May 1, 2014
To celebrate Bob’s birthday yesterday, we went to Williamsburg to see an exhibit called A Rich and Varied Culture: The Material World of the Early South. Through December 2015, this wide-ranging new exhibition celebrates the remarkable objects that were created in or imported to the Chesapeake, the Carolina low country and southern backcountry. Some of the pieces of furniture were phenomenal and came with extensive provenance. Other objects were typical household items that caught our attention because of where they were created, such as the iron grate from the Winchester area and the plate from Shepherdstown (which at that time was in Virginia). The exhibit, which Bob learned about through Antique Weekly, is in the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, now co-located with the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum in what is known as The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. I’m sure many of you have seen our “before and after” chairs that Bob calls “Beauty and the Beast” so can probably appreciate our interest in the museums own versions of pre- and post-restoration pieces. The bottom line is the museum is worth a trip!
Our most recent acquisition is a maple vanity chair that swivels. The chair has a caned fan on the back. Chair was completely restored including new upholstery. Additional photos are on our website at http://irongateantiques.com/recent-acquisitions/. This chair is most likely from the 1950’s.
We have a few special hours for this month. We will be closed both Sunday, May 11th for Mother’s Day and Saturday, May 17th. However, we will be open Monday, May 26th from 10 until 6 for Memorial Day. We’ll post our status on these days on our Facebook page, so follow us there for these reminders. As a reminder here, now that it’s spring, we’re open on Sunday afternoons from noon until 5—except for Mother’s Day this month as noted above. If you want to confirm we’re open before you come out, just give the store a call.
Lynne & Bob McCann