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Chester County Press

Antiques and elegance at Winterthur’s Delaware Antiques Show

11/05/2018 01:09PM ● By J. Chambless

Experts in several areas of collecting will be at the show.

Visitors can celebrate inspiration and elegance at Winterthur’s 55th Annual Delaware Antiques Show, a showcase of art, antiques and design featuring 60 dealers from Nov. 9 to 11 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington.

Charlotte Moss, one of the country’s leading interior designers, will be the keynote lecturer.

The Delaware Antiques Show features fine American antiques and decorative arts, including furniture, paintings, rugs, ceramics, silver and jewelry.

“I like to think that Winterthur founder Henry Francis du Pont would have a wonderful time if he returned to the Delaware Antiques Show,” said Tom Savage, director of museum affairs and coordinator of the show. “This show is the place to find the best in American antiques, as well as wonderful ceramics, metalworks, paintings and textiles.”

Keynote speaker Charlotte Moss has accomplished a great deal during her 33 years of work the interior design industry. A prolific author, she has published 10 books. Her most recent, Charlotte Moss Entertains: Celebrations and Everyday Occasions (Rizzoli, 2018), will be a feature of her presentation at the Delaware Antiques Show.

“Charlotte has beautiful taste,” Savage said. “She is a seasoned traveler and dedicated student of the fine and decorative arts who brings a deep understanding to her design work that is informed by her study of American, British, and Continental design. She is also a great preservationist, serving currently on the board of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello. She serves on the advisory board of the New York School of Interior Design. And she is a noted philanthropist who supports many causes.”

Charlotte’s lecture, “The Pursuit of Beauty: Thirty Years in Design,” on Nov. 9 at 10 a.m., is included with admission. A book signing will follow.

This year’s loan exhibit is “In Fine Form: The Striking Silhouette.” The exhibition reveals the ways in which the silhouette has been used in graphic design, the fine and decorative arts, fashion, theater, and the built environment by placing objects “in conversation” with one another on a journey to uncover the history of the enduring silhouette. The exhibition features rare objects from the museum and library collections, including illustrations from the 18th-century’s most lavish publication, Collection of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman Antiquities from the Cabinet of the Honourable William Hamilton, as well as rare silhouette albums, scherenschnitte (cut paper designs), wallpaper, Japanese stencils, and book covers.

There will be an opening party with cocktails and exclusive early shopping on Nov. 8 from 5 to 9 p.m.

Tickets are on sale and are valid for all three days. General admission tickets include all special lectures Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tickets to the Opening Night Party are sold separately. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit www.winterthur.org/das, or call 800-448-3883.

Show hours are: Nov. 9 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Keynote lecture at 10 a.m.); Nov. 10 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 for non-members, $13 for Winterthur members (children udner 12 free). Tickets are valid all three days.

The Chase Center on the Riverfront is at 815 Justison St., Wilmington, Del. For directions, visit www.riverfrontwilm.com and click on Get Directions, or call 302-425-4890.