“Preserving the Future of Our Past”

Washington Winter Show, Washington, D.C.

The 70th edition of the Washington Winter Show was held January 9-12 at the Katzen Arts Center on the campus of American University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1954 as the Washington Antiques Show and in the ensuing years having been held at several locations in and around Washington, D.C., the show has settled in at the Katzen Arts Center since 2009.

As the Washington Winter Show has grown, more than $9.5 million has been raised for charities focusing on the underserved youth of Washington, D.C. This year’s beneficiaries are The Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys, Building Bridges Across the River, and St. John’s Community Services.

The 2025 show theme, “Preserving the Future of Our Past,” was eloquently outlined in a welcome letter from cochairs Rachel and Jared Michael. Writing in the show catalog, they explain: “...decorative and fine arts [are] tangible links to our collective past...inspired by the acts of collecting and preservation. Collectors appreciate that objects can give context, insight, and enrichment as visual and tactile history.... Whether we are inspired by provenance, technique, aesthetics, or sentiment, collectors are stewards of beauty and knowledge.”

Following the theme of the show, the loan exhibit, Preservation Pioneers: Lessons from Seven Historic Homes, highlighted the preservation and stewardship efforts of seven historical mid-Atlantic homes: George Washington’s Mt. Vernon; Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens; George Mason’s Gunston Hall; Anderson House; Tudor Place; Stratford Hall; and Henry Francis du Pont’s Winterthur.

The 2025 Washington Winter Show, expertly managed by Karen DiSaia, assisted by an untold number of energetic volunteers, showcased 41 exhibitors offering a diverse selection of antiques and collectibles. It is always refreshing and energizing to begin a new year at the Washington Winter Show.

For additional information, visit the show website (www.washingtonwintershow.org).

John “Jay” Gates of Gates Antiques Ltd., Midlothian, Virginia, offered this pair of intricately inlaid circa 1790 English card tables. Each table top flips up to reveal a green felt game surface. When folded, the edges of the tables are constructed with a mortise and tenon so that they securely join together, revealing a large compass design. The underlying spruce and oak frames are veneered and inlaid with tiger maple, cherry, and satinwood. The pair was tagged $11,950.

This silver pitcher by London silversmith Paul Storr (1770-1844) dates to 1792. The body of the pitcher features figures, and the neck and base are fashioned in a leaf motif. The high, arching one-piece handle appears to be bone or ivory. The pitcher was marked $3650 by Peter Tinkler of Silver Vault, Woodstock, Illinois.

This oil on canvas was offered by Archie Parker of The Parker Gallery, Upton, Hampshire, England. Titled The Gateway, the painting is by English sporting artist Michael Lyne (1912-1989). The 20" x 24" (sight size) work is signed lower right. It was priced at $6750.

This 19th-century watercolor and gouache painting depicts the Revolutionary War Battle of Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 28, 1782. In the battle, the Royal Naval brig H.M.S. Observer ultimately captured the American privateer Jack. This example is after a 1784 aquatint of the event by British marine painter Robert Dodd (1748-1815). It was offered for $3495 by Ann Wilbanks of Find Weatherly, LLC, Stamford, Connecticut.

This array of Americana was found in the booth of Blandon M. Cherry Antiques and Art, Paris, Kentucky. The gold-leaf rainbow-tail rooster, mounted on a turned and painted wooden post finial, dates from the late 19th century. It was priced at $12,500. The oil on board by artist/poet Henry L. Faulkner (1924-1981), Taormina [Sicily] Cityscape, was priced at $35,000. The painted wooden hourglass was $1900; the carved and painted cornucopia, $3700; and the figural whirligig, $2500.

This wall with an array of Mason’s ironstone greeted visitors to the booth of Jackie Smelkinson and Marcia Moylan of The Spare Room Antiques, Baltimore, Maryland. Various sizes of soup bowls and dinner and dessert plates were offered, all in the Blue Rose pattern. Prices ranged from $350 to $400 each.

Jonathan Tung of Lotus Gallery, Austin, Texas, stated that this hu (wine vessel) is from the latter portion of the Ming Dynasty, 1570-1620. The gilt and enamel cloisonné body is decorated with vines and lotus blossoms on a blue ground. The ring handles are suspended from sinister cat-like masks. The vessel stands 16" high and was priced at $16,000.

Period to Mod/Brennan & Mouilleseaux Antiques & Design, Briarcliff Manor, New York, offered this circa 1890 delivery cart. The cart is decorated with various colorful tulip designs. The cart lettering reads “FRUITEERS AND GREEN GROCERS” and “F. A. MILLER.” The horse and cart were priced at $2650.

This grouping was found in the booth of Hanes & Ruskin Antiques, Niantic, Connecticut. The two Windsor chairs, circa 1800, retain much of their original apple-green paint. They were priced at $1450 the pair. The late 18th-century mahogany music or library stand features an adjustable top and two candle slides. It was also tagged $1450. The brass and iron footman is British and was marked $950. The still life of a fruit basket with roses is signed “E. Steele,” likely Edwin Steele (British, 1803-1871). It was priced at $2600.

Here is a large (46" x 63") wooden restaurant sign carved and painted in the form of a crab. Roger Winter of Roger D. Winter, Ltd., Solebury, Pennsylvania, believes that the sign is likely from New England and dates from the first quarter of the 20th century. There are several old metal repairs. The price was $5800. Below the crab was a 19th-century grouse gun case (not shown) that was decorated with images of hunters and dogs. The case was also tagged $5800.

The booth of Christopher and Bernadette Evans Antiques, Waynesboro, Virginia, was filled with a variety of traditional folk art and Americana. The early 20th-century shooting gallery target and backstop was priced at $1750. The four decorated stoneware crocks are all by 19th-century Alexandria, Virginia, makers and were priced (from left to right) at $495, $1750, $1650, and $705. The zinc- and copper-body horse-form weathervane in as-found condition was marked $1750. The cribbage board was $550, and the 20th-century matchstick violin and bow were $895.

This Italian mid-19th-century mahogany table was found in the booth of The Ann Parke Collection, Darien, Connecticut. The oval top is recessed and has a single locking shallow drawer below. The top is supported by carved supports that attach to a lower stretcher that features a concave plateau. It is raised on legs that terminate in hooves. Standing 26½" high, the table was marked $2700. The hand-painted Pilgrim flask is English, circa 1890, and was tagged $950.

Frank Shaia of Shaia Oriental Rugs, Williamsburg, Virginia, arranges his booth to display his rugs as works of art. Shaia decorated this wall with Heriz, Kazak, and Sarouk examples. Those shown here ranged in price from $500 to $7500.

This nautical portrait was offered by The Hanebergs Antiques, East Lyme, Connecticut. The oil on canvas by Otto Muhlenfeld (1871-1907) depicts the steam tug Volunteer. Muhlenfeld is known for his painting in and around the port of Baltimore. This example is signed and dated 1907, measures 23¾" x 34½" (sight size), and was priced at $12,500.

This diminutive six-leg sideboard has a confirmed attribution to Concord, Massachusetts, cabinetmaker, William Monroe/Munroe (1778-1861). Entries in his daybook date this piece to 1806-08. The sideboard features extensive inlay, drawer banding, and lightwood escutcheons. The forward edges of the top feature a “running arrow” inlay. There are two distinctive features of the case construction: bold “sash corners” and double-tapered legs below the cuff area. The sideboard was offered by Paul A. Thien of Firehouse Antiques Center, Galena Maryland, for $18,000.

The large (103" x 90½" x 18") 18th-century English/Welsh dresser and rack was offered by Jayne Thompson Antiques, Harrodsburg, Kentucky. The rack features four scalloped shelves with two raised-panel storage cabinets. The base displays an apron with heart-shape motifs. The entire piece is raised on cabriole legs. The price was $16,000. The 30 pieces of Coalport red and gold Chrysanthemum pattern china, circa 1815, were priced at $15,000 the set.

This large oil on canvas portrait of an unidentified woman reading from a large-format magazine is by Latvian/American artist Henry R. Rittenberg (1879-1969). The painting was first exhibited in Chicago in 1908. Over time it has been referred to as At the Mantel and Portrait of a Lady. Guarisco Gallery, Washington, D.C., offered the 36¼" x 25" (sight size) portrait for $22,000.

Taylor Thistlethwaite of Thistlethwaite Americana, Middleburg, Virginia, offered this circa 1880 oil on canvas depicting Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. The painting is fitted within a wide decorative wooden frame and was once part of a carousel. It was priced at $9800. The dower chest is from Wake County, North Carolina, and is dated 1846. The chest is identified as being the property of Meniza Wilson. Retaining 90% of its original paint, the fresh-to-the-market chest was tagged $28,000. The large copper vessel was priced at $600. The larger painted dome-top box is from Vermont and was priced at $5000; the smaller example was marked $2400.

Margaret Alderman Ford of Alderman Ford Fine Estate Jewelry & Antiques, Columbia, South Carolina, offered this necklace, which is a marriage of two 19th-century components. Twenty-five milky aquamarine beads are fitted with a clasp from which is suspended a brooch or pendant that consists of a cluster of nine oval aquamarine stones in an 18k gold setting. The necklace was tagged $16,250.

R. J. Ruble of Ericsson Street Antiques, Rochester, New York, is enthusiastic about Japanese porcelain. He believes that in today’s market the range of Japanese wares offers exceptional value. From left to right, the first example, circa 1825, was $825; the second, a 17th-century example, was $1250; the third platter, meant for export to the European market, was $1750; and the fourth is early Imari ware, circa 1700, priced at $1650.