I joined Christie’s as a graduate trainee in 1990, having been an intern on the valuations desk. I’ve always had an interest in art and studied art history at university, but it was after helping my mother, who created inventories for the National Trust in Wales, that I knew I wanted to work with artworks. She photographed and catalogued everything from a state bed to a pepper grinder.
I loved handling a variety of objects. My work has three intertwined centres of focus: our clients, my colleagues, and the silver we sell. I’m based in London and keep in close touch with specialists in New York and Paris to look after our clients, or promote sales and search for pieces that will appeal.
Buyers come to us for advice and we guide them through the auction process – what the best pieces are, what qualities they should look for, and what they should be wary of. The research is fascinating, such as identifying the hallmarks to unravelling the heraldry. We can discover the craftsman and the year a piece was made, and then reconstruct its history across centuries, countries and collections.
In rare instances, an object might be mentioned in a will. Handling a huge range of works is immensely rewarding. I look at them in great detail, examining their construction and condition.
We record their history or provenance, citations in reference works, and public exhibitions. For the more important and valuable items, it’s vital to explain the rarity of a piece and its historical co.
