A silver anniversary in San Francisco

Magazine Antiques, Oct, 2006 by Allison Eckardt Ledes

Twenty-five years ago, a ramshackle pier in San Francisco Bay, empty, save for some enterprising seagulls that had taken up residence inside, hardly seemed an auspicious location for an antiques show. Nonetheless, Mrs. Benjamin H. Rose III decided to look beyond the broken windows, leaky roof, and any other shortcomings of the location and soldier forward. She found antiques and art dealers across the nation and in Europe willing to take a risk, and in the autumn of 1981 the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show was born. Today the Fort Mason Center on that pier offers one of the most beautiful settings in this country for an antiques show. Mrs. Rose, who has volunteered countless hours organizing this nationally recognized antiques show for all of its twenty-five years, is retiring at the end of this year.

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Since its inception the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show has benefited a local nonprofit organization called Enterprise for High School Students, and each year the show features a loan exhibition and lectures as part of its educational mission. This year the show, which is on view from October 26 to 29, will include a loan exhibition devoted, appropriately for its twenty-fifth anniversary, to commemorative and presentation silver. Entitled Celebrating with Silver: The 25th Anniversary of the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, the exhibition includes loans primarily from California collections. The curator is Michael Weller, and Martin Chapman, curator of European decorative arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, is the author of the accompanying essay in the catalogue. The principal underwriters are AIG Private Client Group and Marsh's Private Client Services.

For centuries silver has been given to mark such celebratory events as births, marriages, birthdays, and anniversaries. In the late 1850s the discovery of the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, Nevada--the largest strike ever found in this country--resulted in an abundance of domestically mined silver. As mines were priced by the foot, Mark Twain quipped, "Feet that went begging yesterday were worth a brick house today." The great quantities of silver ore made silverwares much more affordable. Those who owned land in Virginia City soon commissioned lavish dinner services, centerpieces, and presentation silver. By the end of the nineteenth century milestones such as retirement, achievement in the workplace, distinction in school, or expressions of gratitude to political or cultural leaders and members of the clergy often were the cause for the presentation of silver objects. Trophies for sporting events such as horse races, yachting, tennis, and golf were also frequently made of silver. Many of these various forms are on view in this exhibition.

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The catalogue of the show and tickets to the preview evening, which takes place on October 25, may be obtained by telephoning 415-989-9019 or by e-mail (sffas@ehss.org).