When a painting, a piece of silver or a rare object should be seen by collectors around the world, we get it in front of the right specialist sale — and handle everything in between.
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Most things sell best locally and quickly. But every so often an estate turns up something with a signature, a maker's mark, a provenance or a rarity that puts it in a different category — the sort of piece that two determined collectors in London and Hong Kong might bid against each other for. That piece should not be sold across a counter in Naples. It should be placed in the right sale, at the right house, with the right estimate, and given the room it deserves.
Knowing which is which is most of the skill. We'll tell you straight when something is a local sale, and when it isn't.
Auction houses charge the seller a commission and, sometimes, fees for photography, insurance and shipping. Our role and our fee are set out in writing before anything is consigned, alongside the house's terms, so you can see the whole picture on one page. No surprises at settlement.
Because we negotiate as a repeat consignor, the terms we obtain are frequently better than an individual would be offered walking in cold — and we'll show you the arithmetic.
Major sales run on a calendar: consignment deadlines, cataloguing, previews, the sale itself, and settlement some weeks after. Three to six months from consignment to payment is typical; specialist sales can be longer. If an estate can't wait that long, we'll say so and suggest the faster route instead.
We don't discuss whose estate a piece came from, and we don't advertise our auction relationships. If you'd prefer that a piece be catalogued as "property of a Naples collector," that's easily arranged.
Every piece has a best route. Here's how we think about it.
A fair written offer, paid on the spot. Right for most furniture, silver, porcelain and decorative pieces — and for estates on a deadline. What we buy
The piece sits on our floor until the right Naples buyer walks in. Higher return than a buyout, on a slower clock. How consignment works
For the signed, the scarce and the documented. Global reach, a longer timeline, and the best possible result for the right object.
Send us photographs — front, back, any marks or signatures — or bring it in. We'll tell you, free of charge, whether it belongs at auction, on our floor, or with a buyer today. Most things are the latter two; the exceptions are worth finding.
We work with a range of regional and international houses and choose by the piece, not by the name. We don't publish those relationships, but we'll explain exactly why we're recommending a particular sale for your object, and you'll see the house's terms before you sign anything.
You can. What we add is judgement about which house and which sale, negotiated terms, properly documented submissions, handled logistics, and a single person accountable to you from consignment to settlement. For an estate with several candidates, or an heir who lives out of state, that tends to be worth a great deal.
It happens. We'll have discussed a sensible reserve beforehand, and if a piece is bought in we'll advise on the next step — a second sale, a different house, consignment through the shop, or a direct offer from us.
Yes. We arrange packing, insured transport and delivery to the house's deadline, and we keep the paperwork for your file.
We buy single pieces and entire estates — antiques, silver, art, and furniture. Honest evaluations, free of charge and free of pressure.