Desire for Dummies | Your guide to the exotic world of antique collection

Esoteric, high-value and eclectic—each of these epitaphs defines the antique collection. From understanding the provenance and the heritage of the pieces, furniture and accessories you buy, to striking up close friendships with dealers for the best offers, it is a high-pressure world of rare finds, history and bargains. Here's a quick guide to help you navigate it:

What is considered to be a genuine antique?

Here is a criterion you should keep in mind while buying an antique: Any object that is over 100 years old and has aesthetic and historical significance can be referred to as an antique. Bengaluru-based art and antique dealer Raghu Menon says, “The difference between an antique and a vintage item is its age. Antiques are items that must be at least 100 years old.”
India has strict rules about the objects, furniture and art that dealers can export outside the country. Nothing that’s over a century old can be exported. This means, if you are considering investing in an antique, look for it within India, in genuine antique stores or on Indian art auction websites such as SaffronArt or Astaguru. Any Indian antique purchased from an international purveyor or auction house is likely to be a fake or stolen, sold via an insidious underground market in India that ferrets out rare antiques and art to the international market. Unless, it has come into the global auction market for an Indian living abroad whose family has owned that piece for generations.

This 100-year-old rule applies to all kinds of antiques: sculptures, pieces of furniture, jewellery, lights, books, even glassware. Vintage, on the other hand, can be an artefact, a sculpture, or even glasses, jewellery and such from the last 100 years. You buy it more for its nostalgic value than any real value in the resale or auction market.

Why are we talking about antiques now?

Besides the diehard antique collectors, there are enough indications that a new generation of collectors is on the hunt for the rare and the hard-to-find. An Instagram handle like Indian Antique Quest has 48.7k followers. They are a marketplace that sells antiques to Indian collectors and have registered a sharp increase of 20% in followers over the last year.

“The conditions are ripe for a rendezvous with all things antique as millions stay cooped at home, establishing new connections with spaces that were once mere houses than homes, looking for some kind of rootedness and familiarity in an uncertain world,” says Hyderabad antique dealer Essa Jahan.

Many dealers like him are going online, on Zoom, to introduce their young customers to the magic of owning a little piece of Indian or global heritage. The fact that you can buy antiques online from stores and auction houses that often put out estate sales, makes the entire process of hunting for one and landing a great deal a rather thrilling experience.

How do I go about buying antiques?

There is no easy way to buy an antique, and you will need to put in a lot of research and hard work. Here is what you need to do before you begin investing.

• Educate yourself: Research and educating yourself is a crucial first step to making an informed investment. What characterises Chola period antique? When it comes to furniture, what is investment-worthy—art deco or colonial-era furniture? What is the fascinating history of Mysore and Tanjore paintings?

A genuine antique piece of furniture or sculpture can cost upwards of a few lakhs. However, there are objects of antique value that you can buy for less. Beetle nut crackers, lamps, Raja Ravi Varma lithographs, antique maps of India, there is a lot you can invest in without breaking the bank. “There is no substitute for thorough research. No matter your budget or agenda, it is important to expose yourself to the real treasures so you know what you are buying,” says Menon.

British colonial furniture can cost upwards of a few lakhs. Do your research for rare finds.

Jahan says that the world of antique collecting can feel intimidating to people, as most don’t realise how affordable some of it can be, nor how effectively it can be combined with contemporary art and furniture to give your home that extra edge. Quirky is cool, so even if you have the dosh for buying the big pieces, the Chola sculptures and the Tanjore paintings, mix them up with disparate pieces such as beetle nutcrackers or that colonial lamp or pot or even a 1900s crystal goblet to build a unique and eclectic collection.

Speak to knowledgeable antique dealers to learn the difference between Indian, art deco, mid-century and colonial-era antiques so that you make an informed choice.

• Cross-reference the pricing: Get an idea of the market value of what you are buying, says collector and product designer Ashish Gandhi. “To find the average price of a particular antique, I look at high-end dealer sites, factoring in the size and condition against the price, and subtract 30%. Then, I look for similar pieces at auction houses. The average price is in between those two numbers.”

Many factors affect price, from rarity, materials and craftsmanship to current tastes and fashions. Make a wish list depending on the amount you want to spend. Strike a friendship with your dealers: not only would that offer immense opportunities for you to pick up the little nuances of collecting an antique, but help you negotiate the price better.

Find purveyors outside of big cities: The one secret that very few dealers will let out or established collectors will share: If you buy from an antique dealer in Mumbai or Delhi, you are paying far more than you would pay a dealer in Hyderabad or Kolkata. The difference could be almost 30%. Also, do not forget to haggle. Gandhi says that on occasion bargaining has helped him bring the price of an antique down by almost 15 per cent, which on a tab of a few lakhs could amount to a neat sum.

Art Nouveau Dragonfly Brooch, 1900.

Where can I buy genuine antiques?

A verified list of much-respected antique dealers will read like this:

Danny Mehra’s Carpets, Bengaluru: The store is a haven for antique carpet collectors. Danny Mehra is a collector himself and he sources 19th and 20th-century carpets from countries such as Iran, Anatolia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. 

Balaji’s Antiques and Collectibles, Bengaluru: This is where you head to for colonial furniture, Raja Ravi Varma lithographs, Mysore paintings and rare works of art. Their antiques can be found in the collection of the Omega Museum in Geneva as well as those of private collections.

Royale Treasures, Alibag: The store is set in a picturesque villa in this idyllic beach town, known as India’s answer to Hamptons. It retails Flemish furniture, French Sèvres porcelain vases, chandeliers and Asian earthenware. As an aside: while Indian antiques cannot be sent out of the country, there is no ban on importing antiques for different parts of the world.

Ramanik Shah, Bhuj: This antique dealer and restorer lives far away from the schizophrenic urban world of collectors and dealers and is spoken of in awe. He uses traditional techniques of restoration to restore all kinds of antiques: four-poster beds, antique doors, and Victorian, art deco and Gothic furniture, besides art deco chandeliers.

Dewan brothers, Dehradun: The family has been dealing in antiques since 1929 and their lovely store in Dehradun sells Japanese Satsuma earthenware pieces, with a multi-coloured enamel glaze and gold detailing, old Mintons and Wedgwood ceramics can be found, and 125-year-old Bohemian crystal and French glassware.

Antique Rococo furniture.

Saudades, Goa: Housed in a restored Indo-Portuguese manor in Sangolda, the store is filled with Indian artefacts and furniture from the British, Portuguese and Dutch colonial periods. Their rosewood tables and furniture are particularly exquisite.

The Ethnic Passage, Kochi: The treasure house dates back to 1977 and is sited within a 200-year-old Portuguese building. It is filled with furniture, sculptures, teak and rosewood furniture is displayed, Christian religious artefacts from old churches, besides a clutch of smaller stuff such as antique spice boxes and wooden plates and spoons.

The Russell Exchange, Kolkata: Russel Street is the oldest running auction house in India. Founded in 1940, it offers a curated collection of rare colonial furniture, chandeliers and gramophones.

Mayur Arts, Udaipur: The 50-year-old store has a striking collection of silver, wood, stone and brass artefacts, besides Mughal miniature paintings and pichhwais.

F&C Osler was founded in Birmingham in 1807. It became known for its exquisite chandeliers.

Chandelier and furniture house, Mumbai: The Mansuri family is an icon in the world of antique collecting. Their collection comprises over 50 antique chandeliers from big-ticket vintage brands such as F&C Osler and Baccarat, besides celadon plates, crystal decanters and glassware.

Phillips Antiques, Mumbai: Every Mumbaikar would have walked past this glass-fronted store, with a brilliant display of antiques, close to the Gateway of India. Run by Farooq Issa, it offers a humungous and diverse range of Indian antiques, covering the breadth and diversity of Indian traditions, including folk art and engravings and lithographs of India by European artists. Their client list includes not just private collectors, but also museums across the world.

Taherally’s, Mumbai: The family ran an antique store for years on Mutton Street, popularly known as Chor Bazaar, before Essa expanded the antique store to Kohinoor Building in Sun Mill Compound. From the sprawling store, he sells French silverware, large Chinese woodwork cupboards, brass floor fans and wooden trunks.

An 18th century painting from Mysore.

Geethanjali, Puducherry: The store is a third-generation business housed in a 19th-century villa in the French quarter. They retail an ethically sourced collection of south Indian art and artefacts, such as Tanjore paintings, antique silver objets d’art and four-poster beds.