1 How did you get your start as a dealer?
It was an accident of geography. When I was 18, I lived across the road from one of the best carpet and textile restorers in the UK at the time near Bath. I got a job stitching 16th century Safavid masterpieces and have been working my way down ever since.
2 How has the market changed in your experience?
The market has always been tough, so that’s a constant. In my field the collector market has faded due to the trade’s collective failure to attract a new generation of interested buyers. The decorative end keeps on chugging and the market for the very best or unusual is vibrant.
3 Who is one person you admire in the trade?
Peter Willborg – RIP – a specialist in antique rugs and ethnographica from Stockholm. He had a great eye and was very fair and was welcoming to all.
19th century silk Chinese export embroidery – £2500 from Owen Parry at LARTA.
4 What is one category in vogue with collectors right now?
Coming up on the rails: classic Ottoman or Safavid rugs with Moroccan textiles.
5 What is one great discovery you have made?
I was lucky to find a great 17th century Caucasian needlework panel in mint condition in a field at the Ardingly fair many moons ago.
If you would like to be featured in 5 Questions, please contact francesallitt@antiquestradegazette.com
