Fresh from a Colorado ski trip where he ventured into the backcountry, Philip Bradley is back at his shop in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, surrounded by high chests, tall clocks, bureaus, seating furniture, and related decorative arts. Bradley, who handles furniture from Maine to the Carolinas, is especially known for the fine vernacular Pennsylvania and high style Philadelphia pieces that he represents.
Since taking the reins of Philip H. Bradley Co., the business his late father began in 1950, Bradley has responded to the changes in the market, taking the business in a slightly different direction. It's not just a choice, he says, but a response to the environment as well. While his father was considered a dealer's dealer, buying across the board as long as an object represented good value, Bradley emphasizes a more focused approach, buying select objects with an emphasis on quality.
Bradley's interests have always revolved around an appreciation for and understanding of line, form, and the process of creativity; important principles when analyzing objects. As an undergraduate at R.I.S.D. (Rhode Island School of Design), he specialized in architectural and industrial design while pursuing the craft of contemporary furniture. Though he confesses that his sights weren't directed on the antiques business, when his father needed some help a quarter of a century ago, Philip was drawn in. Since that time, he has been exposed to many aspects of the trade, pursuing objects that further his interest in early American furniture.
Philip H. Bradley Co., 1101 East Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335. 610.269.0427; www.antiquesandfineart.com/pbradley.
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