Not everything in the world revolves around English antiques, but that is my world, for good or for ill, and, consequently, the antiques trade has become my vector.
While the slow economy has certainly impacted the antiques trade, it has nearly wiped out our artisans. It’s simple, really- if we have not much custom, we require not much restoration. Beyond that, few of these folk, talented as they are, have little materially going for them but for their restoration talents. It is difficult, therefore, to go to the bank and ask for financing based upon skill in joinery, restoring paintwork, upholstery or metalsmithing.
Moreover, most of the people we work with would be unknown to us had they not been originally recommended by a respected member of the antiques trade. I don’t know of a one of them who even maintains a Yellow pages listing. Their custom is derived by word of mouth, and most of them prefer to deal with the better antiques dealers. The why of this is not too hard to fathom. When Chappell & McCullar requires restoration of an item- and they all do, frequently from a number of different artisans- we are very specific about what it is we want done. Keith and I have long, involved discussions with our trades people that include figuring to veneers, patination, pigment, historical context….the list goes on and on. The restorers like all this, and so do we, as critical discussion is central to achieving proper restoration.
That little established protocol exists for restoration is the primary reason why our restorers do not like to do work for anyone but serious dealers and the occasional serious collector. Realizing this, as frequently as we are asked to recommend a restorer, we rarely do. I know this sounds snotty, but the occasional collector would have difficulty in instructing the restorer, and if the ultimate job of restoration ends up being satisfactory to the collector, it is oftentimes a happy accident. More often, unfortunately, the collector doesn’t get what he wants, or thinks it is too expensive, or both, and both the collector and the restorer are angry, frustrated, and, the result of this failure to communicate, the restorer has to accept less money for his work than he deserves.