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| Antiquing With an Expert |
| Nashville's Heart of Country antiques show
provides ample opportunity for discovering treasures. Dealer and scholar
Sumpter Priddy shares his thoughts on shopping with a savvy eye |
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Dealer Sumpter Priddy of Alexandria, Virginia,
examines a Windsor chair with unusual arrow-shaped
spindles.
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High chests, kitchen cupboards, portraits, weather
vanes, and more are regulars at the annual Heart of Country antiques show.
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A painted document box from the early 19th century
features a landscape scene with a horse grazing in the fields.
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by Julie Cole Miller
Photos by Melissa Springer
Following Sumpter Priddy around Nashville's
Heart of Country antiques show must be a little like following Julia Child
through a fine farmers market during her heyday: Every dealer seems to have
a special find just for him -- or perhaps would like the benefit of his
opinion.
Priddy, a scholar of American decorative arts, happily surveys the
goods. His curious eye, professorial good nature, and understanding of
regional furniture make him a popular visitor at the show, which takes
place in Nashville each winter and in Texas each fall and has a 25-year
tradition of presenting some of the best antiques from around the country.
Priddy, who operates a shop in Alexandria, Virginia,
likes solving the puzzles that unknown furniture presents. For him, a style
of joinery or a painted surface speaks volumes. Any opportunity to uncover
an authentic, untouched gem is a chance to find a treasure. "I go in
without any preconceived notions," he says. "As a dealer, I
look for a piece that truly grabs me, because if it grabs me, it'll
grab one of my clients."
The show attracts collectors, designers, and stylists
from the South and the Northeast, and its rustic charm speaks to a
decidedly American aesthetic. It's the meeting ground for those who
appreciate both the collections of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative
Arts (MESDA) and the stylings of Ralph Lauren. From fine art to folk art
and toleware to tabletops, the offerings here can run from the strikingly
beautiful to the curiously eclectic.
As for Priddy, who tends to gravitate to older
pieces, pre-1840, it's the painted surface that quickens his pulse.
"Southern painted furniture really pushes my buttons," he says.
"And a lot of it is still being uncovered."
| IF YOU GO ... |
The Nashville Heart of Country show begins this year
with a preview party on February 14 and continues on the 15th and 16th
at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. And for those interested in even more
treasure hunting, there are typically other smaller shows to coincide with the influx of antiques aficionados. "Between Heart of
Country and the satellite shows, there's as much merchandise in
Nashville as in the South at any given point," says Sumpter Priddy.
"If you have that much merchandise, you have that much more of a
chance of finding something." |
| SHOPPING WITH SUMPTER |
With degrees from both Winterthur and the University
of Virginia and a stint at Colonial Williamsburg, Priddy is steeped in the
academics of antiques. But he has also learned about the distinct
collecting habits of Southern aficionados. "In the North, it's
all about the academic subtleties. In the South, it's more about
where it came from and who owned it," he says.
Regardless of your
hometown, Priddy offers some advice to keep in mind when a piece has you
reaching for your checkbook.
· "Ask a lot of questions," he says.
"Can the dealer show you related pieces that you can compare it
to?"
· Does it have a provenance, and if not, is this
reflected in the price?
· Consider your motivations for buying.
"Are you shopping for something that will make you smile on a rainy
day, or are you looking to fill a need?" he says. "We all look
for pieces that satisfy both, but it's important to know what your
goal is." If, for example, you are specifically looking for a
sideboard, come to the show armed with research. But don't discount
the unexpected treasure that finds you, instead of the other way around. |
RESOURCES: Sumpter Priddy III, Inc., 703/299-0800, www.sumpterpriddy.com; Heart of Country, 800/862-1090, www.heartofcountry.com.
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