advertisement

62nd Spring Fox Valley Antiques Show & Sale returns March 9-10

STEPHEN SCORE, INC., BOSTON, MASS.

Most of us in the Midwest only know of Stephen Score from reading Maine Antique Digest. He's either seen at an important auction or selling at a world-class antiques show. Stephen maintains a shop on Chestnut Street in the historic Beacon Hill section of Boston. To have him exhibit with us at the Fox Valley Antiques Show is exciting.

Stephen shared a bit about his start in the antiques business: "In 1978, Eleanor and I opened our first, full-time antiques shop in Essex, Massachusetts. In those days, antiques often came directly out of big houses, or farms, right from the families in which they had descended. There were auctions, but no phone bids or live bidding via the internet or cell phones. It was a time of more intimate, immediate, personal discovery. You got to pick up and touch, examine and smell everything as it came out of the house. It was easy to read the name on a signed work; but, what about anonymous Folk Art? You had to learn to separate the good from the bad, be able to pick out the telling characteristics of a work, compare it with others and, in so doing, learn about the work of an artist. Gosh, it was exciting!

"Of course, Essex wasn't really the beginning. For many years before that, I had been a private dealer from our home on Marlborough Street in Boston's Back Bay. Then, as now, scattered through those rooms were great pieces of American Folk Art: painted furniture, weathervanes, primitive paintings, hooked rugs. And lovely American Impressionist paintings.

"What is it, now, that pulls me across an aisle, a room, a country? What triggers those tell-tale visceral feelings in my gut? The vibrations of passion I sometimes fear will set off the alarm system at the Met? The truth is I only buy objects I would want to live with. I buy as if I were the collector. Color is a primary determinant. I love color and am not afraid of it. Line - especially sinuous lines that move in lyrical ways, defining a cabriole leg, the body of a bird in a sculpture or the separation between fields of different color. Surface Quality - preferably, untouched surfaces with lovely, old patina, the crackling and crazing and impressionistic build-up of paint layers and wear that give us clues to the experience of the object, itself, over time.

Stephen continues, "Sometimes you come across objects made long ago that are almost modern in their streamlined shape or in the way they are decorated. There may be a startling simplicity and graphic economy of design, insouciant daubs of paint - elements that seem almost to anticipate contemporary art. These objects seem far ahead of their time and yet, of course, are a product of everything that has come before, with an added twist that delights the eye and heart and challenges our conception of what is modern, what is art."

SCOTT'S ANTIQUES, WHITEFISH BAY, WIS.

You may recognize Scott Tagliapietra from an East Coast antiques show or, perhaps, from the Antiques Roadshow where he has been an appraiser since 2015. The Fox Valley Antiques Show is delighted to have Scott on board for their Spring show. Previously Scott has only exhibited at the Fox in Fall.

From the finest in Tiffany to the most rare clock-work Santa, Scott Tagliapietra has dealt in it all. At age 14 he was already trading in antiques. Working at a grocery store in his hometown, Clintonville, Wisconsin, he'd help customers with their bags and would ask, "Do you have any old Christmas ornaments you'd like to sell?" And they did. And so a career was born. Quickly it expanded to include all holiday antiques, not just Christmas; Easter, Halloween and patriotic. Adding to his interests and knowledge through the years, he also deals in Tiffany Studios, early toys, and always carries a general line of unusual smalls. Leaving the Clintonville grocer behind roughly 4 decades ago, he treks to Europe several times a year to buy from connections there. Of course he prefers to buy from private collectors here in the U.S. whenever possible.

AMERICANA & COUNTRY PRIMITIVES to TIFFANY STUDIOS

Variety. Authenticity. Value. Find it all at the 62nd Spring Fox Valley Antiques Show & Sale. Held indoors at the bright and spacious Kane County Fairgrounds' Prairie Events Center, dealers exhibit in walled and papered booths, their offerings arranged in room settings, many with an emphasis on decorative and graphic design. A "screened" show assures authenticity, allowing customers to buy with confidence.

TICKETS ONLINE OR AT DOOR!

Catered lunch with comfortable seating is available and there is plenty of free parking. Show hours are Saturday, March 9, 10 a.m to 5 p.m , and Sunday, March 10, 10 a.m to 4 p.m ., at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 South Randall Road, St. Charles, Illinois 60174 (enter on Randall Road between Routes 38 and 64).

An added bonus for young collectors, those 25 years or younger (or with a student ID) are invited to attend the show at NO CHARGE!

Produced by the Chicago Suburban Antiques Dealers Association, a non-profit organization, admission of $10 benefits local historic preservation and education endeavors. (A discount of $1 off one or two admissions will be allowed with this press release or any Fox Valley Antiques Show ad.) ATM on premises.

For more information visit www.csada.com

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.