Collectible Trunk - "Peter Hunt" Hand Painted Folk Art Blanket Chest

From elegant CT collector's estate
Dimensions: 44”(w) x 20.5”(d) x 24.5”(h)
Signed:
"Gather ye roses while ye may"
"anno 43"
"ovince"
Meaning: painted by Peter Hunt in 1943 in Provincetown, MA
This was Peter Hunt's iconic artist's signature.

Peter Hunt was an American artist whose work is described as folk art or primitive art. He gained recognition for his art in the 1940's and 1950's when his decorated, refinished furniture was featured in magazines such as Life, House Beautiful, and Mademoiselle.
Raised in New Jersey, Peter lived for a short time in Greenwich Village before moving with his parents, "Ma" and "Pa" Hunt to Provinceton, MA.

Peter's father, Edward C. Hunt, known simply as "Pa" was a folk art painter who painted in the early part of the 20th century and influenced his son's iconic folk art style. Pa's naïve art oil painting "Peter Hunt's Antique Shop", was acquired by the MoMA in 1941 through the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Fund and is part of MoMA's permanent collection.

While in Provincetown, Peter expanded his business to include several storefronts and workshops called "Peter Hunt's Peasant Village". He painted old furniture, household items, and fabrics, decorating them with colorful peasant designs, reminiscent of Pennsylvania German and French Provincial folk art. Hearts, flowers, fruits, birds, angels, and pretty maidens and their suitors adorned hutches, cabinets, dressers, tables, chairs, stools, wooden trays, fabrics, tins, and metalware. Hunt further embellished some of those pieces with pseudo-French phrases scrawled across their surfaces.

With his artistic talent, good looks, charm, wit, and knack for outrageous storytelling, Hunt wooed and delighted wealthy matrons and high-society tastemakers vacationing on Cape Cod. They found him irresistible, and his cheerful designs the perfect look for their summer cottages. Hunt’s clients were rich and influential; among them were Boston socialite Frances Brown Merkel and New York cosmetics diva Helena Rubinstein, both of whom helped advance Peter Hunt’s name and reputation.

Upscale New York department stores began carrying Peter's furniture and knickknacks. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Hunt’s star shone brightly.

Peter designed the "Cape Cod Room" restaurant of Chicago's Drake Hotel in 1935, bringing Cape Cod artifacts and painting murals of the sea. His gained popularity in the 1930's and 1940's when he encouraged women to re-make furniture during economically challenging times. His "Peter Hunt's Workbook" was published in 1945 by Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. In late 1950's, interest in the peasant style waned, and Hunt sold his Peasant Village shops and moved to Orleans, Cape Cod where he opened a shop called Peacock Alley. Peter Hunt died in 1967.

Today, Hunt's works are collectible and sought after. To recognize a Hunt original, collectors look for his rounded cursive signature "Peter Hunt" or "Anno Domini" with the year. He always used bright colors in styles that looked like European and Pennsylvania Dutch folk art.

Vintage photos of Peter Hunt are from th internet, provided for your information.

15%

Joellyn Grey | (203) 309-3719 | darienscouts@gmail.com

Pickup Details

Darien Scouts

70 Old Kings Hwy N, Darien CT 06820

When to Pickup

Friday, 9/27, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm
Saturday, 9/28, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

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