16th Anniversary Preview

16th Anniversary 8 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com PHILIP H. BRADLEY CO. 1101 East Lancaster Avenue (Route 30) Downingtown, Pennsylvania 19335 Telephone: (610) 269-0427 philipbradleyantiques@verizon.net www.incollect.com/philiphbradleycoantiques A small Pennsylvania inset paneled corner cupboard with a diamond and matchstick cornice, circa 1790 Probably Lancaster County, the cupboard has a 19th century amber color over the original blue with the interior retaining its original warm salmon paint color. Height 77” Depth to corner 24” t the turn of each year it’s natural to look back and reflect on the preceding twelve months. Our contribution to this assessment is our annual review of museum acquisitions (pages 196‒203). Author Daniel Grant takes us on a tour of some of the highest profile gifts or purchases made in 2015, such as the more than $500 million collection of Pop and postwar art gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago, or the $200 million gift of American art to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. He also introduces us to some incredible gems, such as a Pennsylvania tall clock kept in private hands for centuries. Recently acquired by Chipstone Foundation, it is described as “an architectural fantasy…[with] the most astonishingly original and beautiful Baroque hood ever made in America.” Though it’s impossible for most museums to display all of their collections, their role as repositories of our artistic heritage, as conduits for educational access, and as champions of history, is critical to our cultural and personal identities. Not all stellar collections are in museums, however, and many reside in private hands. An astounding collection that bridges both spheres was amassed in the early eighteenth century and is featured on pages 144‒155. Built as a residence and now open to the public, the Schloss Favorite, in Baden-Baden, Germany, is the only surviving “porcelain palace” in the world. Intended as a summer retreat and hunting lodge, its purpose was also as a showplace for one of the finest collections of porcelain ever acquired. Of its more than forty elegantly appointed rooms, it is thought that eight were filled with displays to impress guests; today 1,500 pieces remain in the palace. Centuries later, the Gilded Age was a period of excess for the wealthiest Americans, including William H. Vanderbilt, whose Manhattan home was elegantly furnished by the Herter Brothers and encompassed an entire city block. The collections were dispersed a century ago (and the mansion later razed). On pages 164‒171, curator Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen discusses a reinstallation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art that brings together the largest group of Vanderbilt’s furnishings known. In her article on George Schastey (pages 172‒179), Frelinghuysen’s colleague Moira Gallagher sheds light on the work of this brilliant interior designer who, though obscure for generations, owned one of the foremost decorating firm of the Gilded Age. It is articles such as these, and others that fill this issue (or await future publication), that provide me with a sense of tremendous fulfillment. I am delighted and honored to have been with the magazine for fifteen years, venturing now into my sixteenth season. I am privileged to have worked with hundreds of authors whose dedication to their areas of expertise has been a continually invigorating and educational experience. The magazine remains strong and our company continues to grow, with InCollect.com celebrating its launch in the fall of 2014. Created to inspire interest in acquiring and learning about art, antiques, jewelry, and design through online access, and to present a cross-promotional platform with Antiques & Fine Art, our aim is to provide the absolute best experience for enthusiasts and collectors of our decorative world. We appreciate your support for our work, the contributors, and for the efforts of all those involved. Have a happy, healthy 2016 and beyond. Thank you, Johanna McBrien Founding editor Photography by Ellen McDermott FROM THE EDITOR A