Dublin Klismos

Neoclassic furniture has long been an antidote or response to the more florid styles of Rococo furniture and taste. The stylistic pendulum often swings back and forth, between the curved line and the straight, from exuberance to restraint.
Neoclassic style and decoration derives from Greek Antiquity, and is often seen in shards and remaining examples of painted Greek pottery.
Expressed in England in the "Regency" period, and in America by way of the "Federal" style, Abraham Lincoln is often portrayed sitting in a Klismos style throne, this taste was little documented in Ireland.
I was delighted to be in Ireland, "on the hunt" when Christies presented the "Murnaghan" sale of October 1999. James A. Murnaghan was a Dublin lawyer who became a great collector, moving from large, to even grander quarters on Fitzwilliam Square. A great patron, several of his paintings are now in the National Gallery, Dublin.
After making the rounds of many of the established dealers on Francis St. and along the Quays, I returned to the comfort of the Shelbourne Hotel, and the famous Horseshoe Bar. There, after meeting the notorious tinker/dealer Buckshot Quiligan, and a rather liquid lunch under the watchful gaze of a pair of monumental Greek Slave Maidens, I was fortified and oiled for the auction.
Much of the sale was of Victorian period furniture and decoration but there where a few outstanding lots.
Highest on my list was Lot 20: An Irish Regency Mahogany "Klismos" Chair.
After a considerable bidding war , it was mine. Word quickly spread amongst the dealers that the crazy Yank had bought it. So when I arrived at my friend Chantal's, O'Sullivan Antiques, I was received with bewilderment. There the chair was carefully packed as a carry on.
I knew the chair was a great, classical model and perfect for reproduction. What a dining chair!
On closer inspection, the added horsehair upholstered drop seat held, underneath, a hidden pocket, now holding a box of Ever Ready Matches. Somebody evidently did not approve of Murnaghan's smoking. Alice Murnaghan? Perhaps she was considered by some to be rather eccentric, being an avid golfer in a period when this was unusual for a woman.
This drop seat provided the prototype for the drop seat I now use in the reproduction.
The Dublin Klismos arrived in San Francisco, having been carried by me the whole way.
The reproduction Dublin Klismos is now available to order at Conor Fennessy Antiques & Design, and presented at www.ConorFennessy.1stdibs.com

Quintessentially San Francisco

Featured as "Quintessentially San Francisco".

Antiques dealer Conor Fennessy (801 Columbus Ave.) offers antiques from many periods to harmonize with decorative and fine arts. Museum-standard pieces are presented alongside compelling objects of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Pop or Post Modern taste, resulting in an exciting collection where objects are carefully selected and presented for their magical, timeless and universal appeal.

Dublin-born Fennessy extends his cosmopolitan style and taste to every aspect of his antiques and interior design business. A complimentary initial design consultation is given to Quintessentially members, along with trade concessions. E-mail askqusa@quintessentially.com to learn more.

Castle Howard Revisited

Has it really been that long? 1981 was the year of the sumptuous production, "Brideshead Revisited". Evelyn Waugh's bittersweet tale of the lush, decadent lives of Pre World War I, told around the setting of Castle Howard.
This Granada Television production was really responsible for a revival of interest in English "Country House" taste. Subsequent Museum "English Country House" exhibits fed a population eager for the trappings of "Stately Homes".
The "Castle Howard" sale, dubbed "Alloysius" after a famous teddy bear, of October 1991 provided a rarefied look into the back rooms, complete with frayed silk tiebacks, and the other accumulations of a house well kept.
The cataloge now a collector's item, still provides inspiration in it's details.

Recently Mentioned in San Francisco Magazine

Conor Fennessy’s eclectic taste runs the gamut from museum-quality antique furniture to modern folk art of uncertain provenance—but his cool San Francisco–related items are the most intriguing. A recent visit turned up a marvelous floor lamp that, according to Fennessy and film stills, decorated Lauren Bacall’s Telegraph Hill apartment in the 1947 classic Dark Passage; while a copy of an 1892 social register revealed the names and addresses of post–gold rush bluebloods, including the Flood, Crocker, Huntington, and Hopkins families. 801 Columbus Ave., 415-673-0277, conorfennessy.com

Best of San Francisco

Conor Fennessy Antiques & Design was recently awarded "Best of the Bay" by San Francisco Magazine:

"Best Places to Find Rare Objects d'Art"

Robert Altman at Conor Fennessy

Robert Altman, the photographer, was in North Beach signing copies of his new book, "The Sixties".
He wandered into my shop, and I recognized him from "the old days".
We are now collaborating on a new size edition of some of his iconic images from the "high" period of San Francisco music:

Winterland, New Year's, 1969/1970 and
Grace Slick, The Family Dog, San Francisco, 1969

We are happy to present this new editiom to a new audience on 1stdibs.com
Hope you like.

Signed copies of Robert Altman's "The Sixties" available at Conor Fennessy $39.95

The First Day of Sum of the Bits

Sum of the Bits is the title of my blog which I see as an opportunity to express my musings as I am searching for new inspirations and discoveries. I have a shop in North Beach, San Francisco dealing in antiques and 20th century design.