The Collectors' Forum at Old Sturbridge Village seeks to bring together scholars, connoisseurs, collectors, and enthusiasts for an entertaining and informative day of lectures, performances and programming.
Delightfully designed and intricately inlayed, the furniture of Nathan Lombard (1777-1847) stands out among the rich traditions of cabinetmaking found in rural Massachusetts in the early 1800s. To celebrate the opening of our exhibit Delightfully Designed: The Furniture and Life of Nathan Lombard, the fall 2013 Collectors' Forum will not only explore Nathan Lombard's story of inlaid furniture making, but will put his work within the context of cabinetmaking in Worcester County during the Early Republic.
Historical accounts recall how Lombard's workshop employed numerous journeymen and apprentices, and, as his business was situated at the crossroads of a busy intersection in Sutton, Lombard played a prominent role in the town's furniture-making activity. Throughout the day, we will examine Lombard's inlay and construction techniques and present newly-discovered insights into his business and family.
However, Nathan Lombard was not working in isolation; he was part of a tradition of talented, local cabinetmakers moving among and around this area. We will also explore this region's important furniture making history and the close-knit woodworking community found here.
As a boy raised in Brimfield, married in Sturbridge, and settled in Sutton, Nathan's story is a very local one and the exhibit at Old Sturbridge Village will represent the largest assembling of Lombard's furniture since they left his workshop. Join us as we celebrate the furniture and life of Nathan Lombard and his contemporaries.
Schedule of events for the Collectors' Forum
9:00-10:00 Registration and coffee in Visitor Center.
10:00 Morning welcome by Jim Donahue, President of Old Sturbridge Village, and
Jane Nylander, preeminent decorative arts scholar and OSV Trustee.
Morning lecture series: The furniture, family, and framework of Nathan Lombard
10:30-12:00 Lectures on Nathan Lombard by Brock Jobe, Professor of American Decorative Arts, Winterthur Museum; Christie Jackson, Curator of Decorative Arts, Old Sturbridge Village; and Clark Pearce, independent scholar and advisor to museums and collectors in American Arts. These lectures will examine Nathan Lombard’s construction techniques, personal history, and the evolution of our understanding of Nathan Lombard’s furniture.
12:00-1:30 Lunch hosted by Norm Abram, noted TV personality, woodworker, and OSV Trustee, speaking informally about the rich traditions of rural cabinetmaking in New England.
Collectors’ Forum afternoon discussions: Working with Lombard’s furniture
2:00-2:30 Demonstration: Conservator Marylou Davis will demonstration and discuss the recreation of Lombard decorative faux-finishes using recipes discovered during the course of curatorial research for this exhibit. An 1831 family document describes the ingredients, mixing, and application of such finishes as ‘birds eye maple’ and ‘Egyptian marble.’
2:30-3:00 Conversation: Conservator Melissa Carr has worked on several Lombard furniture pieces, including those two recently acquired by OSV. Melissa will talk about the care of inlay furniture and the specific challenges of conserving Lombard pieces.
Time, TBD Demonstrations of OSV’s sawmill which is erected on the site that David Wight (1761-1813) first prepared in the 1790s. Our sawmill is a recreation of the 19th-century Nichols-Colby Sawmill of Bow, New Hampshire, showing guests how an up-and-down saw prepared wood before being used in the construction of homes and furniture throughout the region.
Ongoing 9:00-4:30 Woodworking demonstrations by North Bennet Street School artisans showing traditional woodworking practices, including how sand-shading, inlay work, and carving were carried out in the period. Demonstrations will be ongoing.
Program Fee Includes:
- Museum admission
- All Forum programs/presentations
- Morning coffee & tea reception
- 10% discount at the Museum Gift Shop and New England Book Store (on day of event)
- OSV Members receive a discount on this program fee; become an OSV Member.
Register for the Collectors' Forum
Planning Ahead
Add an overnight stay at the Old Sturbridge Inn and Reeder Family Lodges.
Find more useful information for planning your visit.
