Antique Guides

Though it’s today one of the lesser-known ‘decorative arts’, the technique of pietra dura is highly prized and widely used, and can be found in settings ranging from antique jewellery boxes to the walls of the Taj Mahal.

A chimneypiece is essentially a decorative surround that frames the opening of a fireplace. It has been seen for centuries as the focal point of a room. Furniture is organised around it, and prized artworks or beautiful mirrors above it. Without one, a room for entertaining or relaxing can often feel without a centrepiece.

Boards for playing games such backgammon and chequers have been used since Tudor times. However, bar a few exceptions, it was only after the restoration of English monarchy in 1660, under Charles II, that tables were made specifically for games.

Coin collecting is a passion dating back to ancient times, encompassing all types of currency: coins, tokens, medals, paper money and related objects. Known as the ‘hobby of Kings’ since the Renaissance, famous coin collectors include Lorenzo de Medici, King Louis XIV of France and the first Roman Emperor Augustus. Coins can immortalize particular moments in history and are extremely valuable to archaeologists and historians.

Gilt bronze, also called ormolu, is the term used to describe the gold-finished bronze decorative art objects from the 18th and 19th centuries, such as furniture mounts, clocks and candelabra.