EVENT IS FREE BUT RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED: keith@rarenestgallery.com or 708-616-8671

Join Rare Nest for a reception and highly visual presentation celebrating the publication of The Art and History of the Toothpick.

The best collectors develop focused knowledge over time, nurture their passion and build connoisseurship around a specific area. They hunt for fine examples, from dusty attics to commercial marketplaces - a process that is thrilling and sometimes excruciating. If they are diligent, they build groups that illuminate the corners of human history through material culture.  In some very rare cases, great collections describe epochs of human creativity and culture.  Dr. Steven Potashnick is a great example of this rare breed and his Collection illuminates human history as a whole through something small and seemingly insignificant.

Publisher’s statement: “This 340 page hardcover book fills a long ignored void as it references over 1,500 toothpicks and compendiums that includes toothpicks dating from classical antiquity to the late Victorian Era. It is probably the largest collection of toothpicks that presently exists. The book shows over 2,800 high quality images demonstrating the vast diversity in style, complexity, and creativity of toothpicks as an art form for such a historically utilitarian instrument. This book is a conversation starter. You will be surprised, entertained and educated by its contents. It is a  must have addition to a home coffee table, an office reception area and a personal antiques and collectables reference library.