More than 10,000 items are now available for your viewing pleasure in that most glorious space, the Park Avenue Armory, in New York City. Thursday night marked the opening of the Winter Antiques Show, with Mr. Bill Cunningham on hand to snap pictures of the moneyed crowd for the New York Times. Where else can you glory (in an impeccably preserved environment designed by the brilliant stars of the American Aesthetic Movement) at the wares of 75 haute dealers in arts and antiques? Yes, wares! This is not a museum exhibition. The exotic, the luxurious, the modern and the classic are laid at your feet for your perusal and purchase, should your pockets allow.

The number of participating dealers has increased from last year, and the decisive year for pieces is now 1969, so more ‘contemporary’ works can be submitted to the vetting committee. But the antiquities abound, whether your penchant is for ancient sculpture, or pristine examples of finely crafted armour. Candlesticks for the boudoir? Folk art? A new painting for the foyer, perhaps? A lighting fixture by the Herter Brothers (who designed three of the rooms on the ground floor of the Armory itself), or a 20th Century rug may be exactly what your house needs to make it a home. The party is always well attended, and the catering by TASTE is always excellent grazing. However the real joy of the evening, and everyday through February 1, are the aisles of booths, arranged in no particular order, so a Sunday afternoon stroll may be just the ticket. At US$20, the entrance fee is modest, and since this yearly event is a benefit for the East Side House Settlement, a no-brainer.

Come if you can, see what you may, and take home what you wish…it’s an experience the soul needs. Should anyone be taking my requests, at Hill-Stone, Inc., they have the perfect gift for a milliner: Devanture de Modiste (Woman in a Hat shop) by Jean-Émile Laboureur (1877-1943), a lovely watercolor painted in 1912 (above). I know just where to hang it.

Image courtesy of Winter Antiques Show