Antique Collection

For most normal people a good collection of money seems to satisfy their acquisitive instincts. However, I have noticed that more and more denizens of the International Set are becoming cognoscenti and aficionados of the Ancient Object. ‘A thing of beauty is a Joy for Ever’ as the poet neatly put it (especially as [...]

Some magnificent pieces of furniture developed out of the humble chest. Today, collectors can chooser from many styles and forms.
No matter how luxurious or humble, a chest of drawers can trace its ancestry back to the simple top-opening chest (also called a coffer) — one of the oldest items of furniture. Other descendants include the [...]

Scientists, astronomers, sailors and the general public have long employed a range of microscopes, telescopes, and other magnifying instruments as diverse as the stargazer’s six-footer and pearl-encrusted opera glasses.

Cabinets have been prized possessions since the 17th century, and are among the most visually arresting and impressive forms of furniture.
The earliest cabinets made in Britain, in the mid-17th century, were used to store precious belongings and papers.
By the end of the 17th century, however, they had become objects of distinction and elegance in their [...]

The bureau neatly combines the function of a writing table with that of a decorative filing cabinet — features which make it doubly sought after.
The Bureaux’s distant ancestors were the medieval lectern and its more portable version the lapdesk, which had a hinged flap like the top of a bureau. By the late 17th century, [...]