French Connections

Ellen Golden's interest in French antiques grew from a single tour of the French wine country in 1984. After nearly 25 years of annual trips abroad to take in the sights, study French culture and learn the business of antiques, the Little Rock-based importer and owner of Antiques on Kavanaugh says she's most surprised by the stylistic variety and international influences in the pieces she discovers. “France was such a center of culture and academia in the 17th and 18th centuries. Their styles had a great influence across Europe,” she says. But this international exchange of aesthetic trends worked both ways, as French craftsmen were also inspired by the styles of other European nations. “When we went to Russia in 1995,” she says. “I was really struck by how similar the pieces were to the French.”

Recently, while browsing through an antique shop in France, Ellen discovered the perfect example of the marriage of French and Russian influences: a special edition set of delicate Limoges porcelain dishes adorned with intricate reproductions of the famous Fabergé egg collection. The dainty tea cups, demitasse cups, dessert plates and petite aperitif plates caught her attention because her daughter-in-law had begun collecting them several years earlier. Ellen explains that the dishes' intricately designed subject matter—the historic Fabergé eggs—“were originally commissioned by Russian Czars Alexander III and Nicholas II between 1885 and 1917 and fabricated by Peter Carl Fabergé.” Brightly colored and stunningly ornate, the jeweled and enameled eggs were an ideal source of inspiration for porcelain makers from France's Limoges region, and the eggs' vivid hues stand in sharp contrast against the pure white background provided by the fine porcelain.

Yet the dainty Russian-influenced Limoges pieces represent only one facet of French design. “People think that French antiques are all very frou-frou,” she says. “But there are a lot of heavy, masculine pieces too. There's really something for everyone.” Indeed, Ellen's own favorites include heavy, substantial pieces: mirrors, tapestries and large furnishings with beautiful wood graining.

In order to make showroom space to display the large pieces she loves, Ellen is completing a comprehensive store renovation. In early 2007, she purchased the Antiques on Kavanaugh storefront she shared with two other antiques dealers and began remodeling, relocating to a smaller location around the corner while work was underway. Adding curb appeal to the World War II-era building, the renovation includes the construction of a new double-gallery façade. The reconfigured showroom's large open foyer is an impressive greeting to visitors, while a second floor provides extra square footage for the many new pieces Ellen has been storing in anticipation of the completed renovation. “We love the cottage feel of our temporary location,” she says, “but I love to buy big things, and it will be nice to have the space to show those pieces again!”