San Francisco Fall Antiques Show

Jacques Charton
Hippopotame d'Afrique
From Collection de plantes etrangeres en
fleurs, fruits, corail et coquillages
Paris: 1784
Hand-colored copperplate engravings

Arader Galleries in San Francisco is proud to be exhibiting at the upcoming 2010 San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, the oldest continually operating fine antiques show on the West coast, with exceptional dealers from across the world. Each year a special theme is selected highlighting a particular design influence. The 2010 San Francisco Fall Antiques show theme is “Chinoiserie”, a French term meaning “Chinese-esque”, and focuses on Western art that features or imitates the elements, techniques and designs that have been used in Eastern art for centuries.

With the influx of trade between Europe and China beginning in the 17th century, a new style of art, design and decoration was realized. Interests in whimsical Asian imagery and ornamentation, furniture, porcelain and design were abundant in European homes and in the art produced throughout the 17th to mid-18th century, when it further translated into the French Rococo style.

The San Francisco Fall Antiques Shows runs from October 28th to the 31st, 2010 at the Festival Pavilion in Fort Mason. Numerous guest speakers will be presenting throughout the show on a multitude of topics relating to Chinoiserie history, design and fashion. Please feel free to contact Arader Galleries in San Francisco for more details. Tickets to the San Francisco Fall Antiques show may be purchased at http://www.sffas.org.

Filoli Estate and Gardens

Images:

View of Filoli house

View of Sunken Garden

Mural of Muckross House and Abbey

in Filoli ballroom

“Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life”

Filoli is a magnificent estate located on the Peninsula in Woodside. The estate, still remaining on all of its 654 acres, was built by Mr. and Mrs. William Bowers Bourn II who lived on the estate from 1919 to 1936. The Bourn family owned the Empire Gold Mine, the Spring Valley Water Company and the Crystal Springs Reservoir and like many families during the early 20^th century, prospered during America’s “Gilded Age”.

San Francisco architect Willis Polk designed this amazing estate using elements from different architectural eras and styles. The house, styled mainly in a modified-Georgian tradition has French and Spanish influenced architecture, with outstanding works of art from throughout the world. In the ballroom, Ernest Peixottoe, a San Francisco artist, was hired by the Bourn family to paint wall sized murals of their family estate, Muckross House and Abbey, with the surrounding Irish countryside, gifted to their daughter Maude on her wedding day.

The formal gardens at Filoli were designed by San Francisco artist and designer Bruce Porter and built between 1917 and 1921. The sixteen-acre garden is a true complement to the refinement of the estate and to the natural California countryside surrounding the home. The expansive gardens are divided into two parallel north-south walks, yet within each, walkways wrapping through gardens, doors and terraces give each division of the garden a feeling of total immersion and intimacy.

In 1937, Filoli was sold to Mr. and Mrs. William P. Roth, owners of the Matson Navigation Company. Mrs. Roth, a horticultural enthusiast, brought worldwide recognition to the Filoli gardens and to Isabella Worn, whom assisted with plant selection and design. Worn’s detail in selection and plating design brought remarkable color and life to the gardens.

Mrs. Roth donated the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1975 in order to ensure the estate would be available for all to enjoy years later. Filoli is open Tuesday through Sunday, mid-February to late October and is a true pleasure for architectural, design and garden enthusiasts alike.