Fort Myers Florida Weekly

Ah, Paris. I came, I saw and I learned a thing or two

COLLECTOR’S CORNER



This Staffordshire hen on a nest covered dish dates from the second half of the 19th century. It measures about 9 inches long, from beak to tail. SCOTT SIMMONS / FLORIDA WEEKLY

This Staffordshire hen on a nest covered dish dates from the second half of the 19th century. It measures about 9 inches long, from beak to tail. SCOTT SIMMONS / FLORIDA WEEKLY

If there is one thing that makes me marvel, it is this: Our world keeps getting smaller.

I thought about that at the end of a grueling day of flying — 2½ hours from Paris to Lisbon, followed by 9½ hours in the air from Lisbon to Miami. That final leg received my prize for Longest Flight Ever.

But it was a blink compared to what our forebears faced as they embarked on transatlantic tours back in the day.

 

 

Even in my lifetime, air travel was a novelty for some folks.

For many, travel to Europe meant boarding a ship to head across the pond.

I remember Mr. and Mrs. Turschwell, who owned an elegant antiques shop at the Collier Arcade in downtown Fort Myers, took buying trips to Europe each summer — a map in the window of their shop charted their travels — and they would return with glittering crystal, sparkling silver, fine porcelain and extravagant pieces of furniture. Oh, the mighty dollar bought so much more in those days.

During my sojourn in Paris, I did a little scouting for treasures, finding much to see in a wonderful place near the Eiffel Tower called Le Village Suisse (78 Avenue de Suffern, 75015), literally The Swiss Village.

Over here, we would call it an antiques mall. The collection of small shops and galleries was filled with treasures that would have been right at home in Turschwell’s — or even in my house.

Lots of contemporary and traditional art, plus opaline glass, Asian antiques and such were on display.

I would expect to see those in Florida.

But I also saw plenty of wall-size antique tapestries that one would not necessarily see in South Florida, save one of the big annual antiques fairs that come to the Palm Beaches, Naples or Miami.

The next day, I strolled Le Village Saint-Paul, on the right bank of the Seine, in the Marais neighborhood.

Unlike Le Village Suisse, which is in late 20th-century buildings, the shops of Le Village Saint-Paul are in buildings that are older than much of the merchandise.

Winding cobblestone paths and courtyards lead to shops crammed with everything from the exquisite (silver, crystal, paintings and china) to the funky (vintage vinyl and used clothing competed for attention in one shop).

There was much I could have afforded, but nothing moved me to make a purchase, and that’s OK. You don’t have to buy every time. It’s enough to have the experience of seeing some of these treasures in their original home.

And sometimes, the best treasures are memories.

THE FIND:

A Staffordshire hen on a nest

Bought: Finders Keepers Estate Buyers Thrift Store, 1228 Hypoluxo Road, Lantana; 561-360-2525.

Paid: $7.

The Skinny: I remember seeing tons and tons of Staffordshire pottery and porcelain in antiques shops when I was coming of age in the 1970s. Dealers could not get enough of the 19th-century English figurines that depicted domestic scenes, as well as sheep, dogs and other animals — a pair of spaniels was among the first of the figures I collected some 40 years ago.

I’ve since learned that my dogs were made in the 20th century — they’re marked Staffordshire; earlier pieces were unmarked.

But this covered dish in the shape of a hen on a nest dates from the second half of the 19th century. It bears no markings, other than a number.

Its design is simple — many of these can be elaborately painted — but the painting on this one is sensitive and detailed.

There was a time when a piece such as this might have fetched several hundred dollars at a good antiques shop or show.

Now, most similar ones I see online sell in the $100 range — that doesn’t matter to me, because it’s whimsical and timeless, and it takes me back to my early days of collecting.

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