“Peeling Back the Layers: New Views on Old Paint”
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The 2005 ADA & Historic Deerfield Antiques Show
Historic Deerfield Explores the Roots of American Painted Furniture
The annual Historic Deerfield Decorative Arts Forum will explore the “roots” of American painted furniture in a workshop for collectors on October 8 at 3 pm at Historic Deerfield in Deerfield, MA. The forum, entitled “Peeling Back the Layers: New Views on Old Paint,” will survey paint-decorated furniture in America from the arrival of the Pilgrims to the Great Age of Fancy Paint-Decorated Furniture in the 1830s to 1850s. Winterthur’s Michael Podmaniczky and Historic Deerfield’s Joshua Lane will highlight the history of paint in the New World, present the different schools of paint-decorated furniture as they developed through the major design periods in that time and illustrate their presentation with exceptional and rarely-seen examples from the Historic Deerfield collection. With the opportunity to examine outstanding pieces first-hand and ask questions of leading experts, the workshop will provide enthusiasts, from neophytes to seasoned collectors, with an extraordinary opportunity to learn and “train the eye.”
Podmaniczky and Lane will set the stage by highlighting some of the background in paint-decoration. Here, they will review the history of paint, explain how colonial painters made paint and why only some finishes have lasted, and describe the tools and techniques that painters used to apply early finishes.
Most exciting to the collector, however, Podmaniczky and Lane will survey the major periods of American furniture and show pieces to illustrate the various schools of paint decoration in those periods, including:
• The Pilgrim Century and the Connecticut River Valley Schools,
• The William and Mary Period and the Guilford-Old Saybrook School,
• The Queen Anne (1730-60) and Chippendale (1755-90) Periods,
• The Hepplewhite, Sheraton and the Federal/ Classical Revival Periods, and
• The Late Federal Period & the Great Age of “Fancy” Paint-Decorated Furniture.
The pieces showcased include several from the 1600s and early 1700s, all are unexcelled examples of their period, form and paintwork, and many are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars into the millions; for a collector to see them and hear a professional critique of them all in one place is an opportunity not to be missed!
The forum will be held as part of the annual ADA-Historic Deerfield Antiques Show on Columbus Day weekend, October 8th & 9th. Over 50 of the country’s most respected antiques dealers will offer some of the finest examples in the market of American furniture and accessories made before 1850 at the show. Collectors and dealers alike consider Deerfield to be the best in New England for Early Americana.
Also not to be missed, the ADA and Historic Deerfield will present a special event, Colonial Tavern Night, to conclude Saturday’s events. All are invited to attend a memorable evening of colonial food, drink, entertainment, and revelry! Re-enactors in colonial costume will serve a rich Hall Tavern dinner of dishes true to the colonial period and there will be period music, games, dancing and entertainment throughout the evening.
From viewing and buying at the show, to exploring the very origins of American painted furniture, strolling through Historic Deerfield period homes or reveling at Tavern Night in colonial style, those interested in Colonial America will enjoy a rare treat at this year’s ADA-Historic Deerfield show.
The Historic Deerfield Decorative Arts Forum Peeling Back the Layers will be held on Saturday, October 8, at 3 pm at Historic Deerfield’s Flynt Center of Early American Life in Deerfield, MA. Afternoon refreshments will be served immediately prior to the workshop at 2:45 pm. Admission is $65 per person ($55 for members of Historic Deerfield) and enrollment is limited. Contact Dorrit Turner at dturner@historic-deerfield.org or 413-775-7201 to participate.
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