Are all the items you show online for sale?
No. The website provides a window into all our activities, past and present. But the site’s content is updated regularly, so all the items shown in the Portfolio tab are currently available unless marked ‘Sold’.
Can I know the price of a particular item or items?
Yes. Please use the button ‘Enquire about this item’ next to the item’s description, or send us an e-mail to [email protected] with your request. We will be happy to reply with information about prices.
Can I have a condition report on an item?
Yes. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] specifying the item’s inventory number and requesting a condition report.
Can you deliver items?
Our customers are from around the world. Principally we sell to collectors and museums in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Typically we use a courier service (like Federal Express) to send small items to our customers, and specialist carriers for larger items. For small items this means that a tracking number will be available and the item will reach most destinations within a week. For larger items our carriers will be in touch to discuss convenient delivery arrangements.
In respect of shipments of antiques to our clients in the United States, we always complete US antiques declaration forms so that our US customers will not be liable for US customs duty under US law.
Your purchases are fully insured by us until they reach your door.
How do I pay for items?
Bank transfers are the preferred method of payment. Our prices are in pounds sterling (GBP) but we are happy to discuss receiving the equivalent amounts in US dollars (USD), or Euros (EUR), by bank transfer.
Do you guarantee your items?
Yes. A full refund will be given if an object is not as described. Our reputation is very important to us so we take great care when we research our items. We have specialised in Early Christian, Byzantine and Islamic art for over forty years and are considered experts in our field. We also work closely with academics. Senior scholars in our fields c many of the entries and descriptions in our catalogues.
Can I visit you on evenings or weekends?
Visits on some evenings and weekends can be arranged by appointment.
How can I keep track of the new items that you have in stock?
When we acquire new items for sale, and once these items are researched and photographed, they are added to the New Arrivals tab of our website.
From where do you acquire your stock?
The majority of our items are from private European or American collections. They have been held and treasured in private hands over hundreds of years and some are associated with important families or individuals. We also acquire at public auctions and from the antiques trade.
For your peace of mind, all the items on our website which have been acquired privately or through the trade have been checked against the Art Loss Register database. A copy of such items’ ALR Search Report can be made available to the purchaser.
How should one display and care for the items?
Where appropriate, our items come with a custom-made mount and this is given free to the purchaser. We are also happy to advise on installation, display, lighting and care of items purchased.
Why are there so few items on your website?
Despite being in the business for over 40 years, our presence online is a new undertaking. This website, therefore, is a work in progress to which we will be adding material regularly. We encourage you to visit often to see more offerings.
Why can’t I zoom-in on the images in an item's Extended Entry?
We take the view that in these in-depth discussions of items, the juxtaposition of text and images is crucial to meaning. Thus, since the page layout is an integral part of an Extended Entry, we do not want it to change dynamically according to the needs of the device (PC, tablet or Smartphone) on which you have opened it. To this end, every Extended Entry is a PDF which has been formatted to appear as a book whose pages you can turn.