Traveling Collector: Antiques Heaven
January 2008
There was a time when America’s oldest public park, the Boston Common, was merely a pasture for the city’s first white settlers. Eventually the surrounding neighborhood of Beacon Hill became far too fashionable for farmland, and, in 1830, the cows were replaced by dogs on leashes. Today, Beacon Hill is still Boston’s most exclusive neighborhood, where narrow cobblestone streets lead to tree-lined squares and Federal-style townhouses. Many of these dwellings are decorated with wares found at the antiques stores that line Beacon Hill’s main thoroughfare, Charles Street. Not your usual rooms full of knickknacks, these shops feature an intriguing mix, from early American folk art to exquisite 19th-century inlaid French furniture to extremely rare sculptures from China.Jeff Diamond, owner of A Room With A Vieux Antiques, just off Boston Common, is one of the city’s creative hunter-gatherers. Once a month, Diamond visits the south of France, talking his way into local residences and attending all the important antiques fairs. His tenacity for finding fine, unique pieces has paid off with such gems as a Napoleon III–era marquetry-inlaid chest, Art Deco light fixtures and armoires that can easily converted into entertainment centers. But his specialty is creating king-sized headboards from matching twin beds, many of which date from the late 1800s.
Down the street at Devonia Antiques, hand-painted porcelain, gold-rimmed plates, and crystal and Venetian glass from such lofty names as Minton, Coalport and Baccarat line the shelves. Owner Lori Hedtler learned her trade from her mother, an avid collector, and finds her pieces at estate sales around Boston, Cape Cod, Newport and Virginia. Her clientele includes Martha Stewart, Beacon Hill resident Teresa Heinz Kerry and singer Carly Simon, who has a penchant for antique goblets.
Stephen Score is eager to find that one must-have possession for seasoned collectors. Recently, he purchased a Goddess of Liberty weathervane for more than $1 million at Christie’s. Score has a keen eye for color, line and whimsy, as evident from the unique folk and contemporary art objects on display at his two-room storefront, a half-block off Charles Street. Oil paintings by American Impressionist Theodore Wendel share wall space with 19th-century quilts, a novelty shop sign from nearby Newburyport and collages by artist Apple Bartlett, whose mother was the legendary White House interior designer Sister Parrish. This high-end version of an Olde Curiosity Shoppe also features cast-iron benches from 1879, primitive portraits and landscapes, and a number of graphic, colorful American game boards that could very well have been the inspiration for the paintings of Brice Marden.
Charles Street is the home of Alberts-Langdon Inc., one of the oldest Asian art dealers in America. Established in 1960, its holdings are particularly strong with regard to ancient sculpture. A second- to third-century Gandharan schist stone sculpture of the Buddha may be sitting next to a terracotta horse from 8th-century China and blue-and-white colored porcelain from 15th-century Vietnam.
On the other hand, Judith Dowling, on Charles Street, is focused solely on Japanese art. A pair of large wood-fired shishi (lions) guard the entrance to her gallery much like they would a shrine, their original intent when they were created more than a century ago. A magnificent folding silkscreen done in ink by Suzuki Kiitsu (1796–1858) depicts a mountain silhouette. Also on display is a female deity, or Shinto, carved out of wood from the 10th-century Heian period.
History buffs will want to stay on Charles Street past the Massachusetts General Hospital subway stop to reach the former home of the Charles Street Jail. Malcolm X served time here, as did Boston Mayor James Michael Curley and birth control pioneer Bill Baird (for crimes against chastity, exhibiting birth control devices to college students).As of this past September, you, too, can spend a night at the historic jail—for $325 to $550 a night. Developer Richard Friedman, the man who made his mark in town by building the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, spent $150 million to convert the circa-1851 jail into a 300-room upscale property called The Liberty Hotel. Rooms overlook the Charles River, and vestiges of jail cells remain in a bar called Clink, if you want to make a toast to your freedom.
For the finest meal in the neighborhood, retrace your steps to Boston Common and turn left up Beacon Street. Across the street from the State House and its gold dome sits the elegant No. 9 Park restaurant. Owner and chef Barbara Lynch won a James Beard Award for best chef in the Northeast.
Obviously, there are other antiques stores worthy of your attention outside Beacon Hill. In the Leather District, JMW Gallery features vases by Grueby, furniture by Stickley, pottery by SEG Paul Revere and other high-quality goods from the American Arts and Crafts movement. Founded in 1825, the Brattle Book Shop, in the Downtown Crossing area, has a vast assortment of rare books. Then there’s the Boston Antiques Show (April 12–13), which hosts 140 dealers from across the Northeast at the Seaport World Trade Center.
For sheer pleasure, however, it’s hard to top an afternoon of strolling on Beacon Hill’s cobblestones and rummaging through history.
Stephen Jermanok is a contributing editor at Boston Magazine and guest editor on the travel issue for Boston Globe Sunday Magazine.
A Room With a Vieux Antiques
617.973.6600 aroomwithavieux.com
Alberts-Langdon Inc.
617.523.5954 alberts-langdon.com
Boston Antiques Show
bostonantiquesweekend.com
Brattle Book Shop
617.542.0210 brattlebookshop.com
Devonia Antiques
617.523.8313 devonia-antiques.com
JMW Gallery
617.338.9097 jmwgallery.com
Judith Dowling
617.523.5211 judithdowling.com
No. 9 Park
617.742.9991 no9park.com
Stephen Score Antiques
617.227.9192
The Liberty Hotel
617.224.4000 libertyhotel.com