The Flora & Fauna of Joe Matthews & John Shank
By Nan Zander
Barbara Bush with Joe Matthews and John Shank
The collection of Joe Matthews and John Shank is the result of forty years spent in the pursuit of beautiful things. They were well-loved fixtures in both the art and antiques world, and in the cultural life of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Brunk Auctions is honored to be offering their lifetime personal collection for auction on July 9, in Asheville, North Carolina.
Beginning in 1980 with their gallery and antiques shop, Joe and John’s corner of Shepherdstown was a hub of culture and taste. Moving to town for good in 1986, their home, next door to the shop, became a kaleidoscopic showcase for their collection and their aesthetic, and a warm hub of social events.
When John and Joe retired from the corporate world, they began their lives together as full time antiques dealers, and were soon well loved exhibitors on the show roster of important promoters such as Penny Jones. Their proximity to Washington DC was a boon for sophisticated decorators, who regularly came to Shepherdstown to shop.
Their home and back garden were an oasis and popular party locale. Cocktails might be served in the garden, with its beautiful plantings, statues, urns and planters, and the soft splash of water coming from a central four tier Fiske fountain.
Once inside, the dining room was a sparkling setting, lit with ornate candelabra, exuberant flower arrangements, the table set perhaps with fine armorial china, or an Imari service, but always with the finest crystal and silver, maybe Tiffany, maybe Puiforcat. A table top in their home was a microcosm of their eclectic and far reaching tastes, which seemed to encompass the entire natural world.
On a single surface in the parlor, one would find Chinese export birds or frogs, Meissen dogs, Anne Gordon ceramic vegetables, objects de vertu in rock crystal, malachite, tigers eye, and so many other precious natural materials.
The fine art on their glorious pink walls also reflected their love of the natural world, with still life and landscape paintings in rich, vibrant hues.
They were staunch supporters of local living artists, exhibiting them in their antiques shop and gallery, and then including them in their personal collection alongside stellar names such as Fern Coppedge and Aldro Hibbard.
The furniture you might have sat on was often American, but might also have been British or Continental, as long as it was finely upholstered, and in the very best of taste.
Collections such as this take lifetimes to build, and can never be replicated. Just like Joe and John, they are unique and well loved, and we offer them here for your bidding pleasure.
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