AFA Summer 2019 Preview

Summer 16 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com D ogs, often called “Man’s Best Friend,” have long held a special place in the hearts of humans. Among the first animals to be domesticated, for companionship as well as for hunting, the long tradition of breeding dogs for sporting remains. In Patricia Tice’s article, “Working Like a Dog” (pages 76–81), the respect given to these highly competent canines is illustrated with oils and watercolors from the John L. Wehle Gallery at the Genesee County Village & Museum in Mumford, New York, home to one of the finest collections of sporting paintings in the country. Cultural traditions are the fabric of any community, and in “Rooted, Revived, Reinvented,” by Jo Stealey and Kristin Schwain (pages 88–95), the connections between basketry and identity is explored. Their survey includes American baskets dating from the nineteenth century to the present. While some of the earliest baskets display Native American craft and workmanship, some of the more recent works are part of the “New Basketry” movement that has engendered traditionally inspired baskets conveying messages relevant to today. What were originally purely utilitarian forms continue their role as expressions of memory and culture into the present. African and European traditions were melded together in the Southern face jugs made by African-American potters in the nineteenth century. With exaggerated faces applied to vessels, these evocative wares are thought to have served both spiritual and functional purposes. These are just one of the many craft forms that emanated from the African, Native American, and European communities in the South that are discussed in “Hand to Hand: Southern Craft in the Nineteenth Century” (pages 106–112). The exhibition of the same name at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, explores the generational craft traditions embodied in such works. Jay Stiefel (pages 82–87) and Philip Zimmerman (pages 96–103) explore community and /or craft relevant to furniture made in eighteenth-century Philadelphia. In his article, Stiefel uses records in the account book of joiner and merchant John Head to identify the variety of clocks he produced for clients, and his associations with others in the close-knit craft and business communities in the city. Zimmerman examines a group of furniture by unknown makers, arguing for their attribution to Philadelphia and its environs based on design and construction techniques associated with the traditions of the region. It’s exciting to reflect on the many rich traditions in this country and to know that we are part of the continuum that will reach into tomorrow. Enjoy! Johanna johanna@antiquesandfineart.com Photography by Ellen McDermott LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Established 1976 Clive Devenish Antiques Incline Village, Nevada (510) 414-4545 clivedevenishantiques@comcast.net www.clivedevenishantiques.com "Professor Pug Frog" American Mechanical Coin Bank. Circa 1886. Fine Quality Banks Devenish_SU19_HPH.indd 1 4/3/19 1:34 PM