The Antica Collection booth at the Fall Show had a spectacular sketched portrait of Emperor Tiberius looming overhead. Remember I Claudius? That was a favorite book and even more enjoyable mini-series for me, even if I got a little mixed-up at times because everyone’s name was practically the same.
I remembered Tiberius as a less than noble emperor, but I wasn’t sure exactly why, so I googled him up. As I’ve said before, you don’t come here for a history lesson, so I won’t go into all the details of Tiberius’ life. But I will say that he was a bossy but rather lazy Roman emperor who made a point not to be “overburdened with work.” Well, we can’t all be Augustus now can we.
Antica specializes in early period European furniture and decorative items that are not quite from the Roman Empire, but they’re old. What’s surprising is how fresh and light and very modern their booth feels. It’s a photogenic space with textures and subtle colors that are easy to capture.
If, like Tiberius, your second retirement takes you to the Isle of Capri please hire me to help with the interior decor. Jackie Onassis loved Capri, so I think we might go for an Upper East Side meets Med-Chic thing, with elaborate Roman baths of course.
You couldn’t possibly have read every crush, could you?
The 2014 Fall Show starts this weekend and it seems like the perfect moment to rerun some of my favorites from the 2014 Spring Show. I must have at least thirty posts in my “Shopping: Antiques Week” category, so this is a shorty-short list of mostly early crushes that are hidden quite deep down the blogroll now. Skip ’em if you’ve seen ’em, click on the link if you missed ’em. As always I hope they’ll inspire you to get out to the show for a day or a weekend, and if you just can’t make it happen, perhaps they can serve as a somewhat satisfying substitute.
Eneby’s is at Blue Hills, right in the middle of the old part. I’ll be leading a few small group/individual tours during this show and Eneby’s will probably be our first stop. It’s high end and authentic and special and swanky and rustic and a great intro to what Round Top has to offer.
Next up is my post on Texas Rose, which is kinda right across from the Marburger tents. I’m not sure I love this field so much more than any others, but it’s right up there, and the photos surprised me and made me an even bigger fan than I had been. How is that, that photos you take yourself can reveal so much to you?
During my recent trip to NYC I had tons of fun discovering my dear Higgins Glass all over ABC Carpet and Home’s “Las Venus” mid-century glam set up. I’ve been saving pennies since the last show and my collection of vintage Higgins will begin next week!
I think this was my most rewarding post. Maria truly appreciated my words and spread the link to her huge fan base. Oh, I hope her star just keeps rising and rising.
In this one I tried to capture the sheer exhaustion that comes from a good day in the fields. Somewhere along the way I decided that Nomadic Trading and I were going to become friends, and I think they’re too hospitable to tell me that they’re just a booth, not my personal show lounge. But they do always seem to have a beer handy for anyone who asks, so can you blame me?
And if you have a bit more time, here’s the link to all of my Shopping: Antiques Week category posts to date. So many dear hearts!
The good news? You've discovered The Crush List. The not so good? I haven't been actively posting here for a few years now, which means the never terribly reliable details about my crushes are even more unreliable. Antique vendors have switched venues, shops in town have moved or passed on, donkeys may or may not be in the same front yards... In spite of the risks of massive misdirection I've left the site up in hopes that it still achieves its goal - to inspire you to visit Round Top for the Antiques Show or any time you have the time.
With that said, I leave you to explore this random list of my very favorite things about my very favorite place. I’ve tried to capture the area’s special pieces and parts. Some are big deal, some are small gestures, some are legendary and some are just tiny pip and squeak.
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