(And I don't mean football. well, okay, since I mentioned it already, maybe I do want the Saints to win the Superbowl. But I digress...)
HUNTING THE HIGH PLACES FOR THE LOW PRICES
Tom Stansbury Antiques
466 Old Newport Blvd. Newport Beach, CA 92663
One of my very favourite things to do is to go antique shopping, and when I do, I truly take in the beauty of all the wonderful old & handmade items. What I'm also doing is honing my tastes. The more places I go and the more often, I have noticed that I gravitate to certain items. One of them is antique wooden or polychrome Santos. These Saints were most commonly found in and on churches in South America, Central America, and Eastern & Western Europe.
This was my very first one, and perhaps my best one too. My mom bought it in a garage sale in the late 1980's. She paid almost $100, which is a lot of money now, but a lot of money then. When I graduated college, she asked what I wanted. I told her I have always loved this Santo, so this is what she gave me. When the Antiques Roadshow came through in about 1995, I brought this. I had thought it was maybe from Mexico, but they told me it was from Western Europe, most likely Italy, and that it is worth over $800! Can you even believe it? So of course, that got me hooked on the search! The search for Santos, but really the search for that diamond in the rough. That is why I really like junky warehouses and consignments. The more cluttered the better. But in order to really know what I'm looking for, and to develop the eye, I frequent high-end antique stores very frequently.
Antonio's Bella Casa
322 N. Newport Blvd. Newport Beach, CA 92663
Jefferies Ltd.
1537 Monrovia Avenue Newport Beach, CA 92663
Tom Stansbury Antiques
466 Old Newport Blvd. Newport Beach, CA 92663
These were my next two Santos. I think my mom gave me the Saint with the glass eyes, whom I personally think is St. Francis of Assisi.
This is my most recent one, which I purchased last week at a very non-glamorous, but favourite of mine, antique warehouse. The dealer told me her husband is an anthropologist and goes to the Philippines quite often. And when he goes, he brings back many of these very old saints and virgin icons, such as this one. I paid $50 for her, which I think is a great deal. She has a little bit of paint left on her, so she is slightly blue. I really like her. (all images property of cashonandcompany.blogspot)
