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The Griffin Gallery is a family-owned furniture and fine furnishings
boutique located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offering furniture and
objects from around the world. Jan Griffin O’Reilly and her younger
son Griffin O’Reilly Lewis began the adventure of owning an upscale
home deccor retail business in 2004. Jan retired from her law office
in that year, having practiced as an attorney for twenty-one years.
The dream of having a shop like The Griffin Gallery
developed over many years of our travels to various places in the
world and obtaining beautiful art objects and collectibles on our
trips. Over time, after scouring antique shops and art galleries in
Europe and in Hawaii, we began to appreciate most particularly the
fine detail and beauty of porcelains and ceramics, all influenced by
ancient Chinese art. Jan, an avid gardener, came to love the birds and
flowers motif in Chinese ceramics, porcelains and textiles, reminding
her of their garden at home. Her interest then began to extend to
Chinese antique furniture pieces, especially after visiting Honolulu
and seeing so many exquisite and functional pieces in the galleries
there. Jan decided that having a shop where such items could be
offered for sale in Pittsburgh would be a more beautiful and
harmonious way to spend her days, rather than engaging in the
contention and argument that a law practice requires. And that was how
The Griffin Gallery was born.
Jan’s older son Jack O’Reilly Lewis lives in Honolulu and until
recently served aboard a fast attack nuclear submarine stationed at
Pearl Harbor. Jack traveled throughout the Far East and sent many
Chinese antique furniture and jewelry pieces from Singapore, Japan and
Hawaii to Pittsburgh for sale at The Griffin Gallery. No one else in
Pittsburgh offers such items.
Our antique Chinese furniture pieces have
been very popular. The pieces date from approximately 1821 to 1880 and
currently include a 22-drawer black lacquer medicine chest from Shanxi,
China; a 6-panel black lacquer namwood screen from Zhijiang, China; a
large Duan Mu cabinet from Shanxi; a 4-drawer Elmwood side cabinet
from Shanxi; and 2 very rare black lacquer children’s horseshoe
armchairs, Elmwood with hard cane seats, also from Shanxi province.
The arrival of these pieces in Pittsburgh was
very emotional for Jan. Her son Jack had met with the vendor and
arranged the shipment to Pittsburgh. We waited a long time for the
shipment to reach San Diego, then shipped by railroad to Baltimore,
and then shipped by a moving company truck from Baltimore to
Pittsburgh. Jan had not seen the pieces, except by seeing copies of
photographs. The shipment arrived, each of the Chinese antique pieces
were carefully moved from the trucks to the sidewalk, and the crates
and wrappings were removed, revealing the exquisitely beautiful
surprises that Jack had selected for sale in our little shop. Tears of
joy and wonderment steamed down Jan’s face as she saw the pieces for
the first time!
All are welcome at The Griffin Gallery. We would be pleased to meet
you and to show you our beautiful offerings. |
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