles come in many sizes.  This reindeer seems to be responding the same way I did upon seeing this white feather tree. Wow!  Wow, that’s many, many rare tiny little Belsnickles all dating from the late 19th to early 20th century.  Not a one of them have teeth.  I like that.  So if any of you happen upon “the” Santa Claus in the flesh, not of these modern day department store varieties, let me know.  I would like to find out if his teeth really are that big and scary.  Merry Christmas!  Click on images to enlarge.

The 6th annual Christmas Open House is now over.   I would like to thank so many very special people for making this year’s party a huge success.  We had a great turnout with lots of friends coming into the shop and lots of treasures going out of the shop.  The group of garden figures in this photo, all covered in winter’s chill, welcomed you as you came in.  Remember to click on images if you wish to enlarge.

The 19thc crazy quilt provides a great backdrop for the four seasons garden figures.  The quilt has a number of very creatively stitched “P”s.  We are lucky enough to have a note pinned to the quilt stating it was made by a member of the Parker family.

Hanging on both sides of the crazy quilt are four Chinese-export bird watercolors dating to the late 18th century.

The American Flyer Train comes complete with its Pullman cars, just the right color for the holidays.

German Kugels from the 19thc are suspended over the train, reflecting the world around them.

Draped over the center table is an amazing French Aubusson carpet from the late 18th to early 19th century.   The coal hod holding the orchids sports a hand-painted winter scene perfect for the season.

A French wire basket seems right at home filled with gold-gilded dried pomegranates.

The European painting was a lucky find.  It came out of a wonderful, stately St. Louis home.  The oil has now left its brief home at the shop and gone back into another beautiful St. Louis home.

Sheep everywhere you look, in the old paris porcelain, on the bow-front chest, and under the early glass cheese dome.  The English brass candlesticks are another recent addition to the shop.  The sticks have a curious form, somewhat Christopher Dresser-like.

This lady’s writing desk is one of the nicest pieces of painted satinwood furniture I have ever been fortunate enough to have in the shop.

The desk is covered in hand-painted garlands of flowers as well as neoclassical figures.  It also has several hidden compartments, just big enough for those “private” letters.

This is an image of the decoration on the back of the desk chair that accompanies the lady’s writing desk.

This painted chair is not typical of my usual merchandise mix, however I could not resist its five legs, looking as if it’s ready to flee the scene.

So after the front of the shop has begged for your attention the next thing you come to in the shop are the bookcases.  I like the fact that the bookcases force the eye to focus and to see in a different way than when looking at a room full of furniture and objects.  This image shows an early 20thc cast iron windmill weight made in Nebraska, as well as a zinc clock trade sign an over-sized store price stamper for a window display.

Sterling silver on one shelf and a hand-painted tin trolley on the other makes for visual contrast.

A shelf of dog oil paintings, toy dogs, and an early leather dog collar.  The lower shelf contains a wonderful architectural terra-cotta panel from a St. Louis building that was torn down.

The bookcases at the shop are full of things you just don’t see at very many other places, from hands to heads to caravans, it’s all here!

These two photos are of a collection of French stone fragments from a Gothic church dating from the 17th century.  Displaying them in a vitrine or dark bookcase would make a dynamic display.

General store cabinet filled with vintage Christmas as well as an early Steiff  bear on wheels with his original button.

Spun cotton ornaments share space with vintage wind-up Santas and Shiny Brite ornaments.

These watercolors are by James Godwin Scott, well known for his depictions of life along the Mississippi and in and around St. Louis.  The watercolors were  painted during the time he lived in this area.

Pond boat fits perfectly on the Korean Tansu chest.

The middle room of the shop was decorated with a nod to the nautical.  This image  shows a vintage toy tin racing boat on a  marble topped drafting table base.  The table is flanked by a French creel fishing basket on one side and a tall buoy on the other.

Feather tree festooned with ornaments on top of an Italian gold gilded iron table.  A bit of sparkle is good for the holidays…. or anytime.

Bead garland, clip-on birds, Shiny Brite ornaments all on a dense little feather tree.  As I have said before…. every house should have at least one feather tree!

These 19thc Apothecary jars are filled with silver-leafed dried artichokes and share space with a 1920′s butterfly weathervane.

The vintage ski poster, ca 1928,  is by artist Paul Brusset and advertises winter sports at Mont-Geneva.   The poster hangs next to a huge porcelain enamel letter “X” from a sign that was on a St. Louis building.  The X begged to be joined by the 1930′s letters M, A, and S, all covered in red sparkles.

The French cast iron coal hod is filled with more gilded artichokes.

It is safe to say I have never had anything quite like this in the shop before.  The “hurdy gurdy” type street-cart has been fitted with a Regina ca. 1900′s music box that still plays beautifully.  The coin slot took pennies, several wheat pennies were found in the base which holds the extra metal playing discs.  There are 25 different music discs with this Regina.

The cart yoke looks like it could have been pulled by goats or a large dog.  The case has been painted with baskets of flowers on the doors topped with a rather New Orleans looking “house” that contains the Regina.

The music box cart is right in the middle of the back room so it can be appreciated from all sides.  It was played several times during the party.  It is interesting how music that is 100 years old can sound so cheerful and fresh.

For the party the desserts were placed on these European pastry stands, perfect for our tasty American Christmas cookies.

This image was taken the day after the party with the sunlight pouring in.

The German hide covered rocking horse was awarded a wreath of vintage glass balls and foil leaves.

French carousel painted panel above a vintage paper-mache store display figure.

This 1930s paint store display figure was found in a Kirkwood, Missouri estate.  He would have originally held a small can of  “Mautz” brand paint.  Christmas at the shop will extend throughout the season with new merchandise added weekly.  Be sure to call the shop or email me if you have any questions about any of the merchandise shown in the blog images.  Please click on images to enlarge.

This past Sunday was the first of November and one of those perfect fall days.  The morning was very cool and crisp and then by noon it was a glorious warm sunny day in St. Louis.  After several weeks of dreary rainy days here in the city, it was a great day to check out the
Botanical Garden.  We are lucky in St. Louis to have one of the best botanical gardens in the world.  Check out their website here.   This working “live clock”  is new to the garden, replicating one that was here many years ago.  It was planted with mums, various fall plants and pumpkins.   The bird house has a cuckoo clock-like bird that comes out and sings a song on the hour.  Click on images to enlarge.

One of the most personal and private areas of the garden for me is the “Chinese Garden.”   It was created in 1995 and is formally known as the  Margaret Grigg Nanjing Friendship Garden.  The garden is nestled between several main pathways and seems to go unnoticed by most.  So it is often without visitors of the two legged variety, (other than birds), and consequently very quiet and peaceful.  The garden was designed by Chinese-born architect Yong Pan.

This small garden was modeled after the “Scholar’s Gardens” of the southern provinces of China, near Nanjing.   There are several magnificent large scholar stones in the garden.

Large stone table with “benches”  just like the one I dream about for my back garden.

This mosaic medallion is made up of small polished river pebbles placed on their side in the traditional colors of a Chinese Scholar’s Garden: black, white, and gray.

Fall light travels fast and soon this garden will be edited by winter’s chill.  Comfort comes in knowing it will be just as beautiful and serene as it was yesterday but in a totally different way.

I had to include a few images of these cast stone and bronze mutton that grace the garden’s lawn.

The mutton were made by a French artist and installed a few years ago.  They have a surreal “realness” to them that makes them intriguing and yet they are made of very hard, sturdy materials that are very non sheep-like.

Basking in the fall light they seem to be aware winter is on its way.  Click on images to enlarge.

This years Halloween window features a bound body caught in a spider’s web.  Click on images to enlarge.

The “body” in the web is actually an early turn of the century Martha Chase Hospital Doll.  Martha designed, handmade, and hand-painted these life-size dolls to be used as training tools for nurses in schools and hospitals.   I am sure Martha Chase never expected one of her dolls to be used in a Halloween window display but for a brief period it is perfect as a spider’s treat.

This is a photo of the Halloween window display last year at the shop.  We have a rather rusty ghoul sitting in his study at his desk.  Note the demon-eyed dog Roxie guarding his lair.  Click on images to enlarge.

A plethora of accessories for every well appointed ghoul’s desk.

These photos were taken this past July during my European buying trip for the shop.  I had been to Paris before but I had not been to one of  the most famous cemeteries in the world, Père Lachaise, located in the 20e arrondissement.  Considering Halloween is just a few weeks away I thought this would be an ideal time to share these images.  It was a perfectly lovely day to spend in the cemetery; dark, gloomy, and very dreary  most of the time.  The right atmosphere for the incredible visual overload that an exceptional cemetery can provide.  Click on images to enlarge.

The cemetery was established by Napoleon in 1804.  It was named after Père François de la Chaise (1624-1709), who was confessor to Louis XIV.

Père Lachaise also known as the “East Cemetery” is the largest in the city of Paris at 118.6 acres.

There are more than 70,000 19thc. monuments and over 300,000 bodies buried in the cemetery, not counting those that have been cremated.

Père Lachaise is home to many famous Europeans and several Americans, such as Gertrude Stein buried with Alice B. Tolkas as well as Jim Morrison.  The tomb in the photograph above, belongs to French romantic painter Théodore Gericault (1791-1824).  The top of the stone has a life-sized bronze sculpture of the artist with his palette and brush, while the front of the stone has a bronze panel depicting one of  Gericault’s most famous paintings titled:  “The raft of the Medusa.”

I have great memories of exploring small town rural cemeteries growing up in southern Missouri.  I have always been fascinated by the infinite variety of monuments as well as the intricate ironwork in the fences, usually surrounding the family plots.  There were also the beautiful cast iron urns planted with flowers and either wire or cast iron benches located in many of these Midwestern cemeteries.

This Tomb has an amazing cast iron door with a bat at the top of its arch.

On top of this tomb is a carved stone sarcophagus resting on a base with winged skulls on the corners and in the middle of those are young maiden heads with butterfly wings.

Powerfully simple message in this stone carving with exquisite details.

Shrouded “three graces” relief carved stone panel.

I had read that cats liked to hang out in the cemetery however, there were more cats than I had expected.   Legend has it that the flowers that always appear on the tomb of the French novelist, Collette, are replenished by the cats who live in Père Lachaise.

This monument exemplifies the level of skill in the stone-cutters art of the late 19thc in France.  Click on images to enlarge.

Note the two broken strings on the harp.

The floral bouquet on the stone monument is handmade glazed pottery, forever blooming.

This hauntingly simple sarcophagus has bronze arms extending from its stone top.

I think this monument speaks for itself… quiet and bold.

Lovely relief carving of birds with swags of bounty.

Cast iron panel with a grieving  female face sporting a banner with the Latin phrase: “requiescat in pace”,  which translates “may he rest in peace.”

Wrought-iron emblem of “time” flying past us, painted a great French blue, complete with cobwebs.

Egyptian motifs combined with an iron door panel containing a bat at its top.

This rather architecturally simple stone tomb had Chinese porcelain foo dogs from the early 20thc. used as finials, with a yin and yang symbol placed between them.  The motto above the entrance states:  “It does not have anything to do with anything” in gold gilt letters.

This mausoleum was entirely made out of zinc and copper and dates from the late 19thc.

Cast iron Gothic door panel with the stained glass window from the back wall showing through.

The color and surface of these doors makes for a great visual.

The stained glass window in the back of the mausoleum echos the shape of the cross on the doors.

Beautiful stained glass window seen through a tomb door. Click on images to enlarge.

Documenting the variety of mausoleum doors found throughout the cemetery would make an interesting collection of images.

This is the window behind the cast iron ivy leaves in the previous photo.  Fragmented and broken the stain-glass still conveys a great deal of emotion.

This larger than life-sized figure was carved out of marble with the rest of the monument built out of  limestone. The contrast is very effective.

This monument has a folk art quality to it, sensitive and a bit naive.  It stands in stark contrast to the more classically conceived stones.

In contrast to its neighbors this is a wonderfully contemporary monument in chromed steel.

Adding to the atmosphere of the cemetery were the ubiquitous black crows watching over us.   Ravens or Crows traditionally representing the world beyond the grave fit right in amongst the burial plots.

I am going to end this post with my favorite stone carving that I photographed on the trip.  This early 19thc relief carved panel very clearly describes the journey from this world to the next, and not in a very cheerful way I might add.  Père Lachaise cemetery is said to be visited by hundreds of thousands of people annually.   I only made it through one small section but I can’t wait to explore other nooks and crannies on future trips.  Paris is  a city that is always calling you back to it.  Click on images to enlarge.

Here are the photos from the 2009 Container Party at the shop.  This image is from the middle room of the shop.  The large hall-tree in the center of the photo has great contrast with its cast iron faux bamboo hooks and the tortoise shell-like pattern of the bamboo.  The English mahogany cabinet houses a collection of French porcelain apothecary jars as well as numerous sea shells.  Click on images to enlarge.

The parrot engravings are 18thc. Italian and the apothecary tall jars are American late 19thc.

Pond boat named “Eloise” sails in front of an early ship’s wheel in original paint.

The German antler chandelier works well in this small room, the 14 foot high ceilings help with the large scale of the fixture.  The European clock face hangs above an English mahogany cabinet and a leather pig footstool.

This image is the first one from the back of the shop showing the glazed tile walls originally used in the bakery.   The photo shows a small English pine gate above a carved marble basin with two 1920s stone planters from Holland.

Battery jars from Holland filled with fall foliage between two cast iron fleur-de-lis shaped finials.

Marble basins stacked on top of early grinding stones.  The basins would make a great sink for a bathroom or  be used outside in the garden.   I have had one outside for years, it is planted with herbs and seems to survive Missouri winters just fine.

Water lettuce floating in the marble basin makes for a nice visual treat.

This is one of the largest hand-blown Japanese floats I have ever had in the shop.   It is surrounded by garden related antiques, some from Europe, some from the St. Louis area.

The large handpainted canvas is from a carousel that was located in Tours, France.  The clock case in the photo is completely hand-forged iron and the tall pencils to the left of the case are European store display trade signs.

This cabinet was used to store architectural renderings and holds a variety of European objects, including a very large battery jar filled with hundreds of wooden carnival fish, as well as a collection of 18thc. and 19thc.  stone mortars. Roxie was watching all the exciting activity during the setup for the party.

The large tool trade sign in the center of the wall was found in Holland and hangs over a folding 19thc. table used for wall-paper hanging.

The American country blue cabinet dates to the mid-19thc.  and retains its original milk paint.   The folk art “ducks”  baby carriage on top of the cabinet dates to the 1920s, and has been made from discarded ammunition blasting powder boxes.  The inside of the carriage warns “caution explosives”  imprinted in the wood.  The iron columns were found in Holland.

This set of wrought iron garden furniture did not last long in the shop.   Roxie, in the upper left-hand side of the photo, was very busy trying to get a ball out of her bed, she seemed to show-up right when the photos were being taken.

General store display shelves filled with the usual unusual objects, mostly from Europe.  The wrought-iron panel above the shelves is a French window guard in a wood frame.

This image shows off a grouping of 19thc. American baskets on top of the general store shelves.   The french painted apothecary drawers on the right, are filled with early wire light-bulb protectors.

The ten foot long oak table is from a convent that was located in St. Louis and holds a variety of items including two polished Jielde lamps on either side of a large 1920s gilt and painted wood convex mirror.

The early 20thc. butterfly weathervane has been cut from zinc and is next to a large terra-cotta egg from Holland.

Stacked metal bookcase is great for displaying collections.  The mustard general store cabinet displays European wooden bowling balls as well as small Dutch targets.

This close-up shows how well collections can work grouped together in bookcases.    I am not sure why I have always been fascinated with brushes, however,  they do come in an infinite variety of shapes and sizes and the antique ones have such great surface and texture.

This very large store display case is over 8 feet tall and 9 feet long and is in the very back of the shop.  It has been great to experiment with this cabinet’s scale such as displaying very large objects as you see it now as well as filling it with shelves that contain collections of small items.  Click on images to enlarge.