Digging the Past at Aardvark Antiques

A statue of Aphrodite that once graced Wakehurst mansion in Newport. Photography via Dana Laverty

Arthur Grover circles the wooden secretary desk that once stood in Senator Claiborne Pell’s Washington, D.C., office. A thought hits him and he stops.

“The Rhode Island flag,” he says. “It needs the Rhode Island flag.”

Jay Grover Silvestri shows off hand-drawn medical illustrations found inside Butler Hospital in Providence. Photography via Dana Laverty

He walks briskly out of sight, returning in seconds with a tall white flag emblazoned with a gold anchor and thirteen gold stars. He sets it down on the right side of the desk and puts his hands on his hips, clearly pleased.

A visitor looks on, amazed. “How did you find that so quickly?”

He smiles and shakes his head. “Well, fifty-seven years. You kind of know where everything is.”

Welcome to Aardvark Antiques, a 30,000-square-foot Newport landmark where one can find everything from grand marble fountains, statues and elaborate gates that once graced the city’s grand summer cottages to artwork, antique rugs, doors, lighting fixtures and more.

Everything in the space was hand-selected by Arthur, who’s been in business since 1969 — first setting up shop at the corner of Pine and Somerset streets in Providence — or his son, Jay Grover Silvestri, who now runs the store. And of course, everything is inventoried in a computer system, but also filed away in Arthur’s — and Jay’s — mental Rolodexes.

They buy out estates and travel the world in search of treasures. And they’ve been in business for so long they’ve developed a global network of people who call when they have something to sell — or need a hard-to-find piece. Architects, movie production assistants, decorators, tourists, A-list celebrities: All have been to Aardvark Antiques.

Aardvark Antiques employees Arrison Louzada and Barbara Lents in front of stained-glass windows that used to grace the Pitcher-Goff house in Pawtucket with Arthur Grover and Jay Grover Silvestri. Photography via Dana Laverty

“His [Arthur’s] main focus, and certainly my main love and desire, is the antique sculpture, especially the Newport stuff,” Jay says.

To that end, they’ve set up a Newport Gallery, a room in the yawning space devoted to statues, fountains, chandeliers and other architectural marvels saved from the opulent Gilded Age mansions, as well as some of the “lost estates” that fell victim to neglect, redevelopment or fire.

They have all the wall panels and a mantel from Beechwood’s “Blue Room,” where Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor — the famous “Mrs. Astor” — would greet party guests. The mansion’s current owner, Oracle Corporation co-founder Larry Ellison, redid the room and didn’t want to keep the blue motif, Jay says.

But “it’s still ridiculously important,” he says, so he’ll keep the components together until someone wants to buy it.

Nearby is a flowing statue of Aphrodite from Wakehurst, a mansion that’s now part of Salve Regina University, and a Vicenza stone caryatid (a female figure that serves as a support column) from the home’s sunken garden. Just a few steps away is a statue of Jimmy Van Alen, the founder of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, purchased from Avalon, his Ocean Drive mansion, after his wife, Candy, died.

A crystal chandelier from Beechwood Mansion. Photography via Dana Laverty

Glowing over it all is a nineteenth century crystal chandelier from Beechwood, which, thanks to serendipity, has been absent its twin for some years. One day a Portsmouth resident happened to amble into the shop, browsing, when he stopped underneath the two lighting fixtures. 

“My wife passed away a few years ago,” he said, gazing upward, “and we got married under this chandelier.”

He bought it immediately. It now graces an outdoor atrium he built in her memory, a glittering beacon of love and happenstance.

“We’re trying to keep Newport here,” Arthur says. “It’s really hard, because a lot of things were brought here by the wealthy families. Nothing was really made in Newport, unless you find a Goddard piece or a Townsend piece. It was all brought here over the centuries.”

The shop deals in more than just relics from the City by the Sea, however. Jay recently got to pick through long-shuttered rooms inside Providence’s Butler Hospital, returning with life-size, hand-drawn medical illustrations. A trip to the John Brown House Museum, meanwhile, netted strips of antique leather wallpaper, while a venture to the Pitcher-Goff house in Pawtucket yielded vivid stained-glass windows crafted by W.J. McPherson, a noted nineteenth century stained-glass artist.

The antique bug struck Arthur early, his hobby of digging up glass bottles from old dumping sites christening him with a unique nickname.

“Every time I would go hang out with the guys, they’d say, ‘Hey, here comes Aardvark,’ Arthur says. “Because I liked to dig.”

Anyone who’s ever driven by and gazed at the outdoor retail space knows the store also specializes in outdoor statues, fountains and antique garden decor.

“I love garden antiques, and it’s another kind of niche,” Jay says. “To have that wide a selection of garden antiques is rare.”

They also dabble in bronze monuments; perhaps you’ve seen the many dragons on the shop’s roof or smaller versions gracing tabletops, or a life-size hippo, elephant or lion statue in the outdoor space. They work with foundries overseas to forge the figures and ship them to various amusement parks and attractions around the globe.

A zinc statue — Shepard attacked by a panther, protected by his dog — from the gardens at Chetwode Mansion, which was lost to fire in 1973. Photography via Dana Laverty

The dragon design is based on a pair made by Gorham Manufacturing Company for a Narragansett estate. Actor Nicholas Cage bought some when he owned an estate in Middletown in the early 2000s; others are at various Six Flags amusement parks.   

Their travels to Southeast Asia also piqued their interest in buying wood — mainly acacia teak and makha — and crafting it into fine tables, chairs and swings. They even made a few pieces for Matunuck Oyster Bar.

And because one can never have too many hobbies — or be too diversified — the family also runs Bumper Boats Inc., which crafts kiddie bumper boat rides that Arthur invented in the 1970s. Much like their bronze animals, you can find them at several amusement parks, including our own beloved Rocky Point (RIP). Arthur’s son Rocco runs that aspect of the family business, coming back after several years of teaching.

It’s been a family labor of love going on six decades now, and almost as many years of serving as a must-see destination in Newport. Arthur and his sons have traveled the world, met interesting people and learned the fascinating stories behind each piece they sell.

Perhaps one enamored visitor, according to Arthur, summed up the family business best:

“It’s what every other antique shop wants to be.”

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Horn of Plenty

$250,000: How much the rarest item ever found at Aardvark Antiques — an antique Chinese rhinoceros horn libation cup — fetched at a Christie’s auction.

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Star Dust

Celebrities who’ve been spotted shopping at Aardvark Antiques:

Nicholas Cage, Judge Judy, Jay Leno, Matt Rife

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Past Times

Here are some Rhode Island antique stores where you can go searching for treasure.

Antiques Alley

With more than 200 dealers, this store is an antique lover’s dream. 700 Putnam Pike, Smithfield, 949-4999, stillwaterantiques.net

Drawing Room Antiques

Owners Federico Santi and John Gacher have been selling fine antique furniture, decor and Zsolnay porcelain in Newport for more than forty years. 152 Spring St., Newport, 841-5060, drawrm.com

Esten Ave Vintage

Head here for all your vintage clothing and midcentury modern needs. 25 Esten Ave., Pawtucket, @esten_ave_vintage

The Find on 6

11,000 square feet of retail goodness. 2953 Hartford Ave., Johnston, 764-0651, @thefindon6

Jules Antiques & General Store

Search through more than seventy dealers inside a rustic farm building. 320 Kingstown Rd., Richmond, 539-2925, julesantiquesri.com

Mike’s Estate Services

Visit for quality furniture, housewares, collectibles, jewelry and more. 65 Manchester St., West Warwick, 825-7670, mikesestateservices.com

Nostalgia Antiques & Collectibles

Three floors and more than 200 dealers means you’re sure to walk away with a newfound bauble or vintage find. 236 Wickenden St., Providence, 400-5810, nostalgiaprovidence.com

Rē Antiques

Visit Rē for quality furniture, art, decor and fine rugs. 7511 Post Rd., North Kingstown, 667-5996, rerhodeisland.com

Rhode Island Antiques Mall

You’ll find fine art, pottery, pop culture relics and other antiquities from the 200 dealers at the Rhode Island Antiques Mall. 345 Fountain St., Pawtucket, 475-3400, riantiquesmall.com

Rocket to Mars

Paperbacks, home decor, vintage girlie mags, clothing, a one-eyed loveable cat — Rocket to Mars is where those in the know on the West End go to shop. 144 Broadway, Providence, 274-0905, @rocket_to_mars_vintage