Another opus from Jack Tremper
Working in a high-end English antiques gallery is unique. It’s like many other places in that we have work stations complete with computers and even a water cooler in the back, but instead of a cubicle we are instead surrounded by rare and costly pieces of furniture and works of art. I remember remarking to a friend once that I felt as if I were working in a museum. In some ways we are like a museum, except that all of our pieces are for sale.
Thankfully, this thinking soon disappeared as I became more comfortable in the showroom and less worried about knocking something over while vacuuming or scratching a piece while dusting. Not to mention, the near daily saying by Mr. Chappell of “this isn’t a museum” in response to some less-engaged browsers (‘looky-lous’ as we call them) coming through the gallery reminds me that everything is for sale and if the gallery were a museum, we’d surely charge an admission fee.
In saying this, I’ve come to realize it’s a terrible idea to look at period furniture only as historical items or pieces to admire. We certainly have many things that are undoubtedly museum-quality, but the pieces that we deal in are far more than nice looking old furniture; they are practical pieces that were created to be used. If it’s a chair – sit in it. If it’s a table – work, eat, or, at the very least display something on it.
Through a few interactions with clients, it’s become evident that I’m not the only one adjusting away from a “museum” mentality. I have seen numerous clients or potential clients hesitate before sitting down in our pair of giltwood George III John Linnell salon chairs. It’s not just me noticing the hesitation in their body language, but they actually ask if it is alright to sit in these chairs. And of course we let them know that it is fine that they sit in them and in fact we encourage it.
Sitting in these chairs helps to see that they are not just for decoration or collecting, but they actually are quite comfortable to sit in. I don’t know if our visitors find it surprising that these chairs are reasonably comfortable but they shouldn’t because the chairs were made with the intention of being sat on and I’d hope our clients see this aspect as well as continue to enjoy how they look.
Though, I suppose, the idea of sitting in one of a pair of chairs with a price of $88,000 takes some getting used to but the fact of the matter is that a chair is for sitting. And an antique chair is for both sitting and admiring.