(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Anthony B. Christensen, founder of Anthony's Fine Art & Antiques in Salt Lake City, explains the details of a pioneer era table made by William Bell on Thursday, July 19, 2018. The shop has a collection of early pioneer art and furniture on display.
As the Pioneer Day holiday approaches, Anthony Christensen is displaying pioneer-era furniture and paintings at Anthony’s Fine Art & Antiques, where he and his family stock rooms and floors with pieces from all over the world.
“We were really bowled over, frankly, when we found this painting by Danquart Weggeland. He was the father of Utah art,” Christensen said, pointing to an idyllic scene of the Wagstaff family home in Sugar House.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Paintings by artists Danquart Anthon Weggeland, center, and Enoch Wood Perry Jr., left and right, sit above a pioneer era bishop's sofa at Anthony's Fine Art in Salt Lake City, on Thursday, July 19, 2018. The shop has a collection of early pioneer art and furniture on display.
The Danish painter depicts the red, two-story home on a day with blue skies, a creek running nearby and the family seemingly enjoying life on its grounds. Pigeons roost on the roof.
“They had the same problems we do,” Christensen said, laughing.
Included in the collection is a pine table made by William Bell, a bishop’s sofa with its original finish and a desk that once belonged to Mormon prophet Brigham Young, the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) A collection of early pioneer art and furniture is on display at Anthony's Fine Art in Salt Lake City, on Thursday July 19, 2018.
There are also three portraits in the collection — of Young, Heber C. Kimball and Mary Ann Angell Young — made by European artists in the 1800s.
“These are the foundation of the LDS art collection,” Christensen said of the work.
All of the pieces are for sale, but Christensen declined to specify prices, saying the furniture and the store are worth more than their monetary value.
“This place is not about money,” Christensen said. “It’s about quality. It’s about beauty. It’s about history. It’s about heritage.”
The collection is on display at Anthony’s Fine Art & Antiques, 401 E. 200 South, Salt Lake City, Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shop will be closed on Pioneer Day.
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