An Enthusiastic Display

The Delaware Antiques Show celebrated a milestone 60th anniversary with strong attendance and sales

The 2023 edition of the Delaware Antiques Show took place in mid-November 2023, marking a major 60 years of presenting fine art, antiquities and design from some of the most distinguished dealers in the business today. The three-day event featured the highest quality works of art from more than 60 dealers across the United States and the United Kingdom, with strong attendance and robust sales. Organized by the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library and hosted at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware, the Delaware Antiques Show features everything from paintings and porcelain to furniture, rugs, jewelry and more—a wonderland of treasures for both seasoned collectors and newcomers. “Dealers reported brisk sales, with many noting the enthusiastic presence of their regular collectors,” says Jason Brudereck, a spokesperson for the show. “The success of the show contributes to the educational programming at Winterthur, enriching the cultural landscape.”

A visitor takes a closer look at a painting during the Delaware Antiques Show this past November. Photo credit: Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

A dealer discusses items in his booth with attendees. Photo credit: Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

Highlights during the 2023 event included the booth of John Schoonover and Schoonover Studios, which presents illustrative art, including pieces by Frank E. Schoonover (1877-1972), the dealer’s grandfather. An especially noteworthy piece was Frank Schoonover’s oil painting The Empty Armor Began to Walk, from the story “Legends of the City of Mexico,” originally published in 1909 in Harper’s Monthly Magazine.

Frank Schoonover (1877-1972), The Empty Armor Began to Walk. Oil, 36 x 24 in. Illustrated the story “Legends of the City of Mexico,” originally published in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in 1909. John Schoonover and Schoonover Studios.“The piece added a captivating historical dimension to the diverse and rich collection at the Delaware Antiques Show,” says Brudereck. “In addition to the captivating displays, the show curated a rich program of events to enhance the visitor experience.”

A collector explores artwork during the 2023 Delaware Antiques Show. Photo credit: Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

Among these were a keynote lecture on “The New Antiquarians and the Future of Connoisseurship” from author, art historian and designer Michael Diaz Griffith as well as Taylor Rossini’s lecture “Empire on a Plate: Imperial Rivalry and Cartographic Knowledge in Overton’s Trading Part of the West Indies.” The show also featured Lisa Minardi, an exhibiting dealer and editor of the folk art journal, Americana Insights, who highlighted key aspects from the periodical’s inaugural volume and participated in a Q&A session with folk art dealer David A. Schorsch.