Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Agates

As mentioned in my previous blog post, agates were extremely popular at Buckhead Market's North Shore Preview Party held on Friday. I sold out of the red ones, but I still have a few black/brown agates available. Some beautiful blue and teal framed agates are en route to Chicago at this very moment!

 The second most popular question behind, "what is an intaglio" was "what is an agate"?


  1. ag·ate  

    /ˈagit/
    Noun
    1. An ornamental stone consisting of a hard variety of chalcedony, typically banded in appearance.
    2. A colored toy marble resembling a banded gemstone.

And yes, it is pronounced /agit/....I promise!


Below are some of the framed agates that were available at the preview party...





And a close up of the exquisite gold bamboo frames...



More agates are on the way and will be available at Buckhead Market's booth at the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques & Garden Fair April 19th - April 21st. We are located in the Esplanade Tent in booth 117.

Take a look at these beautiful examples of framed agate collections displayed in various settings...






























Also, agates are really making a huge appearance in other aspects of home decor such as in this collage on a great blog http://luxeandlillies.blogspot.com









Take a look at this custom agate chandelier...



And agate composed as a countertop...


A beautiful collection of agate with sea life on a coffee table...


 I love these agates displayed on the etagere flanking the fireplace...



Come see Buckhead Market's beautiful collections of framed agates in Booth 117 in the Esplanade Tent at the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques & Garden Fair April 19th - April 21st.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Intaglios

Buckhead Market recently hosted the first home show as a preview to our Booth at the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques & Garden Fair to be held Friday, April 19th through Sunday, April 21st. The preview was a huge success with lots of interest in our intaglio groupings. In fact, the intaglios were the number one seller. Agates, original watercolor paintings and rustic antler prints also did quite well!

A lot of people were unfamiliar with intaglios prior to the home show, but people were drawn to them, especially the ones framed in beautiful white hand carved frames with gold accents. I sold out of my initial collections pictured below!







A little history...

Intaglio medallions were an international phenomenon during "The Grand Tours" between the 18th and 19th centuries before photography. The Grand Tour was a voyage from England or America to Continental Europe principally to France and Italy especially Rome, Venice, Naples, Florence, Pompeii, and Herlaneum. Wealthy tourists were thus exposed to classical architecture and continental art, history, and music to refine and enhance their education. The trip often took as long as four years. Writers from Charles Dickens (Little Darrit) to Margaret Mitchell (Gone with the Wind) speak of "The Grand Tour" in their writing. Collections of plaster cameos/intaglios illustrating the architectural monuments and ruins visited by the tourists were popular keepsakes and proof that one had received the benefit of this valuable and expensive trip. Intaglios were then used to seal documents with wax or merely displayed as a show of wealth and heritage.
 

These very meaningful and beautifully framed works of art make a striking addition to any space...






Buckhead market will have more of the exquisite intaglio collections in the white frames, as well as subtle silver with gold washed frames at the Chicago Botanic Garden Antique & Garden Fair. These are  en route to Chicago as I type! Additionally, these beautiful and classic intaglio collections in hand carved gold leaf frames are available.....


Buckhead Market is thrilled to share these special and historic works of art with The North Shore!


 

Monday, March 11, 2013

Road Trip Treasures!







Last week I flew into Atlanta, rented a Suburban and loaded it up with beautiful framed antique prints, intaglios, agates and watercolors. I visited Scott's Antique Market and many of my other favorite antique stores and found tons of wonderful treasures to bring back home. On Saturday morning I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and drove the treasures straight to The North Shore! I stopped only twice and I arrived by 4:00 p.m. I believe this would be called bootstrapping at its finest!

I can't wait to share my finds with my North Shore friends and that will happen for the first time at Buckhead Market's official launch at the Chicago Botanic Garden Antique and Garden Fair which will be held April 19th - 21st.






For more information you can go to http://www.chicagobotanic.org/antiques.

My booth will be mostly comprised of the beautifully framed antique prints, intaglios, agates, original watercolors and oil paintings I've mentioned on my Facebook page. I will also have beautiful designer pillows in fabrics from Scalamandre, Brunschwig & Fils, Cowtan & Tout, etc Additionally, I have a selection of small antique furniture and accents.


The Artwork

I hesitate to share photos of these beautiful, unique and exquisite pieces on this website. They are simply too amazing and no matter how professional the photography might be, a picture simply can't do these pieces justice. You must see them in person. I snapped a few quick pictures with my iPhone just to give you an idea of how extensive my selection is. Take a look!


These are examples of the framed intaglios available at the market. Below is a close up of the intricacy of the frames.


These frames are painstakingly hand-carved and painted by very skilled artisans. They are truly fine and unique.



Below are some of my original watercolors of pagodas by Atlanta artist, Dora McDaniel.







Pictured below is quite an extensive selection of nests with hand-painted sepia watercolor mats.



Pictured below are my antique botanical prints c 1808-1826 framed in gold leaf with hand painted watercolor French mats.



Next are the unique agates (rock specimens) in beautiful gold leaf bamboo frames.







Below is an example of the truly unique poplar bark frames. I have antique bird prints available, as well as English sepia engravings c. 1880.





Here is a close-up of the intricacy of the bark frame. Amazing!



 Also available are several original oil landscapes in beautifully carved and hand painted frames.

Again, a close-up of these finely carved frames.


The examples pictured above are merely a small sampling of the beautiful pieces I have available! I can't wait to share them with all of you in person!

I thought you might like to see examples from magazines of grouping of prints, etc. I'll share a few now, but I intend to post a more extensive blog soon.

Below are a few examples of groupings as design elements in rooms...


From Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Magazine, Atlanta interior designer, Liz Williams, creates a beautiful vignette using this grouping of antique botanicals.





 Also from Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Magazine, a subtle grouping of egg prints helps to add interest to an otherwise boring and often neglected corner.





 Pictured from Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Magazine, a very large collection of botanicals hung above the sofa.





 One of my all time favorite issues of Southern Accents shows Atlanta designer, Jackye Lanham's lovely display of a unique set of intaglios above a bed.





 I stumbled across this example of framed agates flanking the bed featured on interiordesignmusings.blogspot.com.





Another example of an extensive collection of framed intaglios by designer, Betty Burgess featured in Veranda.


The Antiques and Designer Pillows


Pictured below is a sampling of antiques and pillows available at the market.









I hope you see something you like. I selected everything very carefully with true attention to detail. I am hoping these special pieces find the perfect homes here on The North Shore.


As always, I would love your thoughts and feedback.

~Michelle @Buckhead Market