Our August 2026 Newsletter

Jan & John Maggs

Antiques and Art

Our August Newsletter

Re-painted on all four sides

We hope that your summer is going as well as ours. We've finished our biggest task for the summer months, spending a full week in July painting three sides of our barn, a task that was postponed after we painted its front in the summer of 2024. At that time, we used extension ladders, an exhausting and somewhat hazardous endeavor.

This summer, because of the physical overload required and the nearly impossible challenge presented by the 50-foot peak on the south, rather than resorting to ladders, we rented a 64-foot aerial lift. In retrospect, it was a very wise decision; the lift not only gave access to the peak but also removed the exhausting business of moving, stabilizing, and climbing ladders to accomplish even the slightest task. The lift made the job far less taxing than two years ago and - to our amazement - cut the time required from two weeks for the front to one week for the remaining three sides. You'll understand that we couldn't resist sharing pictures of the work in progress. Click HERE if you'd like to have a look.

Our Month-long Tax Holiday Weekend Sale

This month's big news is our spectacular Tax Holiday Sale. Each year the Massachusetts legislature designates a weekend in August as a state-wide tax-free weekend, during which most retail sales under $2500 are exempt from the state's 6¼% sales tax. This year, the tax holiday is scheduled for the coming weekend, August 8 & 9.

To maximize the benefit to consumers, many Massachusetts retail establishments sweeten the pot by offering a special sale, concurrent with the tax holiday. For the past several years, we have done it, too, offering special discounts through the month on select parts of our inventory. This year we've decided to offer a 25% discount on our entire online inventory for the whole month.

If you've been thinking about a special piece that was just a bit out of reach, this would be a good time to have another look. Not only is the price reduced, those buyers normally required to pay sales tax receive the no-tax reduction if paid in full on the tax-free weekend.

Here's a LINK to jmaggs.com in case you'd like to revisit anything on our website. To determine the special sale price, simply multiply the listed price by .75.

Please note: the 25% discount will be in effect throughout the month!

The Aso O. Tavitian Collection at The Clark

For decades, the Clark Art Institute has been one of our favorite museums. Established to display the collection of Sterling and Francine Clark, it is a little gem, tucked into the Berkshires in Williamstown, MA, just a bit more than an hour from Conway. While perhaps best known for its collection of French Impressionists, the collection is also rich in works by Winslow Homer, George Inness, John Singer Sargent, and scores of other highly regarded painters. Though a small museum, the richness of its collection is overwhelming.

In 2024, the Clark received a gift of 331 works of art from the estate of late humanist philanthropist and connoisseur Aso O. Tavitian (1940–2020). During the past twenty years Mr. Tavitian had assembled a world-class collection of artworks, and upon his passing it has been given to the Clark. Because of its rich holdings of works from the 16th through the 19th centuries, the gift will greatly enhance the Clark's collection. The newly gifted paintings, sculpture, drawings, and decorative artworks will be housed in the Aso O. Tavitian Wing, which is expected to be completed in 2028.

While we had known of the gift and the museum's plans for its future, we were pleasantly surprised to learn only weeks ago that a large part of the Tavitian collection is currently on view in one of the Clark's large galleries. We wasted no time in picking a date for a visit, and last month we drove to Williamstown to spend several hours viewing the works from this spectacular gift.

We invite you to take a look at some of the images we captured during our visit. We've also provided a few links to the Clark's excellent online material about the exhibition.

Please click on the image above to see it.

Notes From Our Past

In this month's look backwards, we return to 2007 to uncover the secret of a little cabinet that began its life centuries before, exploring its interior and learning a bit about the skill and vision of its maker.

Click the picture to examine this little gem.

The Back Page

A small restaurant on Place de la Contrescarpe, around the corner from our B & B in the Latin Quarter. When our moules et frites came to the table, we couldn't resist shooting this video.

Jan & John Maggs Antiques and Art

www.jmaggs.com