Carlton Hobbs, the renowned specialist in 17th through 19th century British and Continental furniture and decorative arts, returns to the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, which opens at the Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center on October 28th to 31st, 2010, preview party 27th.

"We look forward to our third year at the prestigious fair, where we have almost doubled our exhibition space" said Stefanie Rinza, the managing director of Carlton Hobbs, LLC. "We are particularly excited about this year’s theme which is “Chinoiserie,” with one of our two rooms entirely dedicated to this style."

One of the focal pieces of Carlton Hobbs' stand is a Royal Painted Corner Cabinet attributed to Josephus Moy, probably Franconian, circa 1760, which has never been on public view before. This unusual and important polychrome painted corner display cabinet was once en suite with a very similarly dated and decorated bureau signed “par Moy, 1760”. It is an exceptionally rare example of a piece of royal German furniture that can be attributed to a particular maker with confidence.

The highly original 'abstract leaf' pattern decoration must have been very avant garde at the time this piece was made, as it appears to anticipate fabric designs of the middle of the 20th century. The central cartouche features a bucolic scene with trees, dancers and musicians all supported by and interlaced with an asymmetrical rocaille element, very much in the style published by Jean-Baptiste Pillement (1728-1808).

Accompanying this piece is a rare and unusual rosewood cabinet on stand, in the Chinoiserie taste, probably from the court of Augustus in Dresden, circa 1750. It is profusely set with precious polychrome hardstone vignettes in a medium known as Zhouwork, which would have been imported from China.
Also of note, is an important set of six George I walnut side chairs attributed to Giles Grendey, which previously formed part of the collection of dining room furniture at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

The second room will contain an eclectic selection of pieces that could be described as ‘clean and timeless’, dating from the beginning of the 18th century through the middle of the 19th century. Of particular interest is An Extremely Rare George I mahogany maritime Bureau Cabinet. “We can infer from apparent special access to the imported materials, as well as the original ink labels, that the present cabinet must have once belonged to an important maritime businessman, involved in trading, which carried him across the globe,” said Carlton Hobbs.

The cabinet is constructed entirely of imported, including the interior pigeonholes and drawer linings, which are generally made of much less costly oak. Its interior is fitted with pigeonholes for substantial mercantile correspondence, most of which are labeled with the names of various ports located in Europe and the Americas. The remaining niches appear to be reserved for correspondence with important government officials such as the ‘Secretary of State’, ‘Board of Trade’, treasurer and trustees, and ‘Prince Frederick’.

Carlton Hobbs is a noted independent dealer in rare antique furniture and historic objects. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in New York, in the former Vanderbilt Mansion at 60 East 93rd Street, the firm acquires researches and sells antiques to museums and discerning clients throughout the world.

Additional information about Carlton Hobbs LLC and its pieces can be found on the company blog at http://www.carltonhobbs.net. And the website at http://www.carltonhobbs.com

Some of the world's leading museums and private collections now house Carlton Hobbs' pieces including, amongst others: The Musée du Louvre, The John Paul Getty Museum, The Rijksmuseum, The National Gallery of Australia, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Musée des Beaux Arts, Dijon, The Bowes Museum, Paxton House, The National Gallery of Greece, The Leeds Museum and Gallery, etc.

Carlton Hobbs is located at 60 East 93rd Street, between Madison and Park Avenues in New York. Opening hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6:00 pm, Weekends by Appointment. For more information, please call 212-423-9000 or visit www.carltonhobbs.com.