LiAsia Gallery has opened at 31 Spring St. in Williamstown, showcasing classic Chinese furniture, works of art and architectural elements.
“People do buy the architectural elements as art,†said proprietor John Meyer. “They lend tranquility to a home.â€
Meyer is in partnership with Edgar Fauteux, proprietor of The Library antiques farther down Spring Street.
“John’s got a great eye for form, and great knowledge,†said Fauteux, who brings the strength of his marketing sense to the enterprise.
“John has been my mentor in Asian antiques,†said Fauteux. “I’ve purchased from him for The Library for a long time, and it’s been very successful in my store. Spring Street has been so good to us that when the space became available I called him and said, ‘Whaddaya think?’ â€
Meyer has been a high-end wholesaler for many years, and will continue his wholesaling business, LiAsiatic Antiques, concentrating in New York City, where he commutes from his Charlemont farm.
He grew up in Indonesia, where his father worked for Standard Oil of New Jersey in public relations and coordinating with the Indonesian government.
“We were on Sumatra. There were tigers in the backyard,†said Meyer.
“He was a great collector, and when we moved back to the states he became an Asian art dealer in Wilton, Conn.,†he said.
Meyer has been making trips into mainland China since the mid-1980s, when, he said, he and a translator would go door to door in search of antiques.
“People don’t realize what Chinese furniture really is,†he said. Their ideas, he said, derive from the dark, overly carved — “and kind of garish†— furniture that was produced for Westerners.
Much of what he has in the shop is, he said, “more akin to Shaker furniture.
“I love the lines. It’s the form of the piece, then the patina, then the wood.â€
“This is Chinese domestic furniture,†he said. “It’s really like provincial stuff, things that people had and used.â€
“Every piece has very simple lines, even the carved pieces,†he said.
“Old China is disappearing,†he said. In the post-Maoist era, with loosening restrictions, the emphasis is on clearing away the old.
“This gallery will have lots of levels of furniture, some like it came out of the field, others lightly refinished, and some extensively reconditioned,†he said.
Said Fauteux, “It’s a great opportunity. There are so many visitors to the street.â€
“In the first week alone, we sold nine major pieces.â€
Meyer said he finds the area is “dynamic, with people interested in aesthetics, in history of art.â€
LiAsia carries items, chronologically, from Ming pottery of the 13th to 15th centuries, up to furniture and ornaments from the 1920s.
There are also a lot of utilitarian folk art items, small wooden or metal objects priced from $100 to $150.
Among his best-selling items is early pottery found in 18th century shipwrecks of Western traders in the waters around Singapore, slightly irregular, simple vessels with some flaw that were used for ballast, and are priced at $90.
The average price is in the $1,000 to $3,000 range, said Meyer.
An 18th century Tibetan lohan, priced at $4,000, sits serenely on a $175 pillow. A walnut bench, suitable for a coffee table, is $1,600.
“The furniture is all solid, not veneer, so it was made to last, strong and durable,†he said.
Architectural elements start with a roof tile, decorated with a tiny figure, at $85, and include a balcony, decorated with carvings of deer, roosters, and vases of peonies, at $2,100.
A typical window, carved in a geometric, maze-like pattern, is $900. And against the gallery’s rear wall, a set of six walnut doors, carved with scenes of daily life in China, are $18,000.
The grand opening was May 31. Currently, the gallery is open seven days a week, 11 to 6; Saturdays, 10-6; Sundays 11-5. Telephone is 458-1600 and 1-800-790-0711; web site www.liasiagallery.com.
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Winter Storm Warning Issued for Berkshires
Another snowstorm is expected to move through the region overnight on Friday, bringing 5 to 8 inches of snow. This is updated from Thursday's winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., has posted a winter storm warning for all of Berkshire County and parts of eastern New York State beginning Friday at 4 p.m. through Saturday at 1 p.m.
The region could see heavy to moderate snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour overnight, tapering off Saturday morning to flurries.
Drivers should exercise caution on Friday night and Saturday morning, as travel conditions may be hazardous.
Saturday night should be clear and calm, but warming temperatures means freezing rain Sunday night and rain through Monday with highs in the 40s. The forecast isn't much better through the week as temperatures dip back into the teens with New Year's Eve looking cloudy and frigid.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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