Newport: The Glamour of Ornament put on by The Preservation Society of Newport County will celebrate Newport's greatest houses at the 59th Winter Antiques Show opening at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City from Jan. 25 – Feb. 3. The exhibit showcases fine and decorative art from The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, Rosecliff, Chateau-sur-Mer, Kingscote, Hunter House, and Chepstow.
The exhibition features more than 60 exquisite objects that will offer visitors a window into the lives of the families that lived in Newport’s greatest houses. Whether inspired by Colonial America, China Trade, European palaces and the Grand Tour, Japanese design, or the most avant-garde innovations of American architects and designers, Newport’s “cottagers” had the desire and means to commission grand houses with ornate interiors—deliberate stage sets for their very glamorous social lives.
Caryatid by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
The works in the exhibition range from an early painting by the teenaged Gilbert Stuart (ca. 1770) to a stunning ball gown (ca. 1890) by “the father of haute couture” Charles Frederick Worth; from a bronze Horus falcon sculpture from Egypt (664-525 B.C.) owned by Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt to a silver centerpiece entitled The Judgment of Paris (ca. 1822) by renowned English silversmith Paul Storr.
Elizabeth Drexel Lehr by Giovanni Boldini
Among other examples from the historic Newport Mansions include furniture by John Goddard, Joseph Meeks & Sons, and Henry Dasson; sculptures by Gaston Lachaise, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, and Daniel Chester French; and paintings by David Maitland Armstrong, Paul César Helleu, Hyacinthe Rigaud, and Charles Chaplin. One of the many highlights is a full-length portrait painting of Elizabeth Drexel Lehr by Giovanni Boldini from 1905 that usually hangs in The Elms’ ballroom.
Cove Landing Piece
In addition to the loan exhibition, eight new exhibitors have been added to this year’s show: Cove Landing, featuring 18th and early 19th century English and Continental decorative objects; Delaney Antique Clocks, a family dealing in antique clocks for 35-plus years; Didier Ltd., London-based specialists in 20th century artists’ jewelry by leading Modern masters, painters and sculptors; Glass Past, experts in Italian glass from 1870-1970; Carlton Hobbs LLC, focusing on the acquisition, conservation, and research of 17th-19th century British and Continental furniture and works of art; Old Masters paintings dealers Derek Johns Ltd. and Theo Johns Fine Art Ltd., exhibiting jointly; Magen H, a specialist in the work of French post-war designers; and American folk art and Americana authority Allan Katz Americana.
The Winter Antiques Show hours are 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. daily, except Sundays and Thursdays, 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Daily admission to the show is $20, which includes the shows award-winning catalogue.
To purchase tickets for the Opening Night Party on Jan. 24, or Young Collectors Night on Jan. 31, click here. All proceeds from the show benefit East Side House Settlement.
