Evening star., 1949-01-31

iiSStIOfI IIi0y IiOW Dc SSeIl OS
Hotel StotIer. Photo by Del Ankers.
tradition of the English masters are
few today, and becoming increas-
1ngly rare.
One casualty of this show was a
Queen Anne mirror, circa 1902, that
arrived in pieces. The frame by
Chippendale is still intact. But the
mirror itself was Vauxhall plate, the
earliest glass made Although cloudy
by our standards, it was valuable
piece of concrete history that can
not be replaced.
When rounding up the consign-
ment for this trip, Miss Saint trav-
eled through England, looking for
well-preserved pieces. The bombs
that mace their mark had. of
course, devastated tie supply. Then,
too, antiques today are regarded as
an investment.
Age is kinder to them, constantly
eahancing their worth and beauty,
than it is to most things. This value,
coupled with their sentimental
worth, makes them just about the
last things people will part with.
Nevertheless, many Of the large
houses are being broken up today,
and the fine old pieces are appear
Ting on the market. These houses
one of which is reported to have
365 bedroorns-were stated by
armies of servants, and everything
in them was kept in excellent re-
pair. Some of these houses are
being bought by the government,
and their riches preserved intact
for the public to see.
The waxing and cherishing of fine
furniture is a matter of strictest
principle with Miss Saint. She
hopes some day to have furniture
service, a corps of men and women
who will go out and polish furniture
periodically, much as some house.
hold appliances are serviced period
ically today. Central heating is all
but death to all wood, she declares.
and regular polishing is essential II
the wood is to be preserved.
She once counSeled an American
friend who was interested in pre-
serving her fine walnut cabinet to
wax it every day. 1T takes so little
time, and it pays such fine divi-
dends," she says.
English furniture settles down
Immediately in American homes,
Miss Saint believes. She feels that
the exchange between the two
countries should be far greater than
it is, and points out that American
antiques are virtually unknown in
England Il don't believe Duncan
Phyfe pieces have even been seen
there" she declares. She finds
American response to English an
tiques very warm, and was anxious
to show her collection to the resi-
dents of the Nations Capital.
The 18th century era of art and
elegance and the place in time of
the three English masters, Chip
pendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton
was the golden age of furniture, ac-
cording to Miss Saint. The British
Antique Dealers Association, she
pointed out, does not consider any
thing Victorian, or anything pro-
duced after 1880. That association
holds a show once a year in June,
the finest season in London, which
lasts about two weeks, and which is
traditionally opened by some member
of the royal family. 1t Is held in
Grosvenor House, at Park lane. The
stands are changed every day, and
8 or 10 members look the stands
over each morning to determine the
authenticity of the pieces shown.
To belong to the B. A. D. A., one
must have been in the business for
a minimum Of five years and never
have sold a reproduction.
Miss Saints career was inter-
rupted by the war, so she has not
yet acquired her full five years for
membership in the B. A. D. A., al
though her partner has. During the
war she served with the West
minister Branch of the British Red
Cross in London, helping to care
for blitz casualties. Her partner,
Miss H. Gillingham, kept the shop
going and at the same time, with
her brother, ran an engineering
firm that made special instruments
for the Raj.
Among Miss Saints collection are
Sheraton burr mahogany break
| fast table with typical wood inlays,
an oval and very rare writing table,
and Chippendale spice cabinet OF
mahogany She also has a most
rare Sheraton knee-hole secretaire
of treasured, faded mahogany. With
three other dealers, she once entered
into a lively discussion as to
whether or not this particular piece
was made Of satinwood or mahog-
any.
Her collection is devoted mainly
to furniture, but. she also has a
set of eight Sheffield plate candle
!, sticks, and china, including a 81
piece Coalport dessert service and
! an 18-piece Dresden dessert service
' in which each dish differs from the
lothers. !: